Re: CAD University

From: Steven (themissinglink@eznetinc.com)
Date: Fri Sep 10 1999 - 19:03:44 EEST


As to CAD University, I think you got my point but in a sense missed it too. You
are still looking at CAD availability within the traditional users of RP. What
I am saying is that there is a whole army of talented designers out in the
marketplace who are not engineers yet are hands on type people who could pick up
CAD with the proper training. Take me, as a goldsmith, for example. There are
many jewelry designers out there who would be using the services of service
bureaus or purchasing RP equipment if they could only get useful CAD training.
There are also freelance artists out there like Rees and others, who if they
could utilize CAD, might design their own line of running shoes for example. At
$200 per pair, it might be feasible for a small band of artisans to create their
own line of shoes using the service of an SLA bureau.

Small bands of CAD equipped artists could also open the RP market up to other
small and medium size businesses who are not large enough to have inhouse CAD
designers. Again, the activity which affects RP sales is new product
development which may not be maximized by focussing so narrowly on the large
manufacturors who can afford RP.

The revolution I see being missed is analogous to the printing industry. RP
manufacturors are like the makers of large printing equipment who sell mainly to
centralized publications and large printing bureaus. By making CAD available to
the masses would be analogous to the legion of small desktop publishers and the
explosion of niche publications we all see. The makers of the large print
equipment have ultimately sold more equipment due to the small publications even
if not directly to these small users.

Steve Pollack

"B. J. Arnold-Feret" wrote:

> 1. A factor that causes 3D CAD to bottleneck for many firms is the
> expense.
> 2. Another factor is the difference between platforms and the inability
> of all platforms to easily translate to each other, even though IGES basics
> can be used to go back and forth between programs.
> 3. Each program has strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, whether or
> not the program selected is best fit for each firm can vary widely.
> 4. Getting and keeping trained people on each program can be a constant
> drain on resources.
> 5. CAD doesn't replace common sense in design, and vice versa.
> 6. At least in some instances, CAD designers may or may not have
> expertise on materials and molding which affect the finished product. Try
> explaining to a CAD designer that the design must have a certain degree of
> draft angles and have shrink compensation that is different from HDPE to
> GFPC for an injection mold, and steel is different than aluminum.
> 7. CAD customer service can be wide different from company to company.
> Likewise the need to purchase modules can be interesting experiences for
> budgeting.
> 8. Try getting a CAD person to give you blueprints with accurate and
> enough details is like pulling teeth. (NO a drawing without dimensions and
> tolerances are not going to do it for a customer at a show and tell when you
> don't have access to a computer system.)
>
> In other words, CAD systems for a coursework like the proposed can be a
> wonderful training for people, or the CAD course can leave the participants
> without the ability to translate the skills into the workplace.
> Additionally, what a designer with a large consumer parts manufacturers
> needs versus a designer with other rendering needs means a wide range of
> skills are needed.
>
> Best of luck.
>
> B. J. Arnold-Feret
> ppsltd@airmail.net
>
> *********************************************
> * Prototyping and Rapid Tooling Services *
> * 1401 Summer Dell Court *
> * Roanoke TX 76262 *
> * 817-379-5629 voice - 817-431-5341 fax *
> * 817-979-0222 pager - ppsltd@airmail.net *
> * *
> *********************************************
>
> For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:52:40 EEST