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So, this month, we have a whole host of goodness for you to read
and digest. The team has recovered from D3D Live (yup, it takesthat long for the dust to settle) and were back on track.
In our cover story Stephen looks at the recent legal precedent
set by the case surrounding Trunki and an alleged knock off of
its Community Registered Design. Im it will strike a chord with
many readers that have faced intellectual property protection
issues during their career. The need to protect your design
work, whether through patents or other means, should be an
inalienable right if youve developed a new product or a new innovative solution to
a problem. Or so youd think.
Elsewhere in the issue, Tanya looks at how Robert Welch Designs makes its
beautiful knives and cutlery, we also take a look at some news from the 3D printing
world, delve into the latest 3D design system releases, namely Inventor, Solid Edge
and PowerShape, as well as a system that works alongside them KeyShot 5 for
rendering and visualisation.
Also, as a final note and with a fair bit of sadness, we got word that our residentsustainability columnist, Chris Sherwin, is taking a break from writing his bi-
montly columns. Id like to take this chance to thank Chris for all his articles over
the last year or two. Hes a busy man (as youd expect of the head of sustainbility at
SeymourPowell) but you can keep up to date with his views on twitter by following
him @sherwinnovator.
As I write this, Ive just walked in the door after being soaked to the bone by a
huge rain storm. British Summer is here, it would appear. Enjoy!
WELCOME
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-ChiefAl Dean
[email protected]+44 (0)7525 701 541
Managing EditorGreg Corke
[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7312
Consulting Editor
Martyn [email protected]
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Digital Media EditorStephen Holmes
[email protected]+44 (0)20 3384 5297
Special Projects EditorTanya Weaver
+44 (0)20 3384 5296
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Art DirectorRob Biddulph
Design/ProductionGreg Corke
+44 (0)20 3355 7312
ADVERTISING
Advertising DirectorTony Baksh
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
Circulation ManagerAlan Cleveland
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ACCOUNTS
Accounts ManagerCharlotte Taibi
Financial ControllerSamantha Todescato-Rutland
ABOUT
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2014 PNY Technologies. The PNY Technologies logo is a registered trademark of PNY Technologies. 2014 NVIDIA Corporation. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, NVIDIA Quadro are trademarks and/or registeredtrademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. All company and product names are trademarksor registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are as sociated. Features, pricing,availability, and specifications are all subject to change without notice
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8/10/2019 Develop3D JUN 2014
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NEWS
Autodesk gets into the 3D print game, Formlabs to launch
next generation 3D printer, Intel boosts Core i7 CPU and
the National Women in Engineering Day celebrations
COMMENT
With the recent Hour of Code, Tanya Weaver wonders
whether its just kids who should learn how to program
YOUR DEVELOP3D
Tell us what you think. This month: Your views on the
recent Trunki vs Kiddee Case court battle
FEATURES
Visual design guide: Linde reach truck
Product design showcase: Kitchen products
COVER STORYAre your designs safe?
Robert Welch Designs celebrates 50 years
Bringing CAE to the board room
Josh Valman, the 19-year-old CEO of RPD International
Five-axis machining in the automotive industrySteinbichler 3D scanner offers a sweet solution
REVIEWS
SolidEdge ST7
Inventor 2015
Luxion Keyshot 5
PowerShape Pro 2014
DEVELOP3D SERVICES
DEVELOP3D JOBS
THE LAST WORD
Al Dean thinks that all signs point to 2014 going down as
the year of the stereolithography machine
JUNE 2014 ISSUE NO. 59
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The wood used to produce this magazine
comes from Forest Stewardship Council
certified well-managed forests, controlled
sources and/or recycled material
CONTENTS
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NEWS
NEWSPRODUCT DEVELOPMENT NEWS
In the past few years Autodesk
seems to have gained the
attention of the 'maker' crowd.
Partly through the release of
cost effective and easy to use
applications to support 3D modelling,
but also through its smart, effective
marketing to that group.
While other 3D CAD software vendors arestarting to talk-the-talk, few of them have
gained the same kind of respect from those
outside the professional engineering and
design world.
So, it was with some surprise, but perhaps
a little expectancy considering its recent
activities in the space, that Autodesk made
two key announcements at Silicon Valleys
Makercon in May.
At this maker movement event,
Autodesk's CEO, Carl Bass, announced that
the company will not only be introducing
a 3D printer, but also an open platform to
assist with making 3D printing easier for
both the consumer and professional alike.Ofcial details of the 3D printer are
currently thin on the ground, and while
DEVELOP3D has a little bit of an inside
track, were not allowed to share much
of that yet. We can tell you that its a
stereolithographic device that has some
very interesting capabilities. The target
price is around the $5,000 mark. Its also
British designed in terms of both the
research and development.
So Autodesk has entered the 3D print
hardware market, but what sets it apart
from many of the other vendors is its
experience in software.
To this end, Autodesk also unveiled Spark,which Bass describes as an open software
platform for 3D printing, which will make
it more reliable yet simpler to print 3D
models, and easier to control how that
model is actually printed.
While it's early days, it seems that
there's a fair bit of interest in working with
Autodesk on one of the most fundamental
challenges facing the 3D printing industry,
particularly at the desktop/prosumer level,
that of how to print reliably and repeatably.
Considering the quality of its work of
late in the same eld, including a range of
tools coming out of Autodesk Labs, such as
Meshmixer and its 3D print utility, Sparkcertainly looks like something that many of
the smaller hardware vendors might jump
on board with.
Bass states that the Autodesk 3D printer
will serve as a reference implementation
for Spark. It will demonstrate the power
of the Spark platform and set a new
benchmark for the 3D printing user
experience."
The most intriguing thing about these
announcements is that both of these
products/platforms will be open.
As Bass comments, Spark will be
open and freely licensable to hardware
manufacturers and others who areinterested. Same for our 3D printer the
complete design of the printer will be
made publicly available to allow for further
development and experimentation. The
printer will be able to use a broad range of
materials, made by us and by others, and
we look forward to lots of exploration into
new materials.
The details are scarce, but the gist is that
if you want a printer theyll ship one and if
you want just the plans, you can have those
and build one yourself.
This is undoubtedly exciting news for
the 3D printing market. Many design and
engineering rms are still reticent aboutbringing 3D printing in-house, whilst others
are looking for stereolithography-level
part quality. Autodesks move should shake
things up in and, of course, it has a massive
user community to market to.
autodesk.com/spark
First concept rendersof Autodesk's 3D
printer. While ofcialdetails are slim,
it's a DLP-basedstereolithography
machine with someunique characteristics
that lets it build high
resolution parts withUV curable resins. The
target price is $5,000
AUTODESK GETS INTO THE 3D PRINT GAMEWITH ITS OWN DEVICE... COMING SOONOf all the 3D design vendors, Autodesk talks the biggest game about the "makerrevolution." With the announcement of its own machine coming later this summer,
Al Deanlooks at what it means for a much hyped industry and beyond
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8/10/2019 Develop3D JUN 2014
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NEWS
Those that follow the 3D
print industry will be
familiar with FormLabs and
its Form1 machine, which
took Kickstarter by storm
in 2012 and garnered funding to the
tune of nearly $3million. It's a new
take on stereolithography that places
high resolution, UV curable resin part
building on the desktop, rather than in
the workshop.Since 2012, FormLabs worked through
the nal stage of Form1's development
and last year it shipped to all those eager
supporters nding homes in design ofces
and enthusiasts' garages alike.
Between now and then, the company has
been through renement of its software,
which, compared to some 3D print software,
is actually nice to use. It has also introduced
new resin colour options alongside the grey,
namely clear, white and black.
During that process, the company came
under re for the reliability of some of the
mechanical components as well as how it
handled service and repair. Essentially, themachine arrived calibrated out of the box
and any subsequent repairs required the
whole unit to be shipped back to the US for
rework. Not ideal for those of us on this
side of the pond.
NEW MACHINE NEW SUPPORTThis month, FormLabs is releasing the rst
update to its original product with the
Form 1+. This follows the same form factor
and use model as the original unit, but with
some new, under the hood, updates that
should make it both more reliable as well as
improve the build speed.
FormLabs has redesigned the mechno-
optics in the system to be both more robust
and, in combination with a more powerful
laser, enable quicker build speeds.
Other changes include a redesigned resin
tray, which is now built in injection moulded
orange plastic to cut down on accidental
curing of resin post build, and there's also anew black material option as well.
Also, interestingly for the European
professional, from this point on, FormLabs'
machines, ancillaries, consumables and
servicing will be carried out from the UK.
As Gideon Balloch, who runs Formlabs
operations, says,"When we think of our
customers, we know that they are lookingfor more than great print results they
are looking at the whole experience. This
is something we always strive to improve,
and our European presence is going to help
us step up our game in several measurable
ways."
Its also worth noting that from now on,
the company will be offering a one year
warranty with the Form 1+. This brings it
in line with customers expectations at the
higher-end of the desktop market. If you've
already invested in a Form 1, however, then
the company is also planning an update
program so that the older machines can be
retrotted with the new mechanics at acost, of course.
formlabs.com
Above:The Form1+features a higher-
powered laser,improved mecho-
optics and a newcontrol system, all
of which adds up toquicker build speeds
Left:There's also anew material option
for black parts,alongside the existing
clear, grey and whiteresins
FORMLABS TO LAUNCH NEXT GENERATIONOF ITS STEREOLITHOGRAPHY 3D PRINTER
How R&D into materials
and manufacturing made
the worlds thinnest mobileworkstation, the Dell
Precision M3800, a reality
tinyurl.com/DellM3800
Disney takes on robotics,
CAD and 3D printing in Big
Hero 6, an animated lmwhere a robotics prodigy
takes on a criminal gang.
tinyurl.com/disneyCAD
CAD/CAM specialist
Tebis celebrates its 30th
birthday by scanning thefaces of its guests and
milling them in aluminium
tinyurl.com/tebis30
Coffee expert illy challenges
budding engineers to design
a system that deliverspressurised hot water in an
espresso machine
tinyurl.com/illydesign
Bang & Olufsens latest
55-inch TV, the Avant, glides
into position automaticallyswivelling on its mechanical
stand to face the viewer
tinyurl.com/BangAvant
DEVELOP3D.COM THE BEST FROM THE BLOG
The Form1 3D printer renewed interest in stereolithography and kicked off the next
stage in the 3D print industry's evolution. With expansion of its service operations to
Europe and a new machine coming, Al Deancatches up with FormLabs
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COMMENT
but how do you look up homework?
The internet turned 25-years-old on 4
March 2014 and in celebration code.org,
a non-profit organisation dedicated to
expanding participation in computer science
education by making it available in more
schools, launched the Hour of Code on the
same day.
If youve missed it, coding is big news.
Everyones doing it. Its the new literacy
apparently. So much so that as of September
2014 coding will be part of the School
Curriculum in England and taught to children
from as young as five.So, to get teachers and parents up to
speed, the Hour of Code offers online
tutorials on its website with the aim
of teaching the basics of computer
programming in 60 minutes in a fun, simple
way. Tutorials include things like writing
lines of code to get an Angry Bird to catch a
little piggy or using Scratch (your guess is as
good as mine) and a Raspberry Pi computer
to control a blinking LED.
code.org has many partners and
supporters who have jumped on the
coding band wagon including our favourite
Technology Messiah will.i.am but theres
also the inventor of the internet himself,Tim Berners Lee, who has this to say about
the campaign: Learning to code gives you
a completely new perspective when you
look at a computer. Before, you think of it
as an appliance like a fridge accepting
what it can do. After, you know that you can
code that computer to do anything you can
imagine it doing. Thats a massive change
and a massive challenge!
Although we may not like to admit it,
computers do run our lives. And as Berners
Lee says, if you can programme that
computer to do what you want, thats where
the future lies. Even Stephen Hawking,
another code.org supporter, says, Whetheryou want to uncover the secrets of the
universe, or you just want to pursue a
career in the 21st century, basic computer
programming is an essential skill to learn.
Apart from those frantic teachers who
have a few months left to learn how to code
In May I jetted out to Munich
for a couple of days as Tebis,
a software company that
develops CAD/CAM systems,
was hosting an open house
in celebration of its 30th
anniversary. The event didnt
only focus on the present
and future technologies but also
where the company has come from by
way of the Tebis Museum. This room
showed a progression from old to new
technologies including the very rst
computer that Tebis CEO used when hestarted the company in the early 1980s
(its there on the right).
Although it looks like a fossil by todays
standards, its pretty incredible to think that
this was just 30 years ago! Over the years,
the computer has lost weight, changed from
grey into an array of colours, has a screen
that offers more than just green and black
and has undergone many style makeovers.
Just to prove how unrecognisable this
grey great grandfather is, is to put it in front
of children who have grown up swiping,
scrolling and clicking. In fact, a very funny
seven minute video was posted onto
youtube recently entitled Kids React to OldComputers, which is part of a series by Fine
Brothers Productions (watch it here:
bit.ly/1pbZb5x).
It shows a range of kids aged between
seven and thirteen reacting to a computer
from the late 70s/early 80s. Pretty similar
to this Tebis one in fact. Their reactions are
priceless and the video has gone viral being
viewed more than 10 million times in just
two weeks.
Some of the kids had no idea that it was
a computer and were very surprised when
they were told. It doesnt look like anything
we have now, said one of the boys. They
were guffawing and poking fun at its largesize, on/off switch, green text, floppy disk
and lack of mouse.
Of course, this computer would have also
not been connected to the internet because
the internet hadnt been invented yet. This
really shocked the kids with one girl saying
In case youve missed it, coding is bignews. Apparently its the new literacy.
Tanya Weavertakes a look at the Hourof Code campaign and wonders ifmore of us should be learning how
to code and not just leaving it to kids
Tanya Weaver is the special projects editorat Develop3D. Beehaus update: the residentshave swarmed for the second time this seasonbut Tanya still lives in hope of [email protected]
in order to teach it in the classroom before
September, should the rest of us be taking
lessons and tutorials too?
Many think that we should. Arguing that
its a valuable and marketable skill that will
increase your work speed and help you come
up with creative solutions whatever your
job. If you can speak basic code language
it means you can communicate better with
your companys developers or programmers
and, of course, those children from the video
earlier, who will be entering the job market
in a few years, will no doubt be fluent in it.
So time to learn your ABCs (thats code for
Always Be Coding).
The rst computer
that Tebis CEOBernhard Rindeisch
used when he startedhis company just 30
years ago
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Your DEVELOP3D
Is it possible that, in the eyes of the judges
and courts, slightly detailed drawings
(including CAD representations) are
considered to have less barriers against
copies, than old-style and subjective
drawings ? Or, is just a lack of consideration
to the new ways of presentation and
registering?
Maybe concepts get less IP protection
when we start to consider CAD surfaces
for comparison, due to having many more
possibilities of changing and differencesof acceptance. But yeah, clarication is
needed about these 'new' technologies on
the 'old fashioned way' of regulations and
trials.
F Hilaio
I'm all for protecting a design from actual
copy, i.e. copyright protection, but if
someone sees a concept they like and
draws up their own designs, even if they
Your views on 'Are your designs safe?' relating to the Trunki intellectual property
battle as featured on the develop3d.com blog and LinkedIn pages (more on page 20)
are very similar, that is NOT COPY. For
that to be an infringement, it would be
entering patent territory, something which
I am strongly against. I am a designer and
manufacturer, and yet I nd the concept of
making money out of everyday ideas (just
because somebody knows the system and
got there rst) quite abhorrent. Indeed,
rather than protecting people's IP so they
can invest in R&D, it's hindering people
from expressing themselves and their
talent through fear of patent trolling and
similar. If it was not a direct copy, I daresay
you think you deserve to live comfortablyin a thatched cottage in the country
forevermore, while a legal system which we
all pay for prevents anyone else from ever
making a bag with wheels and kid friendly
decor ever again.
I can't imagine this is going to be a
particularly popular comment.
Lloyd
Good design makes money and the
prospect of making money will always
attract imitators.
Intellectual property rights don't protect
anything at all from determined copyists.
All they do is assert the owner's right tochallenge over specic details in specic
territories in a specic time frame. That
invariably means incredibly expensive
court challenges that the owner of the right
has to be able to afford and has to be
really sure that their IP is robust.
I always advise clients to think hard
about the value of IP. If you have deep
pockets and a very potentially lucrative
design it could be worth risking more on
good IP advice.
Sometimes it's best to accept that
success will breed imitation and invest in
getting to market fast and building a brand
that customers see value in.
Above all, plan an IP strategy that is
based on your ability to exploit value, not
on the hope that waving a certicate in
front of an imitator will make them go
away.
Alitai Williamo
The law is always reactive to technology
and this is a clear case of the law lagging.This isn't so much a deciency in the law as
it is the process by which laws are updated,
or not, until there is a problem. "Squeeky
wheels get the oil" works in law too. When
there is a big enough issue (read money)
then something is done to x the issue, but
technology is moving so fast that before
the law is considered, let alone enacted, it
is obsolete. There are some cases where
law has been written that takes account of
future developments, but these are rare.
I'm with Lloyd [above] to some extent on
IP protection, but I recognise there is a
need to protect the investment made in
developing a product or we would sufferbecause manufacturers would not invest in
production of the products we consumers
love to buy.
I have no idea what the solution is, but
what we have is awed to say the least.
Maybe another plaster will be stuck over
the gaping wound in the law to make it a
little more tenable for a litt le longer, but a
total re-think is needed and soon.
Bobbit
FEEDBACK
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Liked IDEVELOP3D goup
Lette may be edited
Why did you become a deige?I have drawn objects of myimagination from when I can
remember, and it was mygrandmother who was an architectwho suggested an engineeringdegree followed by a design degree,which is what I did.
Which deige o compay doyou mot admie ad why?There is no individual designeror company that I admire foreverything they have done, butonce in a while I see a product, adetail, a piece of art or music whichfrustrates and annoys me because Ihadnt thought about it, and that iswhen I realise that I really admireit: like the fold up plug by Min-KyuChoi, or the Shard.
What poduct couldt you livewithout?I am not emotionally attached toany products and I never shop formyself. I would feel most upset if Ilost my surfboard that my brothermade for me.
What deig would you haveloved to have deiged ad why?I think the wind up radio by Trevor
Baylis was a stroke of genius, Iwould have been proud to havedesigned that.
Play-Doh, Meccao o Lego?A designers greatest pleasure is tosee the satisfaction of people whoare touched by our thoughts anddreams, Lego has touched the livesof so many children (and parents)over the last fty years or more, soits a clear winner..
What ae you weapo of choice?Thinking in complete darkness andsilence (normally around 3am), a bicand A5 scrap paper, Rhino, Keyshot,Photoshop and a 3D printer.
What i miig fom youtoolet?The tongue of a natural bornsalesman, but Im working on it!
What would make you deigad developmet poce umoothe?
The smoothness of the processdepends mainly on the relationshipbetween the various people
involved in the project: the client,marketers, designers, engineersand manufacturers, and when thereis a great team and trust betweenthe stakeholders, the process runssmoothest. As designers we areworking in a privileged age with thetools we have, and they are gettingbetter year on year.What would you ay i the biggetchallege facig deige?I think the biggest challenge facingdesigners, ironically comes fromthe opportunity that designers aregetting as design becomes big inbusiness: it becomes sucked intothe corporate system and loses
its creativity. I believe that weare in a period of design historywhich is uncertain, there is lack ofleadership and direction from anartistic point of view.
Ca you pedict ay futue ted?To continue the point above Ithink we are in a period which
does not have dening trends,but rather dening brands. Themajor inuences on design will
be technological, enabling usto communicate our thoughtsand ideas more seamlessly, andallowing us to bring ideas to lifebecomes quicker and easier whichwill lead to more personalisation,and customisation.
If you wee hotig a die patywho would you ivite ad why?Mohamed Ali for the banter,Bob Dylan for the music, NelsonMandela to stop the arguing,Marylin Monroe to nd out whatreally happened, my wife of course,and my grandmother because Imiss her.
Carsten Astheimer heads the teamat design studio Astheimer Limited.
With degrees in both engineering and
design, he has over 20 years experience
in various strategic roles in design and
product development.
If you wat to take pat pleaecotact [email protected]
60 sECOnDInTErVIEW
CArsTEnAsTHEIMEr
rob Law, CEO of
Tuki, with hi kid'ide o uitcae
ivetio that habee copied
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In supporting Lindes vision to develop a new range of reachtrucks for taller warehouses, IDC Models, the rapid prototyping
and model making division of Industrial Design Consultancy
(IDC), produced a life-size block model of a reach truck using a
variety of different model techniques.
VISUAL DESIGN GUIDELINDE REACH TRUCK
final modelThe nal model was used byLinde test and rene the design,resulting in a new range ofmaterials handling trucks
full sizemodelSupplied with a steel chassis byLinde, IDC Models built a full-sizemodel based on Lindes CAD designspecications.
smaller
componentsSmaller components, such asthe windscreen, joysticks andknobs, were developed by rst 3Dprinting the components by SLA toform masters and then producingvacuum casts based on these
finishingtouchesTo make the model as realisticas possible, Linde suppliedadditional nishing touchessuch as rubber seals and othersmaller components
controlconsoleIDCs design engineers alsodeveloped a control console forthe reach truck and this wasincorporated into the model to betested by users
main partsIDC Models large format CNCmachine was used to create themain parts of the truck from ureolprecision modelling blocks
workmanshipThe components were pieced togetherwith a high standard of craftsmanshipand then sprayed and nished on-site atIDC Models
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BACK TOBASICS:POST PROCESSING3D PRINTS
Like developing a photograph?
I think you need to update yourculture and technological references.Unless youre 60, make a living fromphotography at the high-end, arty sideof the spectrum, folks dont developphotographs much anymore. In fact,the most high profile Snappy Snapsincident was George Michael driving hisChelsea Tractor into one.
Wham. So what are you banging onabout?
A little discussed part of the 3D printingprocess starts after the part has actuallycompleted its build process. Itscommonly the case (with almost everytype of build process) that theres somepost processing.
Hmm. I didnt realise that.
Youre not alone. Some vendors provide(at cost) the equipment to do it, othersdont. Theres even a growing market in
third party post process equipment. Forinstance, Quill (quillvogue.co.uk) has arange of wash stations for part clean upusing water jets whilst Ruwac(ruwac.com) has a range of explosionproof vacuums for helping with thatpesky powder removal processes thatmight go boom.
Wait. What? Explosions?
Oh yes. Explosions. We all knowpowders are explosive at the best oftimes. When youre talking metals, even
more so. And titanium is probably theworst of the lot. Theres a reason itsused in the manufacture of fireworksto this day. Coz it goes BOOM! That,my friends, you dont want in yourworkshop or on the shop-floor.
How much does this lot cost?
Anywhere from a pair of long-nosepliers for picking out FDM supportstructures to ten grands worth ofindustrial extraction and powderhandling. Just make sure you have theright equipment for the job and youllsave on those bottlenecks. And a pro tipfrom our editor, if youre ordering longnose pliers from Amazon, make sureyou check the length units as a 12-inchlong pair isnt much good to anyone.
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PRODUCTDESIGNSHKITCHEN PRODUCTS
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The AEG 1.7 litre kettle withits Digital Temperature
Control and a real-timetemperature indicator allows
users to choose and controlthe right temperature for tea
or coffee
ON THE
BOIL
Hot beverages can be thesubject of much furiousdebate, but one thing that
we can all agree on is that AEGs 7Series kettle has been designed bysomeone that loves a brew.
With five (five!) programmabletemperature settings, you canenjoy your tea the way its meant to
be: 80oC green tea, 85oC white tea,90oC oolong tea, 95oC coffee, and100oC for black and herbal teas, allshown in real-time on the digitalLCD display during heat up.
A Turbo function, for whentheres an ad break, or youve sleptin late, boils 200ml of water in lessthan 60 seconds.
The performance factors ofthe entire 7 Series are the resultof AEGs professional rangedesigns for Michelin Star chefsthat have filtered down to thedomestic kitchen much like theautomotive technology that haspassed down from F1 teams toeveryday family saloons.
Added to the function is the formfactor. AEG Electroluxs designteam in Shanghai was responsiblefor the design, employingAutodesk Alias and Rhino tocreate the distinctive squarecle (asoft square morphing into a circleat the base) body shape.
A single-piece body is made from
stainless steel without a seam having been produced using astamping technique similar to thatused in the manufacture of softdrink cans.
Prototyping proved important indeveloping ergonomic points suchas the open handle and achievingthe right pouring angle usingfoam models.
The final product meets thecriteria of attractive professionalequipment theres never been abetter timed brew.aeg.co.uk
PROFILE
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Till recently European IP lawshave been some of the strongestand most vehemently upheld inthe world, yet a ruling in a singleBritish case looks set to weakenthem considerably.
Rob Law is the founder of British companyMagmatic, best known as the designer ofTrunki, a playful childrens suitcase that canbe ridden on.
In the winter of 2012 Law attended a
German trade show and spotted the KiddeeCase, a product by PMS International that hethought looked like a copy of his Trunki.
The Kiddee Case appeared again at othertrade shows, and Law wrote to the companyto warn it that the Trunki design was aEuropean Community Registered Design(CRD) and that he would be forced to takelegal action.
The case was heard in the British Highcourt in June 2013 where Magmatic won aninjunction against PMS product being soldin Europe on the back of its CRD protection.
PMS lodged an appeal that rested on
the interpretation of the grey scale CADrenderings filed by Magmatic as part of itsCRD.
They appealed on one element: thatsurface decoration should be taken intoaccount when considering European DesignRegistration, which up until now has alwaysfelt it shouldnt be, recalls Law.
Law told DEVELOP3D that, at the appealhearing the judges appeared unfamiliar withCAD renderings, and with this, the protectionof his registered design began to break down.
The lead judge ruled that: a distinctcontrast in colour between the wheels... thestrap... and the rest of the suitcase is shown,and that this contrast should be taken intoconsideration when assessing the overallimpression.
Law explains: All the big legal cases prioron design registration had been around
line drawings. They [the judges] thought Imust be one in a million who had registeredCAD drawings [renderings] instead of linedrawings.
Laws registration shows a Trunki caserendered in grey scale from six differentangles, with the wheels a slightly darker shadeto show they are a separate component.
In the case we tried to argue that it is themodern way of registering your productdesign, says a clearly frustrated Law.
Law explains that on the grey scalerendering the wheels of the Trunki case weredarker than the body, bringing PMS to arguethat he had always intended the wheels to bedarker than the body.
Because their wheels are the same colouras the body that then means they get aroundthe European Design Registration.
The court described the renderings as:computer generated three dimensionalimages which show the suitcase fromdifferent perspectives and angles and showthe effect of light upon its surfaces.
Ultimately, the sophistication of the images
led the Court of Appeal to determine it waswrong to discount all aspects of the CRDother than its shape, effectively limiting theamount of protection it offers.
On this argument the court of appealreversed the original verdict.
This decision could have a huge impacton the design industry. In theory it couldmean design registration for a shape canbe got around by simply adding surfacedecoration, like a print, pattern or marking,with little defence available to the designer.
THE THREATThe Trunki case is the first UK judgementin which a court has considered CADrenderings and found them to offer anarrower protection than the traditional linedrawings that might have provided moreprotection.
The result of this case, if left to stand, couldbe cited as precedent in future IP law suits,meaning that a company accused of copyinga design now stands much more chance ofgetting around the registered design if it wassubmitted as a render.
From Magmatics perspective the reversalof the verdict seems to have centred in somepart around the judges lack of familiaritywith computer aided design output.
Historic cases have always been judged
on line drawings, but this is only becausean alternative technology had yet to come toprevalence.
Technological advancements will alwaysmove faster than any statute and this raisesreal issues for the laws meant to protect andsupport the creative process.
It could also force designers to resort to out-dated forms of submission to protect theirwork.
A look at the European Community DesignRegistry website submission process giveslittle guidance as to whether line drawings orCAD should be filed for an application as the
graphical representation.Starting from 350, a CRD lasts for five
years and can be renewed a maximum of fourtimes, giving its holder a potential 25 years ofprotection for relatively little outlay.
Currently there are around 460,000 CRDs,with 75,000 new applications being processedeach year.
It is estimated that nearly 65 per cent of allCRDs submitted last year were not presentedas line drawings; potenitally leaving a vastnumber of designs less protected.
A COMPETITIVE MARKETPMS is naturally excited by the decision. In astatement its managing director Paul Beverleysaid the case is a victory for the competitivemarket.
The successful outcome of our appealis also welcome confirmation that design
PROFILE
A desier lki t ere his reistered desi has sparked a resh
debate er Itelletal Prpert (IP). Stephe Hlmes lks at h
this leal ase pts thsads desis arss Erpe at risk
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1 Rb La ith a e the Trki ases i
the rae
Revealed in government reports to be costing UK businessesan estimated 9.2 billion annually, intellectual property theft isnot a problem to be taken lightly.
UK laws regarding product design have been reinforced,making copying a design a criminal offence, enablingmanufacturers and designers to protect their innovation.
Protections available for a physical design slightly vary: a
new invention can be patented, giving the owner the right toprevent others from producing it without permission.
A registered design grants exclusive rights for the l ook andappearance of the product predominantly the external form and stops replicas being produced in the area it is led for,usually referring to more aesthetic design.
ip..k
InTELLEcTuAL PRoPERTy LAwS In THE uK
1
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I feel for Rob. I have been ripped off inevery way possible. Its hard enough gettinga product to market yet alone having to fightcopycats to keep your market space.
I have to make a strategic decision aboutIP that exposes me to incredible risk (I doaccept that comes with the territory) butlets say, I have a clever design that hasntbeen proven in the market. Do I star t topatent it now only to face escalating coststhat start in 18 months? Or do I take a flyerand attempt to get lightweight protectionvia a registered design, which will bepublished in the public domain almostimmediately, allowing competitors to gainsight of what I am doing? Or do I do neitherand focus on the quickest and best route to
market? Or all the above?At the start of my career I was advisedthat my products trade name would be mymost valuable asset. Its true, trademarksare easier to protect and enforce, but itsimpossible to create a brand withoutproducts to build it around.
So, for fear of just continuing an age oldrhetoric, the whole system appears oldfashioned and stacked in favour of biggerbusiness, having a stifling effect on SMEinnovators like myself. I think we need anew middle ground something deeperthan a registered design that perhaps can
be extended into something like a patent,as a product evolves and business grows.Something that acknowledges a designersoriginal work beyond its exterior form.Something that a final year student, SME orindependent inventor could actually affordto protect and maintain.
Design law is complicated even for IPlawyers and it is not helped that there islittle clarity from registration authoritieson what designers can or cannot rely on
with their submissions. UK designers areat a further disadvantage because, unlikeour EU counterparts, if IP law fails them,they can turn to much stronger unfaircompetition laws. This, coupled with thefact that both UK and EU registrationauthorities do not examine designregistrations, puts any designer at anunfair disadvantage. At least if they wereexamined, formative feedback could evolveinto better guidelines as to what is and isntprotected.
Its time for clarity and ACID has written
a submission seeking re-examination to theSupreme Court not only for Trunki but forthe design community as a whole.
Its good that so many designers haveunited to support Trunkis designer RobLaw because the reality for many lone,micro and SME designers who suffer fromdesign theft is that legal redress is a dream.I fully support the #ProtectYourDesigncampaign and hope that the combinationof grass roots support with a positiveresponse from the Supreme Court willprovide the right answers to support UKdesign talent and clarify registration rules
for the future.IP ethics, compliance and respect should
be in the DNA of all successful companies,its time that those who espouse theprinciples of CSR should stand up and becounted!
Like designers, you get a different opinionfrom every lawyer. The basics can be foundthrough simple online research. Maybedesigners dont like doing it but for me
its part of the business of design and theservice we offer customers.
Also, how many professional designers in-house and consultancy can honestlysay they have never done what Kiddee Casehave done? Perhaps not quite as blatantlybut for many the starting point of a designproject is looking at whats out there anddesigning around protections that are inplace. Perhaps this is the elephant in theroom in the design industry?
I have looked at the competitor productto Trunki and (this wont be popular) in
my opinion it is sufficiently different to getaround Design Registration status theshape, the details, are all sufficientlydifferent (when viewed by a layman). Yes ofcourse it is very similar but it is not a directcopy. The value of the Trunki product orbrand is in the idea that the child can rideon the case and perhaps the advice theyshould have had was to patent this idearather than apply for the (much cheaper)design registration.
To some extent there will be no winnersnow the cats out the bag, more copieswill tooled up right now and the lawyers
are salivating. Im not going to subscribe tothe view that this ruling affects thousandsof British designers. That is rubbish. Ourcustomers are already affected by this. Likeall patent related cases the better the qualityof the original application, the better thelikely outcomes will be.
ToM LAwTon DIDS MAcDonALD KEvIn QuIgLEy
DESIgnER AnDInvEnToR
AcID (AnTI coPyIngIn DESIgn)
ownER, QuIgLEyDESIgn
For fear of just continuing
an age old rhetoric, the
whole system appears old
fashioned and stacked in
favour of bigger business
Tom Lawton
The reality for many lone,
micro and SME designers
who suffer from design
theft is that legal redress
is a dream.
Dids Macdonald
Ive looked at the competitor
product to Trunki and in
my opinion it is sufficiently
different to get around
Design Registration status
Kevin Quigley
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I believe the Court of Appeal were wrongto overturn the ruling of the High Courtwhich found in favour of Magimatic(Trunki). It predominantly based their
decision on colour and surface patternaesthetics to reach their conclusion thatthe Kiddee Case would not give the sameoverall impression to the consumer as theride-on Trunki,.
Interestingly, Paul Beverley of KiddeeCase attempted to side-step the allegationsof copying by stating that he himself didnot create the artist impression nor thedesign or prototype as he is neither anartist nor designer. Ironically, had he been adesigner the likelihood is he would not haveinfringed another designers product.
Does this present an immediate loopholein the tenaciously fought and recently wonchange to the IP Bill where blatant copyingof a registered design is to be subject tocriminal sanctions? Who will be prosecuted the person or business commissioningand directing the copy or the personphysically undertaking the copying?
A Community Registered Design intodays fast moving market does notremain static it continuously evolves whilstremaining true to the core innovationwhich opens up new markets and sectors.
Overall, the Court of Appeals decision
strikes a bitter blow to UK productdesigners if ergonomics, features, shapeand overall impression of a new designcan be superseded where colour andsurface pattern become judged as thekey differentiation factors impacting onconsumers.
The Court of Appeal has looked at the waythe luggage was depicted and decided thatsome features looked more important thanothers. This could have gone either way,
but the decision is a clear reminder of theimportance of a good understanding ofyour design.
We always recommend registeringline drawings from the final CAD modelfor our product design clients, if theyare concerned only with form. Linedrawings put everything on the samelevel of importance and the CAD modelmakes it easier to change angles, removesuperfluous parts, and isolate or exaggeratefeatures. The final design should be alreadynailed and hopefully feedback should
indicate the relative importance of thefeatures.In product design it is common sense
that all features are viewed in the context ofthe overall design, commercial factors andthe wider field. So if features of the designstand out, for instance colours or texture,these features could of course be argued tobe important to the design. This seems tobe what the Court was saying in relation tothe law about how designs are registeredand this would seem to fit with how thingsshould be.
This just reiterates the situation that in
relation to registered design applications itis vital that an accurate and well-consideredrepresentation of the design is filed.
Many commentators have said the practicaltakeaway guidance from the Court ofAppeals decision is that those seekingprotection via a CRD should generally avoid
surfaced 3D representations in their CRDfilings, and instead using wireframes. Thelogic is that if only wireframes are used,then surface markings, colour, etc. areirrelevant in a CRD infringement analysis.Since at least one part of the Court ofAppeals decision focused on the purposefuldifference in the wheel colour chosen byMagmatic, that would have been irrelevantif they had used wireframes.
I am certainly no expert in UK law, northat relating to CRD registrations, but I donot believe that this case represents bad
law, as much as it does a bad set of factsfor the Plaintiff, Magmatic. If Magmatichad submitted wireframes as part oftheir CRD, then PMS would have mostcertainly first claimed that the CRD itselfwas invalid because it wasnt novel orpossess enough individual character towarrant protection the very things thatcolours, surface markings, lettering, etc.can bring to a simplified shape which makeit more unique and protectable as a CRD.It could be argued that many of the designelements were functional, and thereforenot protectable (e.g. cases need wheels, they
have straps, clasps, etc.) particularly ifdepicted as a wireframe.
Ultimately though, if Magmatic hadsubmitted wireframes for its CRD,wouldnt it still have looked like an hornedanimal as opposed to an insect to theCourt?
MAxInE J HoRn ALASTAIR SwAnwIcK ToM KuRKE
cREATIvE BARcoDE,IP PRoTEcTIon
MD, InnovATEPRoDucT DESIgn
MEnToR, THESTARTuP fAcToRy
Does this present an
immediate loophole in the
tenaciously fought and
recently won change to
the IP Bill?
Maxine J Horn
in relation to registered
design applications it is vital
that an accurate and well-
considered representation of
the design is filed
Alastair Swanwick
It could be argued that many
of the design elements were
functional, and therefore not
protectable particularly if
depicted as a wireframe
Tom Kurke
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PROFILE
The Robert Welch
cooks knife in theSignature range
Tanya Weaver takes a trip to the picturesque
Cotswold village of Chipping Campden
where homeware product brand Robert Welch
Designs has resided for over 50 years. Although
steeped in a tradition of silversmithing and
craftsmanship she discovers a sophisticated
design and development process
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Chopping food can be frustratingwork if you dont have a sharp knife.In my kitchen tomatoes mostly endup hacked and squashed ratherthan sliced clean through. So it was
a revelation to use a Robert WelchCooks Knife for the first time recently.Its an absolute pleasure to chopwith and incredibly sharp, evident
by the nicks on my fingers, but also feels comfortableand satisfactorily weighty to hold. It definitely lives up tothe philosophy of its namesake Robert Welch value-for-money design that is innovative, aesthetically pleasing andfunctional.
Robert Welch (1929-2000), MBE and a Royal Designer forIndustry, was an award winning industrial designer whospecialised in stainless steel. He trained as a silversmithat Birmingham School of Art before heading to the RoyalCollege of Art in London. Following his graduation in
1955 he rented a small room in Chipping Campdens OldSilk Mill that contained a bed and a drawing board. Withthe creation of the Alveston cutlery range Robert WelchDesigns was born in 1961.
Over the next 40 years the company grew to take over thetop floor of the Silk Mill producing a wide range of kitchen,dining and homeware products. In 1993 Robert Welch
passed the directorship to his son and daughter, Rupert andAlice, who are still the managing director and marketingdirector respectively.
A Robert Welch retail shop was established in 1969,just a few hundred yards from the Old Silk Mill where the
products are still designed by the in-house design team.In fact, during the past 50 years, over 3,418 individual newproducts have been designed, leading to sales of over 46million around the world.
DESIGN LEGACYWalking round the Robert Welch shop, one of three withthe other two located in Warwick and Bath, you realisejust how vast the range really is. Along the back wall is amuseum dedicated to Robert Welch himself with a rangeof his original product designs on display. There aresome beautifully retro pieces, including tea sets, clocks,candlesticks and even jewellery, some of which still lookas contemporary today as they did originally. Many of
his items are still in production today, its a testament tohis legacy, says Paul deBretton Gordon, head designer atRobert Welch Designs, on my guided tour of the shop.
deBretton Gordon is just one of three designers at thecompany. Although small, they make extensive use oftechnology in the design studio with two CAD packages,SolidWorks and Deskartes, and two 3D printers. The oldest
PROFILE
1 The Old Silk Mill
in Chipping Campden
has been home toRobert Welch Designs
for over 50 years
1
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2 In 1955 Robert Welch set up his
studio in one little room in the Silk Mill
3 Although nine years old, Deskartes
is an ideal tool for designing cutlery
4 Seats of SolidWorks have since beenpurchased through reseller NT CADCAM
When Robert Welch was the only designer at thecompany, before computers or CAD, his line drawingswould be passed to a silversmith whod bring his designs tolife. In his case it was John Limbrey, a craftsman who joinedRobert Welch in his one room studio shortly after he setup. He then worked with Welch for over 40 years producing
models and production drawings.Today a project will similarly begin with sketching but willvery quickly progress into CAD. We get into CAD as soonas we can because obviously CAD is a great time saver. Thatway we can start knocking out 3D prints and prototypesfairly early on, explains deBretton Gordon.
We try to get through the concept phase and intodevelopment phase pretty quickly because the developmentcycle can take quite a while. We also try to speak to ourfactories sooner rather than later.
But take a spoon, which is just one form, how complexcan it be to design? Very, it seems.
Talking about it sounds ridiculous, its just a spoon butthe design is really tricky, says deBretton Gordon. The
top surface is the most difficult and the challenge is for thethree or four surfaces on that top surface to knit togetherinto a solid.
However, cutlery design always starts in the Deskartessoftware package as opposed to SolidWorks. Producedby a Finnish company of the same name, Deskartes is aComputer Aided Industrial Design (CAID) system withcertain features that make it an ideal tool for designingcutlery. Although Robert Welch Designs license has beenin use for almost nine years and can only operate on an oldlaptop, deBretton Gordon explains that this basic packageallows for quick model creation and easy editing.
Once the Deskartes model is complete, it then writes an
IGES file format that can be brought into SolidWorks. Fromthere files are sent to the 3D printer, prototyping bureauor model maker. Following tweaks and refinement to thedesign, files then go to the factory for tooling.
BRIGHT FINISHOne of the key challenges in working in this industry,which is really out of the designers hands, is the brightfinish achieved through polishing the stainless steel.Polishing is a real skill and polishers are the best paid inthe factory. Its actually quite a dangerous process becauseit involves a spinning wheel at really high speed in very hotconditions, comments deBretton Gordon.
Apart from polished stainless steel, the only other colour
in the Robert Welch collection, excluding the childrensrange, is black. This has always been the case and gives therange its timeless and modern aesthetic. deBretton Gordonwas one of the first designers to take over the in-housedesign following Robert Welchs death and was consciousof not taking the company in a different direction.
I wanted to continue in Robert Welchs legacy and keep
is a ZCorp Z510, nicknamed Zelda, which has recentlybeen superseded by an Objet 30 printer.
We bought Zelda eight or nine years ago so its pretty oldtechnology now. We needed something more convenientwith better quality. But with hundreds of different 3Dprinters out there we had to do quite a bit of research.
It was really important that our new 3D printer wasnttoo big, the cost of running it was low and the quality of themodel was high. A secondhand Objet machine came on themarket and we thought it was too good a deal to turn down,says deBretton Gordon.
Happily buzzing away in the corner of the design studiowith no dust or smell, unlike Zelda, the Objet is usedextensively for prototyping design concepts. It doesnt havea huge build area but for what we are using it for, its fittingthe bill, he adds.
SOPHISTICATED DESIGN PROCESSAlthough steeped in a tradition of craftsmanship andsilversmithing, the design process at Robert Welch Designs
is similar to most other companies involved in newproduct development. This is something that amuses PauldeBretton Gordon and his wife Kit, who is senior designerat the company, as some people dont think that cutleryis designed. I remember having to explain to family andfriends what we do as they think we are sat in somethinglike an art class, she laughs.
3
4
Its just aspoon butthe designis reallytricky. The
top surfaceis the mostdifficultand thechallengeis for thethree or foursurfaceson the topsurfaceto knittogetherinto asolid
2
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5 Robert Welch at work. His 1962
Alveston cutlery range was praised as
heralding a new era in cutlery design
6 The Signature range of stainless
steel utensils with its bright finish
7 One of the recently launchedproducts is this Signature Oval Trivet
purchased Zelda, which was used extensively on this projectto prototype handles.
At our design meetings we would have 20 differenthandle shapes testing the feel and comfort. In the earlydays, we also trialled a lot with professional chefs to makesure they didnt get fatigue and the handle was right.
The handle, which is made from a DuPont material, ismoulded precisely onto the full tang. In other words, theknife is forged from one piece of stainless steel that extendsthe full length inside the handle ensuring longevity anddurability.
Not only was the design of each blade a challenge but sowas the choice of steel. Instead of opting for a Japanesesteel, which can be very hard but diffi cult to sharpen, theywent for a German stainless steel, which is less hard buteasier for users to maintain the edge and sharpen.
The knives were tested extensively until the perfect knifehad been reached, which has since been awarded thehighest grade possible by the Craft Guild of Chefs and wonmultiple design awards.
NEW PRODUCTSThe Robert Welch range is extensive and although productsremain in the catalogue for many years, including somelegacy ones that were designed by Robert Welch himself,new products are also added regularly. Currently, thekitchen product range is being boosted with new utensils;the Signature Kitchen Roll Holder, with a design that allowsfor pull and tear in one movement, as well as a SignatureOval Trivet with a stainless steel base and removablesilicone mat on top.
Although the design work keeps him busy, deBrettonGordon also likes to keep on top of new technology that
could help the design process. DEVELOP3D Live in Aprilwas great fun for that as all the relevant companies werein one place and you could literally walk from one space toanother and try them out and see the results. I had a look at3D scanners, which may be useful in future. And althoughwe are happy with our Objet machine, there were someothers there that were interesting and in the future we mayget another and run them concurrently.
Of course, all of this research and future technologyinvestment is to ensure that this small company continuesin its pursuit of excellence. I cant help thinking that RobertWelch would be proud of how his company has progressedwhilst it still maintains his belief that everyone should beable to use beautifully designed pieces in everyday life.
robertwelch.com
From 19 July to 28 September 2014 the Robert Welch:Inspiration and Innovation exhibition will be taking placeat the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden. On 19July there will be a one-on-one event Designing for RobertWelch with Alice Welch, managing director, and KitdeBretton Gordon, senior designer. courtbarn.org.uk
the design classic and simple. I have tried to accomplishthat the designs are not overly designed, they are notfussy, fashion driven or trendy.
One of the first projects deBretton Gordon embarked onwhen he started, which has remained a favourite, is themulti-award winning Signature Knife range. There have
been equally good projects since but that one sticks in mymind as being enjoyable but also diffi cult as the learningcurve was so steep, he says.
The company did have a few knife ranges but obviouslythose were designed by Robert Welch himself so this was ajourney that Rupert Welch and I really went on together.
It was also the project where deBretton Gordonintroduced CAD into the company in the form of Deskarteshaving used it at his previous job at Wedgwood. They also
6
I wantedto continuein RobertWelchslegacy
and keepthe designclassic andsimple. Thedesigns arenot overlydesigned,they arenot fussy,fashiondriven ortrendy
7
5
PROFILE
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EVENT REVIEW
Even with the Grid system, it takes time to run vastnumbers of variables through a computer with finite power.This is overcome through a virtual version of the data,which modeFRONTIER creates from the inputted fields,which enables it to run at a much higher speed.
Yan Fu, a technical expert at Ford, explained how a newEnterprise Multi-disciplinary Design Optimisation System(EMDO )is being used at the company, which provides acollaborative and distributed execution platform to managethe complexity of growing demands of large-scale vehicledesign projects.
PERFECT SOLUTIONS?
Optimisation is just as much about making informedchoices and trade-offs as it is about reaching perfection.
Rarely in the real world is there a truly perfect design forinstance, optimising the weight of a design to save moneyon materials could backfire if it demands a more complexand expensive manufacturing process.
As the complexity of product designincreases, so do the number of toolsused in the design process, yet thetime-to-market is ever decreasing.Against this background themodeFRONTIER user meetingin Trieste, Italy, organised by theItalian provider of this tool Esteco,set out to show the vast array of
different industries using its tool to optimise designs and
using it as a means of presenting design choices, quickly.Mastering complexity was the tagline of the event, andgiven the multifarious calculations being tamed by Estecossoftware, it proved apt.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
modeFRONTIER is Estecos collaborative environment toolfor large dataset Computer Aided Engineering (CAE).
Open to accepting data from almost all mainstream CAD,simulation and analysis software, it is used in projects asdiverse as urban towers and domestic washing machines.
It allows an engineer, for example, to pull in a CAD modelfrom Catia, CFD analysis from Ansys, a set of calculationsfrom MathCAD and an Excel spread sheet of bill of
materials.The user defines the various parameters, the limits they
can operate within and the goals that need to be achievedwith the optimised design. The system (along with therequired computational power) will then provide a curve ofpoints representing the range of optimised designs.
modeFRONTIER sets out to corral the complex varietyof possibilities from the available engineering data andvisually packages the results giving engineers a graph ofprecise data, while keeping it simple enough for boardroomdecision makers to understand and use.
To make it available to project collaborators it has a secureweb-based platform, Somo, which also helps with two bigissues for such a tool computational power and softwarelicenses.
Somos Grid system provides the user with a networkof workstations for processing power, but still runsthe controlling software from its native load computer,eliminating the need for a sole workstation to be loadedwith every tool thats used.
BRINGING CAE T
THE BOARD RO Esteco is looking to changethe design landscape throughmulti-physics optimisation.
Stephen Holmesreports
from the companys user
meeting in Trieste
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modeFRONTIERInternational Users
Meeting 2014, which
took place duringMay in Trieste, Italy
A round-table discussion by the automotive sectorformed one of the events highlights, with speakers fromJaguar Landrover (JLR), Ford and Volvo all explaininghow modeFRONTIER is used now, and how they expect itsrole to evolve.
Currently problems include the late manufacture of avehicle, which can cost 2million each day of the delay.However, this can be resolved using optimisation.
Decision-making in such situations needs to be as fastas possible and the ability to speedily re-calculate optionsusing virtual optimisation can prevent huge losses.
More standard stages of design benefit from optimisationdirectly. As a representative from JLR explained, thecompany managed to lose 400kg of aluminium from thechassis of its latest SUV by combining CAD models andvarious simulation and analysis data.
Yet optimisation is gradually moving from being simplya problem-solving tool to influencing the initial designconcepts.
Nowadays, engineers are not trying to solve one problemat a time. Tools such as modeFRONTIER enable severalconcepts to run in parallel, which allows teams to make theright design earlier.
By weeding out flawed designs earlier, by the time adesign reaches physical prototyping less needs to be builtfor testing.
The earlier that optimisation is introduced into theworkflow, the more useful it can be, and those who controldesign and manufacture are beginning to appreciate thebenefits.
As one attendee explained, it has meant that, for the firsttime, the boardroom of his company had understood theexpanded benefits of simulation tools.
In a complex world of algorithms and engineeringdata, its easy to see why having a tool to simply guide thedecision process is beginning to bring CAE to the attentionof company heads.esteco.com
O
M
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PROFILE
We employ incredible expertise and facilities aroundthe world and bring these together in supply chaincombinations that suit each project for necessary quality,quantity, speed and cost. From consumer electronics to jet
engines, its not what we do, its how we do it.
GAME IS ONIt all started with Robot Wars. At age ten, Valman was ahuge fan of this British television game show. Broadcastfrom 1998 to 2003, par ticipants robots would fight itout against each other in an arena. Too young to enter,Valman chose to compete in the shows engineeringcompetition with its robot weight restriction of less than150g. He taught himself how to use Google SketchUpand constructed his creations using hand tools, includingthe CNC machine and lathes in his schools Design &Technology Department.
I was designing some pretty crazy stuff such as a fullpressure pneumatic system with an arm that fires open. Itwas pretty dangerous, smiles Valman.
But seeing that everyone else in the competition wasgetting their components professionally made, he decidedthat he wanted to do the same. So, I Googled factory.All the UK factories were far too expensive for my budget;
Just a short walk from LondonsWestminster tube station, in a fairly quietopen plan office in Millbank Tower isRPD International. Looking around you
wouldnt guess that this company hasgrown 50 per cent month on month sinceits launch in January 2014, employs 46people and is on track to achieving a sevenfigure turnover this financial year. You
certainly wouldnt guess that the man at the helm is 19-year-old Josh Valman.
Valmans CV, with its four job roles MD of RPDInternational, MD of Miproto, owner of WeSellTubes.comand freelance product design engineer reads like that ofsomeone at least ten years older. However, what gives it awayis his schooling: Vyners School in Ickenham, West London,2006 2013. He only completed his A levels last year!
But what exactly does his company do? Valman explainsit simply as RPD powers design and manufacturingdepartments for companies. Basically he has built aglobal supply chain that consists of specialist factories andcontractors to handle everything in a product developmentproject from conception, to prototyping, to massproduction to delivery. It can handle all or just a small part.
BRIGHTYOUNGTHING
London teenager Josh Valman is on a mission to change the way productdesign, engineering and manufacturing works around the world.
Tanya Weaver meets with this young entrepreneur to discover how he
became the CEO of the supply chain company RPD International
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We employ incredible
expertise and facilities
around the world and
bring these together in
supply chain combinationsJosh Valman
SATURDAY JOBValman also decided to get a normal (well, normal for ateenager) job working Saturdays in his local bicycle retailshop. By his own admission, he was painfully shy and
thought that being forced to speak to the general publicwould help his communication skills. He also learnt aboutbusiness and for 11 months operated weselltubes.com, anonline retailer of inner tubes.
Ever the entrepreneur, hed also decided, as his freelancework was going so well, to set up a web based productdesign, development and prototyping platform. Hedrealised that his success was due to his being accessibleand so decided to launch Miproto with the aim of makingproduct design and manufacturing accessible to everybody.Anybody can upload a design, pay their fee and have itmade, he explains.
Valman eventually managed to get some investorsonboard but admits that most were weary of risking moneyon a kid. It took me a while to prove my worth to people.But I ended up flying out to Gibraltar just before my A levelsstarted. I closed my first investor and wrote my courseworkon the flight home.
But since then Valman has been very selective in theinvestors hes chosen. Its not about the money, but
nobody seems to think of the budgets of 15 year olds.But I had heard about Chinese factories so I Googled
that. I found one and thought to myself what could gowrong? Its just on the other side of the world, it just means
waiting a bit longer.However, the bank would not allow him to send his pocket
money to a factory in China that he found on the internet.Neither would his parents for that matter. So, unbeknownto them, he set up a PayPal account and sent every penny hehad 500 to be exact that way.
About two weeks later the DHL package arrived andinside were the billet aluminium components that hadbeen CNC machined to within 0.1mm tolerance. He wasvery chuffed and when he took his robot to the Robot WarsWorld Series event, others were impressed too. So muchso that requests started coming in for him to producetheir robot components, which soon scaled up to othercomponents. At 15 his career as a freelance product designand manufacturing consultant had begun.
Lots of people doing this Robot Wars stuff were high upfigure heads in large multinational companies so by doingsmall bits of work for them theyd tell others. The workkept coming in to the point where I was earning 10,000 aweek, he comments.
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I ended up flying out to
Gibraltar just before myA levels started. I closed myfirst investor and wrote my
coursework on the flight home
1
2
1 The Robot Wars robot Valman
created in SketchUp when he was 15
2 RPD International created 550 small
foam cows for client Taxi Studio
3 Various prototypes of a key fob for a
British supercar manufacturer
PROFILE
more about what they can offer in terms of skills andconnections. Some people I would take 5,000 off but itsnot because its 5,000, its because this guy is the directorof this company who can connect me to that company whocan in turn connect me to this other company.
Valman did manage to pass his A levels but his markswerent sufficient to get him into any of the engineeringcourses he applied for. Ironically, he now teaches at one ofthese universities. I didnt get into Imperial College andnow I teach at their Entrepreneurship Club so I dont feelso bad.
NEW YEAR, NEW BUSINESSMeanwhile Miproto was doing well but wasnt makingmuch money. With his entrepreneur head on he gotthinking and realised that companies, both large and small,rather than individuals were using this service. So, usingthe same global supply chain, in January 2014 he launchedRPD International a corporate platform that powersdesign and manufacturing for companies.
We handle everything, from concept through tomanufacture and delivery. We operate this global supplychain of talent in design, engineering and manufacturing.By connecting all of these incredibly powerful resources, weare able to think differently about both design and process.
explains Valman.Companies can use it for the entire product developmentprocess or, like some larger engineering firms have done,dip into a certain part of the process whether its helpwith an R&D project, getting a design prototyped or formanufacturing assistance. People pay an amount eachmonth which is a deposit to retain our services. So its up tous to guarantee that we have the resources in-house readywhen they call and say help, says Valman.
In a bid to build his supplier and contractor list, he hasjetted out to factories all over the world and talked to variousdesigners and engineers who he employs on a freelancebasis when needed. The idea is to link up the right personwith the right project and then find the best manufacturer
to deliver. This is more often than not a manufacturer localto the client where there is not a great deal of shippinginvolved because according to Valman, time is worth somuch more than money. Thats the future.
So far RPD has worked with a range of clients includingcreative agencies such as London-based Taxi Studio, whichas part of a national campaign for its client plasterboardproducer Siniat asked for 550 small foam bulls to be madeand delivered.
Another was a British supercar manufacturer who taskedRPD with designing its key fob asking: How can ourcustomers feel the beauty of our engine, without opening
the bonnet every day?. With a reasonable budget, Valmancombined three minds: an American artist, Italian fashiondesigner and a Scandinavian industrial designer. Theconcepts were then refined by a London industrial designer,who embodied the V8 engine into the key fob itself. Thiswas followed by various rounds of prototyping (includingthe internal PCB), tooling, batch manufacture of 5,000,assembly, packaging and delivery.
Back in his office, Valman has employed people to workwith the British Standards Institution (BSI) to certifyRPDs processes and facilities the boring side of business,according to him, whilst he gets very little sleep jettingoff all over the place hunting out suppliers and spreading
the word of what RPD does. He is constantly visitingconferences, like DEVELOP3D Live in April, and haseven organised one himself in Aarhus, Denmark, at thebeginning of June and will be speaking at a few, includingthe Design Chain Conference, later this year.
He uses social media for all its worth especially locatingdesigners and engineers to work for him. He has ceaselessenergy and drive to grow his business but does seem a bitsurprised when he admits that it just works.
He also still finds time to design having bought seats ofSolidWorks through reseller Innova. I cant log in as asenior engineer, however, because I dont have a degree. So,the CEO is a junior engineer, he laughs.rpdintl.com
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PROFILE
1 The JaguarXKR-S GT coupe,
on which the frontsteering knuckles
are machined on
Hurco machiningcentres at Coventrysubcontractor, Philip
James
2 A front knuckle forJLR, after all 3-axis
metalcutting hasbeen completed on
the Hurco VM20i
component alignment prior to boring. One-hit machiningon the Hurco also allows Philip James to swap betweenproducing the two hands more quickly. This is important,as JLR often cannot wait for a full batch of, say, 20 left-hand and the same number of right-hand knuckles to bedelivered in one consignment. Faster changeovers increaseproductivity by minimising spindle idle time.
The Hurco VMX42SR is the first 5-axis machining centreat Philip James, which Whitehouse asked Hurco to modifyso that the B-axis head can be tilted past horizontal to allowcutter access for all JLR knuckle bores to be interpolated in
one hit.The required negative angle was 8 degrees. Hurcoengineers removed the limit switch on the head, allowingit to tilt up to 20 degrees. So other features like undercutfaces can also be machined without repositioning thepart on an angle plate, again saving time and improvingaccuracy.
The modification means that the head guardingcomes close to the table and especially near to a lasertool measuring device. To avoid any chance of collision,the subcontractor used Work NC computer aidedmanufacturing (CAM) software from Sescoi to programthe machining cycle and check for interference.
Although the knuckle application requires 3+2 axis
machining, the VMX42SR is capable of full 5-axis cycles.Whitehouse is hopeful that it will attract additional workfrom the aerospace and motorsport sectors and alsopointed out that it will reduce the need to use expensiveform cutters.hurco.co.uk
philip-james.co.uk
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is one of PhilipJames biggest clients. This Coventry-based subcontracter machines prototypesuspension, chassis and steeringcomponents for practically every makeof Jaguar, Range Rover and Land Rover,including the limited edition Jaguar XKR-SGT, which was launched in October 2013.For this 135,000, five-litre, V8 coupe,
Philip James produced the front steering knuckles.Knuckles in particular require intensive milling. They
start as a solid round aluminium billet that is typicallyreduced from 94kg to less than 6kg when the part isfully machined. For subsequent volume production, thecomponents are produced from aluminium forgings unless it is for a small run of cars like the XKR-S GT.
Philip Whitehouse, managing director of Philip James,states, One of the front knuckles for JLR was provingproblematic to machine.
While most of the milling and drilling could be carriedout on one of our 3-axis Hurcos, the component then hadto be transferred to a CNC jig borer for five holes to beinterpolated at three different angles and therefore inthree set-ups.
We decided to buy a Hurco VMX42SR 5-axis machining
centre to interpolate all the holes to within 10 microns inone automatic, 20-minute cycle, much faster than the twoand a half hours it used to take on the jig borer.
FASTER CHANGEOVERS
Apart from decreasing the cycle time, the new 5-axisprocess eliminates the need to use a tooling hole for
KNUCKLEDOWN How the capabilities of 5-axis machining are benefiting
two companies working in the automotive industry
Freeform Technology, aCNC machine shop based inthe UKs motorsport valleyin Buckingham, supplies a
range of F1 teams includingRed Bull Racing, Lotus,Mercedes GP, Williams,McLaren and Marussia.
The latest 5-axis machiningcentre to be installed atFreeform Technologys6,000 sq ft facility is a
DMU65 monoBLOCK 5-axisuniversal machining centrefrom DMG MORI. ThisGerman-built machine
was bought specicallyfor its ability to tackle anymaterial including thetoughest of alloys.
In addition to machiningtooling block, aluminiummould tools can now beproduced, allowing the
subcontractor to widen itscustomer base.
We have already produced
front and rear bumperpatterns for the Nissan RMLJuke-R and the BMW WRCMini. We see automotiveas a growth area for us,as more and more CFRP[Carbon-bre-reinforcedpolymer] parts are beingincorporated into road
cars, or at least offered asoptions, says Fred Hutton,Freeform Technologysco-founder.
We also intend to offermould and pattern makingservices to companiesin the aerospace supplychain, he adds.
dmgmori.comfreeformtechnology.co.uk
RIGHTFORMULA
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