One of the most popular items in my Etsy store is a 3D printed sphere stand for polished rock and mineral spheres, but it is on the smaller side. Several reviewers mentioned that they would like a larger version. So let’s do it! In this post I’ll show you how I use simple static simulations […]
If you make a thing, 3D printing can help you make it better. 3D printed jigs and fixtures are low-hanging fruit for additive manufacturing. Let’s highlight some 3D printing applications in the most unlikely of industries — lapidary! Lapidary work is the practice of shaping stone (especially semi-precious stone) into pretty pieces. It usually involves […]
I’m going to answer the top question I get from product managers and designers with whom I consult: “What’s the best way to manage product assemblies in Fusion 360?” Update to Fusion Team You’ll have to do it eventually, so just do it now and you’ll be set up really well to manage assemblies in […]
Design software is beginning to catch up with the capabilities of additive manufacturing technologies and materials. Lattices and generative design are key building blocks for new 3D printed lattice forms. What is a Lattice? For our intents and purposes, a lattice is a repeating 3D arrangement of material, typically constructed by intersecting thin sections. Lattices […]
The 3D printed Modular Fiddle provides a platform for experimentation in violin design. Any part can be changed in about ten minutes, but only one part can print in six minutes, install in three minutes, and change the instrument’s sound entirely. The bridge! If you’re a luthier, you already know that small changes to a […]
How do you crank out a quick product prototype on a tight timeline? By combining clever design and the power of 3D printing — and following these five principles. When my colleague Danny Peter at PDX Industrial asked me if I could prototype a transforming high heel shoe in six weeks I was sure we […]
Product designers use 3D printing to blur the line between a 3D printed prototype and a finished product. A 3D printed product is always a work in progress — it’s a prototype. Make your 3D printed prototypes stand-alone products and you’ll have a better end product and more fun along the way! Curious what the […]
The ideation phase of product design is too often glorified. You’ve seen it — the beautiful sketches, the compelling imagery — the fake stuff. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fun and important stage, but a pretty sketch is meaningless if not supported by logical, critical, and thorough analysis. That kind of analysis — […]
In product design, brainstorming is too often a process that lacks all structure, and thus consistently generates mediocre solutions to a poorly defined problem. Brainstorming is useless without structure! Using the methods I’ll describe here, you can generate creative solutions for any product design challenge. Let’s continue with the design of a better tabletop planter. […]
This August I’ll lead a group of high school teachers in Clackamas County through a 3-day seminar to help them teach students to design and be Makers. What’s the best way to do that? Teach the teachers to make stuff! First lesson: you can’t just say “Here’s a problem, go make a solution.” Instead, you teach a consistent process that can […]