Downsizing of cars taken seriously
Downsizing is one of the major trends, and not just in the automobile industry. Now here is a fascinating example: A team of scientists from the Technical University of Vienna managed to fabricate an Indy Race Car in a High Speed Two Photon Polymerization (2PP) process. The car is about 285 microns long, consists of 100 layers, each made of 200 polymer lines. The car was finished with this new 3D printing technology in about 4 minutes and resembles the CAD file at a precision of ± 1µm. The aim is to use this process for manufacturing very small medical implants. Fantastic job!
”The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for antimatter, dark matter while performing precision measurements of cosmic rays composition and flux.“ (Quote: The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Experiment)
Well, building a state of the art Grinding Machine is not quite as complicated as building an AMS, but it is kind of an art as well. You’ll see when you visit our headquarter in Trossingen.
After 30 years the Space Shuttle is on its last mission. Amazing pictures from the last three decades can be seen on the Website of the Atlantic. Just click here.
Poetry in motion
And here you see the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver “backflip” that Atlantis performed July 10, 2011. Phantastic, isn’t it?
Does this sound familiar? You’re looking forward to a conference and an exciting lecture, let’s say on “Machining of Demanding Materials in the Aerospace Industry,” and then the speaker softly lulls you to sleep with 300 PowerPoint slides.
Kennen Sie das? Sie freuen sich bei einer Konferenz auf einen spannenden Vortrag, sagen wir zum Thema „Zerspanung anspruchsvoller Werkstoffe in der Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie“, und dann werden Sie mit 300 PowerPoint-Folien sanft in Halbschlaf versetzt.
Intelligent Grinding Wheels
At HAAS we often ask ourselves what we can do to make sure our presentations are interesting. Especially when we’re talking about complex topics like “Intelligent Grinding Wheels.” No, that’s not a joke. Our colleague Wolfgang Hermle designed software that makes it possible to relief-grind small hob cutters with intelligent, large grinding wheels so that the entire grinding cycle takes 50 percent less time. If I could draw as well as Jorge Cham (further below), I would post a grinding comic on the topic. And by the way, if you want to know how to teach a grinding wheel to think, ask Wolfgang Hermle.
Intelligente Schleifscheiben
Wir bei HAAS fragen uns natürlich auch immer wieder, wie wir unsere Präsentationen interessant gestalten können. Vor allem, wenn es um so komplexe Themen wie „Intelligente Schleifscheiben“ geht. Nein, das ist kein Witz. Unser Kollege Wolfram Hermle hat das Hinterschleifen von kleinen Abwälzfräsern mit intelligenten, großen Schleifscheiben softwaretechnisch so hinbekommen, dass der gesamte Schleifzyklus in einer Aufspannung 50 Prozent weniger Zeit braucht. Also, wenn ich so gut zeichnen könnte wie Jorge Cham (weiter unten), würde ich zu dem Thema einen Schleifcomic posten. Übrigens, wenn Sie wissen wollen, wie man einer Schleifscheibe das Denken beibringt, fragen Sie Wolfram Hermle.
Grinding a hob cutter on a Multigrind® AF· Schleifen eines Abwälzfräsers auf einer Multigrind® AF. Foto: HAAS
Dark Matter Jorge Cham from PHD Comics shows us how to present complex topics in a clear and entertaining way. This brilliant graphic artist (and engineer with a PhD, who said engineers were dull guys) made a comic video to go along with a conversation between two physics professors. They’re talking about Dark Matter and how researchers at CERN are dealing with it.
Dunkle Materie Jorge Cham von PHD Comics zeigt uns auf anschauliche Art, wie man komplexe Themen unterhaltsam visualisiert. Dieser geniale Zeichner (und promovierte Ingenieur!, sag’ noch einer Ingenieure wären trockene Typen) hat eine lockere Plauderei zwischen zwei Physikprofessoren visualisiert. Es geht um Dunkle Materie und wie die Forscher am CERN damit umgehen.
