For more information on the Forum, visit www.dfma.com/forum/index.html.

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GKS Improving 3D Laser Scanning Services in its Minnesota Office with New Engineering Services Manager

GKS Inspection Services, a global provider of dimensional measurement, 3D laser scanning and terrestrial scanning services for more than 25 years, is expanding the capabilities of its Minneapolis office with a new Engineering Services Manager. Larry Carlberg, GKS Service Bureau Manager commented, "I am delighted to announce that Mike Willcox has joined GKS Minneapolis to assist me with quoting and services leads. He has a comprehensive background in manufacturing and sales, with a sound understanding of our laser scanning capabilities and of the Laser Design equipment." With over 18 years working in the aerospace and precision sheet metal fabrication industries, Willcox is very experienced in photo-tooling and electro-mechanical switch manufacturing, as well as CAD design, CNC programming, and quality and inspection applications.

The addition in personnel increases the office's ability to follow up with scanning services and quoting projects in a timely manner. Willcox is fully trained in all the Laser Design scanning equipment and data processing software, and has a wide knowledge of manufacturing procedures, so he can explain to customers how the 3D laser scanning technology can help them be more efficient and lower their project costs. With Mike's comprehensive sales skills and the implementation of 64-bit computing technology, GKS has unmatched capabilities to offer faster service at competitive prices and meet the growing demands of our economy.

GKS Minnesota will be able to quickly deliver quotes for the ever increasing number of scanning projects, making the laser scanning option faster and more convenient for its customers. Demand for scanning services, both at GKS's lab and at customer sites, is growing and the added manpower at GKS Minnesota gives Midwest businesses access to the most timely and reliable service available in the area.

For more information on GKS, call Larry Carlberg at (952) 252-3433, e-mail measure@gks.com or visit www.gks.com.

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Anark Showcases Revolutionary 3D CAD Transformation Platform at PTC/User World 2008

(Boulder, CO.) Anark Corporation, leading provider of automated 3D CAD transformation and visualization solutions, today announced it will exhibit at the annual PTC/User World, taking place in Long Beach, California. The company will demonstrate its easy-to-use, automated 3D CAD preparation and transformation platform, Anark Core.

The revolutionary Anark Core Platform dramatically reduces repetitive CAD file conversion and preparation tasks by providing automated tools that enable efficient and secure interoperability between producers and consumers of 3D CAD data for OEM-Supplier data exchange, technical illustrations, and visual simulations.

At the event, Anark will demonstrate the current platform, Anark Core version 1.1. This version provides users with automated design-feature removal capabilities (parts, holes, filets), then exports high-precision BREP and lightweight mesh file formats including CATIA V4/V5, Parasolid, STEP, NX (formerly Unigraphics), IGES, Collada, DWF, X3D, and VRML.

“With Anark Core, we’re providing manufacturing companies with the power to easily and cost-effectively transform and share relevant product data internally and throughout the OEM supply chain – a repetitive task that can take hours of engineers’ time every day,” commented Stephen Collins, President and CEO of Anark Corporation. “We are particularly excited to demonstrate its capabilities to show attendees, as it is a powerful complement to many of PTC’s leading products and solutions.”

The Anark Core Platform will be on display at the annual PTC/User event at the Long Beach Convention Center, booth 419, on June 1-4, 2008. To schedule a demonstration prior to the show please contact Anark directly at solutions@anark.com.

For more information visit www.anark.com.

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CADnection Announces officetalk As Its First Authorized Reseller

(Santa Ana, CA) CADnection®, developers of the premier solution integrating AutoCAD® and SharePoint® applications, today announced that the company has signed a reseller agreement with officetalk, a United Kingdom-based provider of Microsoft Office SharePoint Services.

officetalk will serve as a distributor of CADnection’s product, which forms a seamless integration between Autodesk’s AutoCAD® - the most widely used engineering and architectural drafting program – and Microsoft SharePoint® - a suite of server-based capabilities for data sharing, content management, and business process acceleration.

“The addition of the CADnection product to our portfolio enables officetalk to provide enhanced services to our engineering and architectural customers by extending the value of AutoCAD data to all SharePoint users,” said Frank Faulds – Sales and Marketing Manager at officetalk. “We are excited about the benefits that our clients now have to extend the reach of SharePoint to AutoCAD users across the UK and Europe.”

For more information about officetalk, visit http://www.office-talk.com.

For more details about CADnection, visit http://www.cadnection.com/.

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CCE Upgrades EnSuite to Support Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, UG NX5 and Parasolid 19 Files

CCE, a leading provider of CAD/CAM data translation and viewer products, has announced that EnSuite Version 2 - its multi-CAD viewing, translation and productivity software - has been upgraded to provide support for Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, Unigraphics NX5 and Parasolid 19 files. The latest version of EnSuite can open Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, UG NX5 and Parasolid 19 files and translate them to any of the other formats currently supported by EnSuite including CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, SolidWorks, Parasolid, IGES and STEP. "This update shows our continuous commitment to keep pace with latest releases of all leading CAD systems and formats," says Vinay Wagle, V.P. Sales & Marketing of CCE.

The ability of EnSuite to support latest versions of all the leading CAD systems makes it possible for users to work with multi-CAD & multi-version files from customers, vendors and partners without having to consider the costly proposition of investing in CAD licenses and maintenance upgrades.

The latest EnSuite update will be available to all active subscription license customers as well as to new customers.

For more information, contact CCE at 248-932-5295 or email sales@cadcam-e.com.

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Creaform Expands Its International Presence

Creaform (Lévis, Canada), developer and manufacturer of the Handyscan 3DTM line-up of laser scanners, is proud to announce the completion of its 2008 business development plan in Asia with the official incorporation of its Japanese office, Creaform Japan. The event takes place just a few months after the incorporation of its Chinese subsidiary, Creaform Shanghai.

Since 2005, Creaform succeeded in cracking the Asian market with the Handyscan 3D products. Thanks to the incorporation of the Shanghai and Yokohama offices, Creaform is now on the ground and occupies an excellent position to further its international growth and build on the effervescence observed in these economically-emergent areas over the last few years.

For more information, visit http://www.creaform3d.com/.

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Dimension 3D Printing Group Offers New Cost-Saving Leasing Program for U.S. Customers

(Minneapolis, MN) The Dimension 3D Printing Group, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS), today announced immediate availability of new 60-month, cost-saving leasing terms to all U.S. customers.

These new terms apply to the Dimension Elite, Dimension 768 series and Dimension 1200es series. The terms provide for zero percent interest over 60 months with a $1 buyout at the conclusion of the lease.

"We believe the market will embrace the 20 percent savings over our 48-month program, and we're excited to make this technology more affordable for U.S. customers who choose to lease." said Jon Cobb, vice president and general manager of 3D printing for Stratasys. "For example, the new terms would allow a BST 768 customer to print eight 3D models per month at a leasing cost of just $39 per model." For more information on Dimension 3D printers, visit www.dimensionprinting.com or call toll free 888-480-3548.

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EOSINT P 390 Meets Tight Tolerances for Unmanned Aircraft Manufacture

(Krailling, Germany, and Novi, MI) EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, announced that Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems (NWUAV), an aerospace supplier, has purchased an EOSINT P 390 plastics laser-sintering machine. Northwest is using the equipment to produce high-quality aircraft components, including laser-sintered PA 2201 and PrimePart DC parts for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

NWUAV manufactures complex cylinder head temperature controllers, cylinder head shrouds and a variety of other parts for UAVs from Insitu, Inc. “Our greatest concern is meeting the tight tolerances and consistent quality that aircraft designs require,” says Chris Harris, president of NWUAV. “The EOSINT P 390 provides us with consistent, uniform, high-quality production parts that eliminate the need for secondary finishing operations such as sanding.”

With assistance and training from EOS technicians, NWUAV was able to go from installation to part production on the P 390 in just ten days. An essential step in the process was tuning parameters to meet design criteria within 0.001”.

Previously, NWUAV ordered the parts from an outside vendor and performed sanding and other finishing processes on them. Purchasing the P 390 and manufacturing the parts in-house has reduced the company’s supply chain and infrastructure costs such as part inspection, inventory, and storage. Northwest is now able to supply the components just-in-time and implement design changes within a couple of days versus weeks.

“The use of rapid manufacturing is booming in the aerospace industry,” says Jim Fendrick, vice president of EOS North America. “This growth continues to be driven by the ingenuity and innovation of industry leaders such as Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems.”

For more information about Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems, visit www.nwuav.com.
For more information about EOS, visit www.eos.info.

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FUJIFILM Dimatix Announces SAMBA™ Single Pass Piezo DOD Inkjet Technology

(Santa Clara, CA) FUJIFILM Dimatix today announced a new-generation piezoelectric drop-on-demand (Piezo DOD) inkjet technology that delivers the breakthrough quality, speed and scalability required for wide-width single pass production inkjet printing and materials deposition applications.

Developed jointly by FUJIFILM Dimatix and FUJIFILM Corporation, the new SAMBA™ inkjet technology utilizes Dimatix’ proprietary MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication methods, VersaDrop™ multi-pulsing jetting capability and Meniscus Replenishment Technology. Collectively, these technologies and other innovations enable printhead nozzles to be arranged in a matrix array with improved meniscus formation and ink recirculation to provide unparalleled stability, uniformity, maintainability and scalability in a compact package.

FUJIFILM Dimatix announces the companies’ new SAMBA™ technology will be on display at Messe Düsseldorf in Hall 8b, stand B03. FUJIFILM Corporation is demonstrating this technology in its new Digital Color Press also in Hall 8b, at stand A25.

The first implementation of SAMBA™ inkjet technology is in a parallelogram-shaped “printhead on a chip” that measures a mere 45 mm deep and packs 2048 jets per module at 1200 dot-per-inch spacing, and is capable of pulsing fluids at up to 100,000 cycles/second (100 kHz) – the highest jetting frequencies yet developed.

Owing to industry-first native drop volumes of 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 picoliters (trillionths of a liter), made possible by FUJIFILM Dimatix’ advanced Shaped Piezo Silicon™ MEMS fabrication methods, SAMBA™ printhead modules are constructed from robust inert materials and jet a wide variety of inks in grayscale using VersaDrop™ multi-pulse jetting capability at up to 1200 dpi resolution and at production speeds for printing, photographic and display graphics applications. The unique attributes of Shaped Piezo Silicon™ fabrication allow the printhead module’s drop volume to be less than 1 picoliter, essential for small-feature materials deposition applications in both single pass and scanning architectures.

Because of its scalability, SAMBA™ technology enables many SAMBA™ printhead modules to be placed end-to-end to form a single, tightly integrated SAMBA™ “Print Bar”. These SAMBA™ Print Bars can be varied in length to accommodate industry standard press sizes serving diverse printing applications from multi-page signatures to large packaging designs. Multiple SAMBA™ Print Bars can be configured in precisely aligned, adjacent clusters to enable high-speed single pass grayscale printing of multicolor inks and varnishes. Color-tocolor spacing of less than 50 mm allows four individual color channels to be located within a space of only 200 mm depth. SAMBA™ technology also allows single pass micro-deposition of functional fluids used in manufacturing products such as photovoltaic arrays, printable electronics and LCD displays.

“SAMBA™ inkjet technology enables a quantum leap that redefines how Piezo DOD inkjet technology can be designed, manufactured and applied,” said Andreas Bibl, CTO of FUJIFILM Dimatix. “SAMBA™ technology marks the first extensible Piezo DOD inkjet design that truly delivers on the promise of wide-width, high resolution, single pass, drop-on-demand inkjet without having to trade off quality, redundancy or print width, and achieves it in an elegant, compact form.”

For more information about FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. visit www.dimatix.com.

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I-Cubed Launches Rights Management Practice

(Raleigh, NC) Integrated Industrial Information, Inc. (I-Cubed), the Engineering Business Integration (EBI) company, announced today the formation of its Rights Management Practice (RMP). Since 1984, I-Cubed has developed solutions that maximize the tremendous potential of engineering assets across the enterprise and is now extending EBI into digital rights management.

“The globalization of product development brings with it the need for updated and enhanced security measures to protect intellectual property,” says I-Cubed Vice President of Technology and Services, Mark Winnie. “Our goal is to provide a portfolio of solutions to assist corporations with their rights management initiatives.”

I-Cubed standardized their offerings around Adobe LiveCycle® Enterprise Suite. Adobe’s robust and flexible integration architecture in conjunction with LiveCycle’s infrastructure and capacity to support native CAD applications makes LiveCycle ES the natural fit for rights management integrations with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems.

The initial offerings from I-Cubed’s RMP include consultation services and software for rights management planning and implementation. In addition, software development services are available for Adobe LiveCycle ES application extensions and PLM/ECM connectors to PTC’s industry-leading Windchill® content and process management solution.

For more information about I-Cubed, visit www.i-cubed.com.

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International Gas Springs Adds 25-30% New Business as a Result of CAD Model Downloads

(San Jose, CA) Catalog Data Solutions (CDS), provider of online solutions for industrial suppliers, today announced that International Gas Springs (IGS) has reported spectacular results from their CDS CAD Model download solution.

IGS is based in Chicago, USA and Surrey, UK and is a leading manufacturer of Compression, Tension, Adjustable, Locking (Flexible & Rigid), Stainless Steel and Aluminum Springs. “Adding CAD Downloads to our web site has added 25-30% new business for IGS in less than a year,” said Brant Pelton, General Manager, IGS. “It has also enabled us to reach many new, high profile, customers because their design engineers downloaded and used IGS CAD models . Very often now, we get calls for technical advice or custom products and when we ask ‘how they heard of IGS’, the answer is ‘via the CAD Downloads’. Engineering Designers don’t appreciate a hard sell but saving them time by providing CAD models is opening many new doors for IGS.”

“We are delighted by International Gas Springs’ success in such a short space of time”, said John Major, CEO of CDS, “their experience further quantifies the value of CAD downloads as a business generation tool for industrial suppliers.”

Studies show that over 90% of designers and engineers now use the Internet to locate components for their new designs. Manufacturers are accelerating their web based marketing to capture this opportunity and the best way to do that is by offering CAD Downloads of their products.

For more information about International Gas Springs (IGS), please visit http://www.internationalgassprings.com.

For more information about Catalog Data Solutions, visit http://www.catalogdatasolutions.com.

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MFG.com Expands Market Reach with New Global Partner Channel Network

(Atlanta, GA) www.MFG.com, the largest global online marketplace for the manufacturing community, today announced the starting line-up for its newly created Global Partner Channel Network. The Partner Channel program is designed to quickly expand market reach and fuel growth both domestically and internationally. MFG.com Channel Partners include industry associations, print and online publishers in addition to online web sites that serve procurement professionals, engineers, or suppliers of manufacturing services and industrial products.

As part of its North American expansion plans, MFG.com has finalized a partnership agreement with Penton Media Inc., the largest independent business-to-business media company in the US, serving more than six million business professionals every month. Penton’s market-leading brands are focused on 30 industries and include 113 trade magazines, 145 Web sites, 150 industry trade shows and conferences, and more than 500 information data products. MFG.com has finalized a new partnership with CLB Media Inc., one of Canada's leading providers of information and marketing services to business professionals in a wide range of industry sectors. Internationally, MFG.com has signed a partnership with B2Bportales, Inc. a publishing enterprise with print and online multi-media products serving the Latin American marketplace.

"Developing and maintaining a strong Channel Partner program enables MFG.com to energize its global marketplace with new buyers and suppliers," states Steve Roth, Chief Marketing Officer, MFG.com. "Our program rewards our Partners with channel revenue, and allows us to reach our target audience in many industrial verticals and diverse regions around the world. We work closely with our members to provide marketing services, tools, and access to our valuable market data and trend spotting surveys as a bonus benefit."

For more information about MFG.com, visit www.MFG.com.

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Opportunities at Loughborough University

2 x PhD Students
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Loughborough University - University of Loughborough -

The research will be concerned with the development of metallic rapid manufacturing processes and design optimisation. Particular emphasis will be placed upon material properties of components manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM) and computer aided design optimisation for performance improvement. The work will be conducted within the Rapid Manufacturing Research Group and excellent laboratory and computer facilities are available to undertake the work. Applicants must possess a good upper second or first class degree in an engineering discipline, appropriate experience would be advantageous. They must be able to work as part of a large, multidisciplinary team, have highly effective verbal and written communication skills and if possible should be conversant with research methods.

PhD #1 – SLM Processing

This research post will focus on development of the selective laser melting process for the efficient processing of Inconel metallic materials. Development of novel processing strategies, machine modifications and process limitations will be investigated. This will be performed within the overriding criterion of optimising material properties of the final component.

A good relevant degree in an engineering/materials science or related discipline is required (minimum upper second class). Desirable skills related to: computer programming, Rapid Prototyping/Rapid manufacturing and materials science would be advantageous.

PhD #2 – Design Optimization

This research post focuses on the design optimisation of engineering structures through the evaluation and use of genetic algorithms for the development of structures to enable topological optimisation of current designs. These optimised structures will be designed specifically with metallic RM processes in mind to exploit the freedom of design that these manufacturing processes offer.

A good relevant degree in an engineering or related discipline is required (minimum upper second class). Desirable skills related: Finite element analysis, design optimisation, computer aided design , computer programming and RM would be advantageous.

For more information, visit http://www.tctmagazine.com/x/jobs.html?id=135.

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RAPID 2008 Attracts Strong Attendance

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) RAPID 2008 attracted one of its strongest attendance rates in years and garnered praise for changing its locale and technology focus. More than 1,500 attendees participated in this annual conference and exposition. Held May 20-22, 2008, this year's event took place outside of the Midwest for the first time. The change of scenery gave attendees the chance to extend their stay for a family-friendly vacation in Lake Buena Vista, FL, while the change of focus brought more attendees to the show floor for the latest rapid technology trends.

Along with a more open layout and a new venue at a family-friendly Disney Resort, RAPID 2008 was able to re-energize conference programming by adding new focus areas including Rapid Manufacturing, Rapid Prototyping, Medical Applications, Castings, 3D Scanning and "What's Cool!"

"Our goal this year was to make these focus areas even more engaging and more interactive not only on the show floor, but with our three invited keynote speakers," said Lisa Dodge, SME RAPID Event Manager.

One of those speakers was Retired Brigadier General Nick Halley, who offered attendees leadership principles and strategies that will enable business leaders to be effective in an increasingly unstable world and competitive economy.

Todd Grimm of T.A. Grimm & Associates kicked off the second day of with his "Progress and Promise" address and informed attendees that "past progress has lead to future promises of dramatic growth in 3D scanning and direct digital manufacturing. [By] leveraging the past and building on the present…question

s are investigated to reveal the impact, opportunity and challenge of change." On RAPID 2008's final day, Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates, spoke about the future state of the industry and invited conference attendees to think about, "Where is the industry headed and what does the future hold and which developments and trends are most important to track and understand when making vital business decisions?"

In addition to the keynote speakers, the event also included the Workforce Development Center, which, provided an ideal location for engineers and other manufacturing practitioners to network, search for training, enhance their job skills or even change careers. And while the Workforce Development Center focused on providing new opportunities for current manufacturing practitioners, it also showcased resources for generation next through the Bright Minds Mentor Program.

Bright Minds, an annual and integral part of RAPID, teams local high school students and their teachers with industry leaders and representatives. This year, approximately 50 Orlando-area high school students had the chance to interact with such exhibitors as Alcoa, Bose Corp, Calphalon, Chrysler, Dow Chemical, Fisher Price, La-Z-Boy Inc., among many other companies.

For more information about the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), visit www.sme.org.

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SPEC Workshop in Darmstadt Unites Benchmarking Researchers and Practitioners

(Darmstadt, Germany) The Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) and the Technische Universität Darmstadt will hold a workshop on 27 and 28 June in Darmstadt, Germany, to share ideas and experiences in the field of system performance evaluation.

“This is a unique opportunity for researchers to meet with industry practitioners to share and present their experiences, discuss challenges, and report on the latest developments in performance evaluation,” says Walter Bays, SPEC president.

The SPEC International Performance Evaluation Workshop (SIPEW 2008) will present 16 selected papers from industry and academia in five categories: system profiling, monitoring and power management; benchmarks and workload characterization; benchmarks, sizing and optimization; models for software performance engineering; and web services and service-oriented architectures.

The first day’s keynote presentation, titled “Scheduling for Server Farms: Approaches and Open Problems” will be delivered by Mor Harchol-Balter, associate head in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. The other keynote, titled “Performance Data and Data Models,” will be delivered by Murray Woodside, a distinguished research professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

The program also includes two invited talks: “SAP Standard Application Benchmarks” by Dr. Ulrich Marquard, vice president at SAP AG; and “Characterization of SPECpower_ssj2008 Benchmark” by Anil Kumar and Larry Gray, senior staff engineers at Intel.

SIPEW 2008 is sponsored by SAP (Gold sponsor), Deutsche Telekom (Silver) and Sun (Bronze), in cooperation with IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, GI, VDE, ITG and MMB. General chairs for the conference are Alejandro Buchmann of TU Darmstadt and John Henning of Sun Microsystems.

Registration is 300 €. For more information and to register, visit www.sipew2008.org. For more information about SPEC visit www.spec.org.

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Stratasys Introduces High-Performance Prototyping and Production System with Entry Level Price

From the floor of the Nasdaq stock exchange, Stratasys (Eden Prairie, MN) announced that PSA Peugeot Citroën, Brazil, has purchased Stratasys’ 10,000th additive fabrication machine. The landmark system sale was a high-precision FDM 400mc™ for the automaker’s Product Engineering Facility in Porto Real City, Rio de Janeiro State.

The automaker is a business unit of PSA Peugeot Citroën, France, the second-largest European automaker, and a strong competitor in the Mercosur Market. The company produces both the Peugeot and the Citroën lines of automobiles.

Stratasys CEO, Scott Crump, announced the milestone today during the closing bell ceremony at Nasdaq.

Of the 34 manufacturers of additive fabrication equipment worldwide, Stratasys is the only one to have reached 10,000 installations.

The system purchased by PSA Peugeot Citroën, Brazil, the Stratasys FDM 400mc, is among the most accurate and repeatable additive fabrication systems available. And when used in conjunction with the company’s new thermoplastic formulation — ABS-M30 — it creates parts up to 67 percent stronger than the standard Stratasys ABS formulation.

For more information on Stratasys Inc., visit www.Stratasys.com.

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Webcast to Define the Matrix between Direct Digital Manufacturing and Rapid Tooling

(Minneapolis, MN) RedEye RPM, a business unit of Stratasys (NASDQ: SSYS), today announced its newest webcast titled "Defining the Rapid Tooling and DDM Matrix," which will take place on Wednesday, June 18 at 1 p.m. EST.

Dan Mishek, part-owner and sales manager for Vista Technologies, will co-host the one-hour webcast with RedEye's, Jeff Hanson. The webcast will cover the differences and synergies in volume, complexity, materials, quantities and delivery as they relate to direct digital manufacturing and rapid tooling opportunities. Included in the one-hour presentation is a 15 minute question and answer session that allows participants to ask questions and receive real-time answers.

"Designers and engineers need to understand the synergies and differences between rapid tooling and direct digital manufacturing," said Jeff Hanson, manager of strategy and development for RedEye. "There are some applications that work well for one technology or the other. In some cases, the two technologies can even compliment each other to help engineers and designers get their projects completed even faster with better quality."

RedEye RPM provides on demand rapid prototyping and low volume manufacturing services across a wide variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device and architectural. Because RedEye uses real thermoplastic materials, it can build applications similar to injection mold technology. Interested participants can register for the webcast on RedEye's Web site at www.redeyerpm.com/webcast.aspx.

For more information about Redeye RPM, visit www.redeyerpm.com.

For more information about Stratasys, visit www.stratasys.com.

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Applied Precision Announces Canadian Release of AICON’s award-winning TubeInspectHD

An award-winning German tube inspection system now available in Canada is sure to provide cost and quality wins for Canadian manufacturers.

TubeInspect HD, named the Advanced Imaging Solution of the Year 2008 by Advanced Imaging magazine, is now available through Mississauga Ontario-based Applied Precision Inc. Serving as the only Canadian distributor for Germany-based AICON 3D Systems GmbH, Applied Precision distributes and supports the product within the Canadian market.

As a high resolution optical 3D measurement technology, TubeInspect HD is designed for very quick inspection of small, intricate, precision bent tube components/products. The unique aspect of TubeInspect is its very fast inspection time and ability to feed back in ‘real time’ corrective data to CNC tube benders.

Robert Bell, President of Applied Precision, says this integrated, ‘closed loop’ manufacturing concept is a much-needed development in an industry with increasing quality standards and growing need for financial and environmental savings.

TubeInspect measures tubes with diameters ranging from 1mm to 10mm and can measure bends between 1° and 180°. It can also measure tubes with connected bends or with flexible parts. A tube's measurement can be compared with a previously recorded sample part or with an imported CAD model.

“TubeInspect provides manufacturers with savings because expensive checking fixtures or gauges don’t have to be purchased or made for each tube that you need to measure,” explains Bell. “This leads to environmental savings as well, as manufacturers work to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing material waste through improved quality.”

American magazine Advanced Imaging recently chose TubeInspect for its top prize as the most innovative imaging solution of 2008. As the winner of the Advanced Imaging Solution of the Year 2008, TubeInspect was praised for its flexibility and efficiency.

For more information on Applied Precision, call (905) 501-9988 or visit www.appliedprecision.ca.

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EOS Files Patent Infringment Lawsuit Against MCP in the U.S.

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems (Krailling, Germany), a manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court, South Carolina, against MCP Tooling Technologies Ltd. and MCP-HEK Tooling GmbH. The lawsuit alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No. 5,753,171 through the manufacture, sale and use of the Realizer product line from MCP in the U.S.

In February 2008, EOS and Trumpf had announced a patent license agreement with MCP. Under the agreement, MCP received a non-exclusive license for certain EOS patents, as well as some patent rights from Trumpf regarding the laser-sintering process. These patents are relevant to MCP’s product line “Realizer.” However, the license does not extend to the USA and Canada. 3D Systems and MCP then announced in the same month that the MCP Realizer would be distributed in the US. As a consequence, EOS filed the patent infringement lawsuit against MCP on May 8th, 2008.

Johann Oberhofer, COO and managing director of EOS, comments: “Filing this patent infringement lawsuit is an essential step for protecting our patent rights in the U.S. We hope that this litigation will quickly resolve the situation."

EOS has had patents granted for a considerable number of its own inventions in the field of laser-sintering. Today, the EOS patent portfolio includes more than 50 patent families worldwide. The company also owns exclusive worldwide rights to all patents owned by 3D Systems Corporation applicable to the field of laser-sintering which were filed prior to August 20th, 2002.

For more information on EOS, visit www.eos.info.

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OSU and Tooling U Partner to Provide Continuing Education Units

Tooling U (Cleveland, OH) and The Ohio State University announce a new partnership that enables Tooling U users to earn continuing education units (CEUs). The program allows workers to gain the skills necessary to move up the career ladder towards better jobs and better salaries. The manufacturing industry will see gains from this program, as it will develop a highly skilled and specialized workforce capable of cross-functional skills. For every seven Tooling U classes a student completes, The Ohio State University Center for Corporate and Community Education will award one continuing education unit for a minimal cost.

“Knowledge is being lost at an alarming rate as manufacturing employees retire. Continuous training opens many doors for manufacturers, as the learning curve is eliminated on a daily basis,” says Gretchen Schultz, Grant Coordinator at Tooling U. This partnership continues a partnership between Tooling U and The Ohio State University. They are currently educational partners through the OSU Training To Go program.

Tooling U provides a wide range of online training programs for people in the manufacturing industry. These courses are delivered through a powerful Learning Management System (LMS) that allows companies to assess training needs and track performance. Tooling U offers training packages for a variety of manufacturing areas, including mill/lathe operators, press operators, assemblers, and maintenance professionals, as well as custom-created training material for Fortune 500 manufacturers.

For more information about earning continuing education credits with Tooling U, visit www.toolingu.com or contact a Tooling U sales representative at (866) 706-8665.

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Quickparts Delivers Crittercam Upgrade for National Geographic for a Message of Worldwide Conservation

Quickparts (Atlanta, GA), one of North America’s largest providers of custom designed parts, recently produced parts needed to upgrade National Geographic’s Crittercam.

The Crittercam is a research tool worn by wild animals, as seen in March of the Penguins, National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles, and numerous other National Geographic DVDs. It is a compact system which allows scientists to study animal behavior without the interference of a human observer.

Through the use of video and audio recording, along with the collection of critical environmental data such as depth, temperature, velocity and acceleration, the Crittercam combines solid data with gripping imagery. By displaying the animal’s point of view to the scientific community, Crittercam delivers a timely message of conservation to worldwide television audiences.

The Crittercam team needed a rapid prototype part in order to create a smaller, lighter model that would incorporate the latest technology for both audio and video, resulting in a more robust presentation. They decided that a custom SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) part would serve multiple purposes and allow them total design freedom. The part needed to brace and center the controller board that was already connected to the back plate, and serve as the supporting structure for the camera mounting. They only needed a small quantity of parts, and were hoping for delivery within a week or less.

National Geographic uploaded their files to the Quickparts Web site. Within minutes, they were able to quote and purchase their parts so they could have them in hand.

The 3D printing process allows National Geographic to continuously improve existing Crittercams while preparing for future versions in a more cost effective manner.

For more information on Quickparts, call (877) 521-8683 or visit www.quickparts.com.

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RTT USA Presents RTTOpen Community Platform, Offers Free Software Licenses to Students

RTT USA, Inc. (RTT) (Pasadena, CA), a provider of realtime 3D visualization software and services for product design and marketing, introduced its RTTOpen communication forum (www.rttopen.com). RTTOpen gives RTT DeltaGen users the opportunity to make custom developments to the award-winning visualization software in line with their own requirements. Over the past few years, RTT DeltaGen has become a standard tool in the high-end visualization market.

RTTOpen allows creative software developers and talented junior programmers to try out and learn about RTT applications and functions on their own. While engaging in active discussion with other forum members, users can experiment with the RTT software and, for example, write CgFX shaders or external applications for RTT software solutions. RTTOpen has something for everyone, regardless of whether the focus is on attractive visual optical characteristics, or control and configuration applications. The online forum opens up new perspectives on development for all programmers who are passionate about what they do, including professional developers, software designers, researchers, professors and students.

As part of the RTTOpen initiative, RTT is issuing free RTT DeltaGen licenses to students at research institutes and universities. Students must be in possession of a valid student identification card to qualify for the free license. The software license is valid for six months and can be extended upon request.

Anyone interested can register for the forum immediately by completing the online form at www.rttopen.com..

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Dimension 3D Printing Group Offers $10,000 Commercial Customer Credit on Trade-in of 3D Printer or Rapid Prototyping Machine

The Dimension 3D Printing Group (Minneapolis, MN), a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN), announced a new trade-in offer that extends a $10,000 credit to commercial customers towards the purchase of a Dimension SST 1200es 3D printer. The trade-in offer is available worldwide and will run through the summer of 2008.

The offer is good on the trade-in of 3D printing or rapid prototyping machines. For complete trade-in details contact a Dimension reseller, or to locate a reseller visit www.dimensionprinting.com or call toll free (888) 480-3548 (U.S.).

The SST 1200es, introduced in February of this year, features a 10 x 10 x 12-inch build size and offers engineers and designers the ability to print models with ABSplus. This build material is on average 40 percent stronger than standard ABS plastic, providing stronger functional models and improved surface finish.

For more information on The Dimension 3D Printing Group and Stratasys Inc., visit www.Stratasys.com or www.dimensionprinting.com.

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NVision Expands Contract Service Division to Meet High Demand

NVision, Inc. is expanding its Contract Service Division in order to meet the high demand for non-contact reverse engineering and inspection work. The expansion includes new personnel as well as the addition of new capabilities, including faster parametric CAD modeling and upgraded high accuracy scanners.

NVision personnel are experts in reverse engineering, CAD, and inspection methods and each has years of practical experience. NVision’s scanning systems are capable of scanning parts smaller than a dime and larger than an airplane. Scanning can be performed on-site or at an NVision facility.

NVision’s contract service division is ideal for companies that have only periodic needs for reverse engineering and inspection; therefore saving capital investment in equipment, software, personnel and training.

For more information on NVision, contact them at (248) 468-2525 or via e-mail at sales@nvision3d.com or visit www.nvision3d.com.

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BCC Products, Inc/Blehm Plastics Announces New Director of Marketing

In a proactive effort to drive sales BCC Products, Inc/Blehm Plastics (Franklin, IN) is proud to announce the addition of Nevin Speerbrecker as its new Director of Marketing. Reporting directly to President and Owner Roger Brunette, Speerbrecker will be responsible for BCC Products, Inc/Blehm Plastics overall marketing and strategic-planning programs, including market and business development, global advertising and public relations, direct and email marketing, tradeshow development, collateral materials, web-based developments, sales and distribution education support on a worldwide basis.

Speerbrecker comes to BCC Products, Inc/Blehm Plastics with 24 years of strategic marketing experience with several successful national and global firms. A Cum Laude graduate from Baker College, his expertise covers the full range of marketing activities include the newest electronic marketing technologies, we look forward to the addition he brings to BCC Products, Inc/Blehm Plastics. Speerbrecker can be reached via e-mail at Nevin@bccproducts.com.

For more information about BCC Products, Inc visit www.bccproducts.com and for more about Blehm Plastics, visit www.blehmplastics.com.

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CCE Upgrades EnSuite to Support Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, UG NX5 and Parasolid 19 Files

CCE (Farmington Hills, MI), a provider of CAD/CAM data translation and viewer products, has announced that EnSuite Version 2—its multi-CAD viewing, translation and productivity software—has been upgraded to provide support for Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, Unigraphics NX5 and Parasolid 19 files. The latest version of EnSuite can open Pro/E Wildfire 4.0, UG NX5 and Parasolid 19 files and translate them to any of the other formats currently supported by EnSuite including CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, SolidWorks, Parasolid, IGES and STEP.

The ability of EnSuite to support latest versions of all the leading CAD systems makes it possible for users to work with multi-CAD and multi-version files from customers, vendors and partners without having to consider the costly proposition of investing in CAD licenses and maintenance upgrades.

The latest EnSuite update will be available to all active subscription license customers as well as to new customers.

EnSuite is designed for companies that work in a multi-CAD environment, such as those used by customers, vendors and partners. EnSuite provides seamless interoperability with CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, and SolidWorks CAD systems as well as Parasolid, IGES and STEP files. Files can be translated to and from any of these formats without the native CAD software.

EnSuite goes far beyond the capabilities of conventional viewers and translators by providing a wide range of productivity tools for accessing critical engineering information. EnSuite prevents users from saving changes to the master CAD model to protect integrity of the master model. Licenses are automatically administered and the product updated over the Internet.

For more information, contact CCE at (248) 932-5295 or e-mail sales@cadcam-e.com.

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Elysium Inc. Releases CADdoctor EX3.0 for Product Data Translation, Verification and Quality

Elysium Inc., a global provider of design data exchange software, announced the release of CADdoctor EX3.0, their flagship data verification tool. The latest release includes expanded capabilities for data translation end-to-end throughout product development—from scanned geometry for modeling to surface preparation for molding and manufacturing parts. The new software tools will promote process automation, reduce design and manufacturing times, and greatly improve product data quality.

As computer-aided design (CAD), engineering (CAE) and manufacturing tools (CAM) have become more complex, the drive to seamlessly share data between them has grown stronger. There are, however, serious challenges to sharing because these tools have differing data input requirements. Some, like CAD, need extraordinary detail. Others, like CAE analysis tools, need very specific levels of simplicity. And CAM systems have exacting surfacing and manufacturability constraints.

CADdoctor assists in the translation of data into its most usable form for each application. For instance, a Reverse Engineering Option in the software can read the polygonal data in a stereolithography (STL) file and translate it into a CAD model with valid surfaces and boundaries, and precise geometry, as opposed to an approximation. The resulting data are usable without further repair or re-modeling in CAD, CAE, or even CAM applications for cutting, moldmaking and other manufacturing processes.

Other new options in CADdoctor EX 3.0 include:

• A Polygon Option that can check and repair holes, “noise,” and other defects that impede easy export of polygonal data from STL files.
• An Advanced Envelope Function that can “shrink-wrap” a 3D model to turn an assembly into a 3D solid, simplifying the surface accurately to share limited data with suppliers, provide the right level of detail for analysis software, or define surfaces for other tools.
• A Quality Check for Mold Manufacturing Option that checks models for draft angle, undercut, wall thickness, and other manufacturability issues. Early attention to manufacturing requirements in the design data can eliminate man-hours spent modifying molds.
• A Universal Transformation Option that deforms a model to capture analysis results or springback from stamping.