http://wohlersassociates.com/blog Views, perspective, and commentary from Terry Wohlers Mon, 14 May 2012 14:31:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) is like no other event that I’ve attended in my 30 years of travel. Most industry events are filled with back-to-back presenters, but not COFES. Instead, the three-day event includes many casual briefings, open discussions, and informal conversations—all by design. The ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/05/cofes-2012/ Is it now fashionable to talk about additive manufacturing and 3D printing? It sure seems so. Almost everywhere I turn, I see or hear someone talking about it, whether it’s a blog, web article, or printed story. Even the U.S. government is focused on it like never before. After nearly ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/04/mainstream-press/ ASTM International Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies was organized in 2009 to develop industry standards. To date, new standards on terminology, testing, a new file format (as an alternative to STL), and a titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) have been completed by the committee. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) also has ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/04/astm-iso-collaboration/ Earlier this month, the White House announced new efforts to support manufacturing innovation. Central to the announcement is a proposed investment of $1 billion for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. It would involve up to 15 Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation across the U.S., each one serving as a regional ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/03/national-network-for-manufacturing-innovation/ I finished Steve Jobs, authored by Walter Isaacson, last week. Wow! He was one interesting guy. Brilliant, driven, meticulous, obsessive, emotional, and ruthless are a few of the words to describe him. His astoundingly successful products and businesses are like no other. And, I doubt we’ll ever see anyone like ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/03/steve-jobs/ In November 2011, I received an email from an individual in China. Nearly every week, I receive many emails from Chinese prototyping, tooling, and injection molding companies trying to sell their services. They go into my spam control filter so that I never receive email from them again. This one, ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/03/three-years-in-china/ I attended SolidWorks World earlier this week and I’m glad I did. It is one of the few CAD events I attend and it's an excellent opportunity to stay abreast of important advances in SolidWorks. More than 5,600 people from 33 countries traveled to San Diego to attend. I find ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/02/solidworks-world-2012/ Tom Kalil is Deputy Director of Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Kalil is on leave from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Science and Technology. In 2007–2008, Kalil was the Chair of the Global ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/02/the-white-house%e2%80%99s-tom-kalil/ Two years ago, a disc in my lower back ruptured. The disc tissue put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which caused significant discomfort. The pain started in the lower back and worked its way to my left hip, then to my left quadricep, and eventually down to my lower leg ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/01/back-surgery/ There’s a reasonable chance that you have not yet heard about the Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC), which was launched in 2010 by EWI in Columbus, Ohio. EWI is a 140-employee, non-profit organization that develops and commercializes advanced manufacturing solutions, especially materials joining technology. Tim Caffrey, associate consultant at Wohlers Associates, ... http://wohlersassociates.com/blog/2012/01/additive-manufacturing-consortium/