I just came from Aalto Digital Design Laboratory. They had a introduction day for engineers, architects and designers. The laboratory is just starting and forming itself, but I already see the possibilities; especially in the viewpoint of digital manufacturing. I start my first own course of digital manufacturing for English Master Program of Mechanical Engineering in 2012 and am therefore interested in all things digital. I am also supervising three master’s thesis workers on collaborative digital design and manufacturing. Project is called “Digital Concept Factory”. The work group consists of one major student of each; production, machine design and industrial design. There are lots of things going on about digital manufacturing; it’s a hot subject it seems.
Digital Manufacturing is really wide concept, that often is understood differently by everyone. I try to use digital manufacturing as a roof concept for all digital tools and paradigms in manufacturing. To point out three major sub sections;
- collaborative design
- simulations
- rapid prototyping, which is nowadays recommended to be called additive manufacturing
The term additive manufacturing is preferred for the method is said to have evolved so that it is applicable also for commercial production. In PLM forum this summer, arranged by Dassault Systemes, one of the main speakers Takatoshi Negishi, former Toyota engineering manager said that additive manufacturing can be used competitively up to batches of 10.000 workpieces until casting is more reasonable choice. That is enough for me to change my thinking from prototyping to manufacturing. Toyota has that kind of effect on engineers. =)
So, I am excited about the new ADD lab, maybe there is totally new production/design paradigm brewing there!
One other thing, in Otaniemi, there is no place where on can get good cup of coffee, but that is about to change for ADD lab is introducing ADD lounge at the middle of mechanical engineering! There was chatter about barista training and order to delivery services. And just on my back yard! Yeay!
