CNC routers are great but not everyone can afford one, and according to woodworker Suso Caamanho, "unless the project is very repetitive, sometimes you can spend more time preparing the CNC than working on the project itself."

The desire to do 2D and 3D routing with analog controls is what motivated Caamanho to build a device that uses home-made linear slides to move a drill or CNC router motor on the X, Y, and Z axes (left/right, forward/backward, and up/down).

Control is provided by adjustable stops on each axis and the followers he devised. 

Stops are used to make simple straight cuts such as mortises and rectangular cuts through panels.

Followers are used to create more complicated shapes. One type of follower works like a pantograph, tracing the shape of an existing object and guiding the router bit as it reproduces that shape in a blank piece of material.

Caamanho demonstrates this feature by copying the cutouts in a guitar body. I particularly like where near the end of the video he uses this function in 3D mode and replicates a dished wooden plate. He uses a different type of follower to cut circles without the use of a pattern.

So far as I can tell the entire thing was built with off-the-shelf components: plywood for the structure and ball bearings and aluminum extrusions for linear slides. It's an incredibly clever design and it will no doubt be improved on over time.

A woodworker and luthier in Spain, Caamanho has designed and built a number of shop machines and sells plans for them on his website.

There is a SubReddit called "Penmanship Porn," where people upload samples of their handwriting. Submitter Eschermer contributed this stunning sample of him or her transcribing Oscar Wilde's "The Ballad of Reading Gaol:"

Astonishing, no? Going through the rest of the SubReddit, there are a couple of other gems, like this electrical permit from 1916, when people still knew proper cursive and used fountain pens:

Or this person's modern-day notes on Economics:

And a different person's Biology notes:

And this calligraphic Twitter user's NSFW greeting scribed with a fountain pen:

Overall though, I couldn't find any images that could hold a candle to Eschermer's work.

Speaking of handwriting:

Years ago I had to learn CAD on the job, because I was in the last generation of Industrial Design students to be trained in manual drafting only. Us poor saps were trained to letter by hand. For those of you designers with more modern educations that never had to do this, here's your belated lesson:

Yes, I know the video is called "How to Hand Letter Like an Architect." We ID'ers always get the short end of the publicity stick.

TAC.TILES is a physical interface that can be used for 3D modeling. The interface consists of 15 modules which can be put together according to the user's preferences. Each of these modules brings a change in the shape of the 3D model. The advantage of this physical interface is that the user can design in a pleasant and intuitive way.

Input from Ditch Witch’s experienced Drill Operators and knowledgeable Engineering Department was distilled and refined by the SF designers and engineers to create a striking new engine body with design features that simplify machine maintenance and an operator’s cab with unparalleled ergonomics & un-compromised sight lines. The cab is equipped with full climate control, a full suspension seat, multiple LED monitor layouts, optimized leg-room, and curved tinted glass to reduce vibration & operator fatigue. The cab telescopes along a rail system allowing visual access to all pertinent movement points on the drill, and clear visibility in the drilling direction allowing diligent monitoring.

Summary

At the beginning of each new project, Design that Matters creates a point of view statement to focus the project on the need, users, and contexts will be included AND excluded from our design. During Project Firefly, we focused on treating otherwise healthy newborns with jaundice using a phototherapy device that rural district hospital staff with little training could use in the mother's room. Our evolving point of view statement was an invaluable tool to guide the design and invention process and create agreement between partners.

The need - To achieve positive social impact, always start with a need (not just a desire).

The users - Who are the end users? What other stakeholders must be satisfied?

The context - Where and when will your design be used? What else must it interface with?

You may be familiar with the saying "Design for everyone is design for no one." At the beginning of each new project, Design that Matters creates a point of view statement to focus the project on the specific need, users, and contexts we will and will NOT design for. During the design of Firefly Newborn Phototherapy, the point of view was an invaluable tool helping us build agreement about project purpose with our implementation partner, East Meets West Foundation (an affiliate of Thrive Networks), and our Vietnamese manufacturing partner,Medical Technology Transfer and Services. We focused on treating otherwise healthy newborns with jaundice using a phototherapy device that rural district hospital staff with little training could use in the mother's room. As such, we were pleasantly surprised when the device also found a home in Neonatal Intensive Care Units at National-Level hospitals to treat the most severe cases of jaundice.

Left: Two infants share an incubator while receiving phototherapy from an overhead lamp. Right: A nurse places a newborn into Firefly.

What is the need?

Beginning at the Firefly kick-off meeting, we talked with our manufacturing and implementation partners about whether they envisioned our phototherapy device would treat all jaundiced newborns, or a subset. Approximately 10% of all newborns require phototherapy for jaundice. Some jaundiced newborns have other health conditions in addition like respiratory distress, infection, or complications due to prematurity. Because of this, we would have to marry a lot of constraints in attempting to provide phototherapy to newborns with the widest array of conditions. For example, we would need to ensure the design could fit inside or around an incubator, a device created to keep the sickest babies warm.

East Meets West Foundation found that around one third of babies in overcrowded national-level Neonatal Intensive Care Units were otherwise healthy newborns with jaundice. These babies were sharing beds and overhead phototherapy lamps with a rotating cast of other newborns, some with infections. The babies were often blocking the light or rolling out of the effective area of the light. Most overhead phototherapy lamps were designed to cast a light on a bed big enough for only one newborn.

Result: In the end, we were all happy that we had focused on otherwise healthy newborns. Departing from designing around an incubator enabled us to create a device that holds only one newborn directly under the lights, increasing effectiveness and possibly decreasing spread of infection.

Left: One of nine rooms with 150 newborns at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in National OBGYN Hospital, Vietnam. Right: A midwife shows all the equipment she possesses at Tonlebaty, a rural clinic in Cambodia.

Who are the users?

When we began designing Firefly together, East Meets West Foundation had already provided training and equipment to the over 100 national and provincial level hospitals in Vietnam. They hoped a new, simpler phototherapy device could enable them to expand their Breath of Life newborn health program into rural district hospitals, the lowest level of hospital providing overnight care. They planned to provide training and equipment, but were worried about how best to instill confidence in staff members at these hospitals who may be accustomed to sending all newborns in need of treatment to higher level hospitals. As Luciano Moccia, director of the East Meets West Breath of Life program noted, "Phototherapy will only work in hospitals with the confidence to treat babies." How could the newly-designed phototherapy device help doctors and nurses with little experience treating jaundice feel good about providing treatment after the trainers had left?

We noticed some interesting behaviors during observations. First, when given a phototherapy device with multiple settings, healthcare providers in the same hospital had different approaches to choosing power levels for newborns. Second, we would sometimes see newborns lying under phototherapy lamps with a blanket covering them for warmth, blocking the light from reaching their skin. Third, doctors and nurses reported flipping the babies like burgers on a grill to ensure both sides were sufficiently exposed to the light. Ideal phototherapy shines as much blue wavelength light over as much skin as possible. The light passes through the skin to alter a chemical in the blood called Bilirubin so that it can pass through the baby via the urine and stool. Given that blood circulates, it is not necessary to flip the baby to expose different parts of the skin.

Result: Because of these observations, we simplified the device to go beyond just user-friendly - we made it hard to use wrong. There is only one button and only one power setting to turn the lights on and off. We provide effective light intensity from above and below in case someone covers one side of the baby with a blanket. The final design was not intended to please super-users, but surprisingly this unique device has also found a home in national-level facilities treating the most severely jaundiced babies because the the double-sided lighting also reduces treatment time. Designing for a user with little training yielded a device that is better for other healthcare providers as well, enabling them to devote more of their energy to more complicated conditions.

Left: Mothers who have recently received c-sections wait outside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to breastfeed their babies at Philippines General Hospital. Right: A mother who has recently given birth stands to comfort her baby who receiving overhead phototherapy in Vietnam.

What is the context?

Throughout the field research process, we couldn't help but notice how jaundice treatment separated moms and babies during the earliest days of life. In one of the smallest rural hospitals we visited, the nurse confided that she sometimes was the only nurse for the entire hospital during the night. If a baby was receiving phototherapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she may not have time to bring the newborn to mom to breastfeed all night. Newborns need to eat every 2-3 hours and effective jaundice therapy requires both phototherapy and hydration to produce urine and stool to flush the bilirubin from the body. We saw a tremendous opportunity for technology to facilitate a new treatment context for otherwise-healthy newborns with jaundice in mom's room.

We considered many other possible contexts in conversations with our manufacturing and implementation partners. What about using it in a vehicle to transport jaundiced newborns? Or using in a high-level hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit? We explained that planning for these disparate environments would so totally change the design that it could end up not fitting well in any context. We ultimately maintained our focus on mom's room and we are happy with the result!

Result: We created a smaller, more portable device compared to traditional overhead phototherapy that can fit in the room with mom, uniting mother and baby for better bonding, breastfeeding, and monitoring. As a happy surprise, the smaller device also fits in a crowded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit even better than typical overhead phototherapy because its small size enables it to fit in a common infant cot.

Left: The first mother to experience phototherapy in her own bed. Right: The highest level hospitals save Firefly to treat their most severely jaundiced babies.

Design that Matters used our point of view process to build ongoing agreement with our manufacturing and implementation partners around a focused project. Though it was heart-wrenching to narrow focus to serve the needs of otherwise-healthy newborns instead of all jaundiced newborns, in doing so we created a better design that was even more well-received than we anticipated.

For even more information about using focus to achieve massive impact, please see our article about teaching problem scoping at Healthcare's Grand H@ckfest.

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This "Design Experience that Matters" series is provided courtesy of Timothy Prestero and the team at Design that Matters (DtM). As a nonprofit, DtM collaborates with leading social entrepreneurs and hundreds of volunteers to design new medical technologies for the poor in developing countries. DtM's Firefly infant phototherapy device is treating thousands of newborns in 21 counties from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. In 2012, DtM was named the winner of the National Design Award.

The Core77 team spends time combing through the news so you don't have to. Here's a weekly roundup of our favorite finds from the World Wide Web:

It's easy for Americans to say that they prefer products made in America, but when you look at statistics it tells you something quite different.

Interesting commentary on the sans-serif "startup minimalism" graphic design & branding trend 

Can you drive a car with just one pedal?

Creepy: researchers shut down an AI that invented its own language.

I have some fantastic news—turns out Larry David and Bernie Sanders are actually related.

3D rendered graphics so lifelike you're not even going to believe it.

First, it was Microsoft Paint this week, and now this? How much more can we take?

Now that computer processors, graphics cards and software have become both powerful and affordable, we can simulate all manner of important scientific scenarios than would have been possible just a few years ago.

Many of us have wondered, for instance, whether 1,000 Tyrannosaurus Rexes could beat 100,000 zombies in combat, whether 1,000 U.S. Marines circa WWII could defeat 20,000 Spartans, and whether 300 Jedi could defeat 60,000 medieval footmen. Well, a game called Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator lets you find out.

As you can see, that video runs over 28 minutes long. Yet it's somehow racked up three-quarters of a million views. What's more shocking is that YouTube is now lousy with UEBS videos (see here and here) ranging from several minutes to a half-hour, pitting Romans, Spartans, Jedi, penguins, tortoises, Chuck Norrises, Tyrannosaurus Rexes, zombies and more against each other in mass combat.

We're not posting these because these videos are good. We're more just showing you that this bizarre phenomenon exists. And that we design blogs are competing with them for internet eyeballs. And that we are not the Chuck Norris in this equation.

Recycled Wood Bench + DeWalt Giveaway

Jimmy DiResta comes up with an unusual design for a bench using some unexpected materials. And check out the way he connects the legs to the seat:

As for the DeWalt giveaway, click here to learn more.

Sturdy Shelves

Matthias Wandel repurposes a rickety existing shelf storage unit, redesigning the components to make it stable and usable:

DIY Fold-Flat Plywood Stool

Izzy Swan comes up with a very clever design for a sturdy stool that breaks down flat:

Upgrade Your Bandsaw's Bearings

The Wood Whisperer has bandsaw guru and Carter Products rep Alex Snodgrass in for a visit. Snodgrass shows you how to install Carter's intelligently-designed guides onto your bandsaw, and explains why they perform better than standard bearings:

A Hidden UX Benefit to Using Ultralight Plywood

A recent convert to Moreland Company's Ultralight Plywood, Ron Paulk discovers a hidden benefit that anyone who works with wood will appreciate:

Reviewing a Modular Tool Vest

Ron Paulk gives you his review of Atlas46's modular tool vest:

Making a Tool Wall

Linn from Darbin Orvar gets her shop organized by creating wall storage for all of her hand tools:

Champagne Sprinkler

Laura Kampf has a bit of creative fun here, with guest appearances from Jimmy DiResta and Giaco Whatever:

DIY Plywood Bed

HomeMade Modern's new team member, designer Jamie Guan, makes a bed frame out of plywood:

Castlewood Apparel seeks a highly motivated, engaged Mens Activewear Designer who will utilize their experience and market knowledge to create original and innovate designs true to the aesthetic of the Asics, Avia, Prince & Etonic brands, presenting key commercial aspects to the buyers while working closely with merchandising teams to maintain freshness to the in-store product offer for the specialty retail stores

U.S. healthcare is a divisive topic. We Americans can agree that our system could be a lot better, but we can't agree on how to effect changes.

Paradoxically, this will improve the design of overseas hospitals. Not just the way that they operate, but their very design. As for the first part, an acquaintance of mine named Peggy, an American expat living overseas, recounted this:

I was reading about healthcare in the US vs. in other countries, and was reminded of the time when [my husband] and I both came down with a cold while we were vacationing in Thailand a few years ago. We went to the international hospital there, where we were given intake forms at a desk that was like those you see at fancy banks.

The lobby of the hospital we had gone to was like at a five-star hotel, no kidding. It took about 30 minutes to see the doctor, and he gave us a prescription, which we filled at the pharmacy on the first floor. It took about maybe 1-1.5 hours total (I don't remember, exactly), and the total cost, including the meds, was $45.

When I exclaimed how ridiculously cheap this was, my Thai friend laughed and told me that this was "expensive," because this was a hospital for the rich and for foreign tourists (many people do go there for medical tourism). Most Thai people go to regular hospitals that would have charged $1.

This is the hospital she went to:

You cannot help but notice that Bumrungrad Hospital, which is billed as the world's number one international private hospital, is designed to look like a resort. The public areas are pleasant, bordering on luxurious. Contrast that with the interiors of any other U.S. hospital you've been inside of. Ask yourself which you'd rather visit and spend time in.

Not to mention the medical care costs a fraction--as low as 1/8th--of what it costs in the 'States. This 60 Minutes segment on Bumrungrad shows the average patient's UX, touches on the design of the environment and covers the brilliance of Bumrungrad's business model:

As they mention at the end of the segment, other hospitals around the world have taken note of Bumrungrad's success. If the American healthcare system remains in its current state--or heaven forbid, worsens--overseas medical tourism will only increase. And we're going to see more hospitals designed to look like 5-star resorts.

BioLite may be an American company, but their workforce would be at home in Holland: More than half of the company's employees commute to work by bicycle. Thus they've created the BioLite Cyclist Light Kit, a diminutive and handy accessory that they're now selling in a 2-pack:

I'm digging that it doubles as a backup charger. And in addition to its obvious utility for cyclists, I'm thinking this would be a handy thing for motorists to have in the glove compartment too.

Being passionate about vehicles and aircraft, I came up with an idea to mix something from both worlds. After some research, a final vision for my concept emerged—I call it "Fuselage Truck". This truck was designed with the video game/entertainment industry in mind.

The idea of cars that can fly has been around since at least 1940 when Henry Ford said flying cars were on the way. What he didn't know was that it would take until now for one to get beyond the prototype stage and go into production.

AeroMobil 4.0

If Slovakian company AeroMobil is correct, that barrier will be broken when its model 4.0 flying car goes into production later this year. With space for a driver and one passenger, it will be capable of speeds up to 100 mph on the ground and 240 mph in the air. It's expected to sell for about $1.5M.

As with most designs for flying cars, the AeroMobil 4.0 has wings that fold out from the body for flying and back into the body for driving. 

The vehicle is 19' 4" long and 7' 3" when configured for driving, which gives it about the same footprint as a midsize pickup truck. It's 28' 11" wide when the wings are extended for flying.

Power train and suspension.

The AeroMobil is hybrid electric on the ground and gasoline-powered in the air. In ground mode, the gasoline engine drives a generator that powers the electric motors that turn the wheels. In flight, engine power is conveyed to the rear-mounted propeller by a custom-made transmission.

While there is little doubt the AeroMobil 4.0 can be made street legal for driving, it has yet to be approved for flight in the U.S. 

AeroMobil is just one of several companies currently developing flying cars. Terrafugia is developing the Transition, a flying car with wings that fold vertically against the side of the vehicle. Like the Aeromobil 4.0, the propeller driven Transition requires a landing strip.

German-based Lilium is testing an electrically powered jet capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). 

Uber says it will begin testing autonomous VTOLs in 2020. The VTOL design makes sense because it allows the vehicle to take off and land almost anywhere—as opposed to having to drive to and from an airstrip. Autonomous control makes sense because there aren't enough trained pilots to fly the number of vehicles required for an Uber-like service.

Developing the technology needed for flying cars is only part of the challenge. It will be equally difficult to get FAA approval to fly them into airports or onto city streets. Given how long it took the FAA to create a regulatory framework for small UAVs (drones) I would not hold my breath while waiting for rules to be issued for cars that can fly.

One of the flying cars currently under development may become the first commercially produced vehicle of its kind.  But it won't be the first flying car. That distinction belongs to the Moulton Taylor Aerocar, a roadable aircraft designed in the 1940s and certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in 1956. 

Only 6 were ever built because the inventor was unable to come up with the 500 orders needed to go into production. It will be interesting to see how many (or if any) of the current crop of flying cars are actually produced.

As per usual, last night's episode of "Game of Thrones" was so visually dark that you couldn't see how much work the set designers put in. An example:

Here's another. It's so dark in this scene that you can't even tell there's a guard standing behind Jon Snow and Ser Davos:

You just know that the extra who played the guard told all of his friends and family to watch the show, then it aired and he was like "Goddammit."

So here's some things you may have caught and some you may have missed. This week's episode started off on Dragonstone, where we now see why the castle's throne was presumably sculpted from indigenous rock on-site:

Because there's no way that they made it someplace else and then humped it up that crazy Great-Wall-of-China staircase. There doesn't exactly seem to be a service entrance with freight.

As for Dragonstone's throne itself, it doesn't appear to be very comfortable.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. This thing gives me lumbar AND popliteal support."

In contrast, the Iron Throne Cersei sits on in the Red Keep has an ergonomic advantage I'd not noticed before: Armrests!

Well, maybe not proper armrests, but the throne's original designer has at least placed the pommel of a sword on one side, so that stressed-out throne-sitters can squeeze it like a stress ball.

As for the Red Keep's throne room, it's much the same as last we saw it, but this time we can see they lay protective carpet down over the marble if a horse is going to walk on it. Probably a clause in the Lannister's liability insurance agreement.

Inside the Red Keep we get a better look at Jaime's golden hand. And we realize what a terrible materials choice heavy gold is for a prosthetic hand. I guarantee you his right elbow is killing him.

Cersei meets with a bank representative. And not only is she drinking during the meeting, she's got two glasses for herself and none for the banker. She's a lush and she's selfish!

The stemware is fee-yancy.

Over on the high seas, we can see that Westeros does not have life preservers, but makes do with regular rope.

"I shouldn't have shampooed my hair this morning. That was kind of a waste"

Over at the Citadel, Maester Nay-Say inspects Ser Jorah with this interesting telescoping device.

"I'm not going to lie. You look really, really gross."

The Maester's also got an interesting object in his study, behind him and to the right. I can't decide if it's a laundry rack, a loom or something you hang periodicals on.

Oh, I forgot to mention: Back at the Red Keep we got a better look at The Mountain's whimsical helmet-mask. It's kind of like Celtic Darth Vader with a Mohawk.

I thought it was similar to the other Lannisters' helmet-masks, but in the medium shots you can see they're kind of inconsistent.

This is a shot of the Lannister army marching on Highgarden, by the way. From this vantage point it's not obvious what they're doing…

…but from this perspective, you can see that they've designed their formation to look like a Space Invader, in order to sow terror.

Inside Olenna Tyrell's chambers we see she's got the most pimpish interior design feature of anyone's crib in Westeros: Wall-to-wall carpeting!

She's also got two of these enormous China-hutch cabinet-thingies in the corners. I do wonder what she stores in there.

Jaime, miffed that he's given a chair without armrests, storms out of their meeting.

"Do you know how heavy this freaking hand is?"

Some other random things I noticed this episode. First off, this is how you vault a bridge that projects outwards at an angle to its foundation.

The eco-friendly Unsullied storm Casterly Rock using bamboo ladders. They're sturdy and sustainable.

It's presumably freezing up at Winterfell, but their armor makers like to work out-of-doors.

The dragon mural in Daenarys' war room is pretty bad-ass.

Lastly, Dragonstone apparently has a long, winding back stairs too, where Danaerys asks Jon to meet her.

Jon: "Couldn't we just have met upstairs?"

Jon: "That trip was so long and precarious I feel like I should have a freaking GoPro on my head."

Daenarys: "It's not even that chilly out here. You look like you're wearing, like, an entire bear."

Jon: "I get cold easily. May I ask you a question…"

"…why is your hair so complicated?"

You've created a seamless design—structurally sound, sufficiently thick, and mindful of overhangs. However, you get your part back to find out that it's not printable!

Many of the errors we see stem from how the digital model was created and often the main problems come down to whether the design was modeled using solid bodies or surfaces.

If you're using a program like SketchUp that uses surface modeling, it can be tricky to make your 3D model printable, so I'm going to walk you through a few of the most common errors and show you how to fix them.

How to Check Your Models

First download netfabb Basic, a free program you can use to quickly verify designs.

In netfabb, you can identify watertightness issues, spot surface tessellation, and apply auto-repair, so this is an excellent tool to help you check your models for any errors.

3 Common Issues + Solutions

Issue #1: Zero Wall Thickness

With surface modeling, parts sometimes have walls that are infinitesimally thin. While they appear in the digital rendering, they can't actually be printed and would not be present in the physical model.

Solution: Make sure every surface is enclosed so that the part is "watertight," meaning the part won't leak if theoretically filled with water. Also make sure the edges of each surface are connected—each edge should have 2 adjacent surfaces, no more, no less.

It's best to go back to your CAD model and remove any free ends or extend it so that it connects with another free end.

You can also do this automatically in netfabb by clicking on the red plus-sign at the top to extend some ends for you. Then follow the steps to repair.

For more detailed instructions, here's a video that goes through the common watertightness issues and shows you how to fix them:

The key takeaway here is to make sure all the surfaces are closed. And even if the surfaces appear closed and you are still having issues, go back through the design flow to double check!

Issue #2: Tessellation

While a contour may appear smooth in the CAD, depending on approximation settings, the surface might actually be approximated.

Let's compare two designs side by side in netfabb:

The cylinder on the left has some tessellation, so during print the surface might not appear as smooth. The cylinder on the right is much smoother.

(Note that for actual printing, make sure to separate the parts into different files. These two files are combined just for side-by-side comparison!)

Solution: In SketchUp, if you select <view> then check <hidden geometry>, you can see the approximation occurring for the curve. Change the number of segments on the curved surface to better approximate the contours.

Going back to SketchUp, we can see how these cylinders were designed:

The cylinder on the left has 12 segments, while that on the right has 24.

In SketchUp, you will need to change the number of segments on a surface before any extruding or push/pull. To do so, draw the curve, then type "24s" for 24 segments, or "20s" for 20 segments.

When printing in lower resolution FDM, the surfacing issues might not be as apparent and thus might not matter as much. It will matter however when printing in high resolution materials such as VeroWhite, where the tessellations are something you should be aware of!

Issue #3: Scaling

Many architects or industrial designers working on larger products design life-size models but wish to scale down their parts for a scaled-model. It's a great idea not only for proof of concept, but also for lower material costs or high resolution showcase work.

However, in scaling down, some features become too thin and are no longer printable.

Solution: Make sure to calculate required thicknesses for scaling! Thicken your features by such amount that once the part is scaled down, the walls meet our Minimum Wall Thickness criteria.

You can easily scale in netfabb by going to the toolbar at the top and selecting <part> <scale>, then entering the desired scaling. Once scaled, you can double check that there are no file errors due to scaling.

Use the measure tool to take another look at wall thicknesses if scaling down. If scaling up, just make sure that the dimensions fit on our build beds!

Here's a video that walks you through the steps in more detail:

Main Takeaways

If you ever upload a file on Fictiv and we ask you to clean it up for printability, check one of these issues, as they are the most common in surface modeling.

The designs in most cases can definitely be printed, it's just a matter of making sure each facet is completely defined so that going the design undergoes a seamless transformation from digital to physical.

___________________

This post is provided by Fictiv, the most efficient manufacturing platform for fabricating parts. Powered by a distributed network of highly vetted vendors, the online interface makes it easy for customers to get instant quotes, review manufacturing feedback, and manage orders—all through a single service.

Senior Interaction Designer - User Experience About GoPro GoPro, Inc. is transforming the way people capture and share their lives. What began as an idea to help athletes self-document themselves engaged in sports has become a mobile storytelling solution that helps the world share itself

Earlier this year, Makita announced a jigsaw-like alternative to the recip saws and spiral cutout tools typically used to cut holes in walls and ceilings. Unlike earlier tools, the Cordless Cutout Saw is easy to control, captures cutting dust, and can be set to just barely cut through the surface.

Shown here without the battery.

The XDS01Z looks like someone took a d-handle jigsaw and bent the grip away from the base at a 45-degree angle. It's configured this way to make it to work overhead, though it can also be used to cut into walls.

Cutting acoustic tile and collecting dust with a cordless packpack vac—but any vac would work.

The blade is enclosed within a clear plastic dust box that can be connected to a dust-collecting vacuum. When cutting overhead, there is the option work without a vacuum by covering the hose port with a cap and letting gravity carry dust into the box. Obviously, more dust will be collected when the tool is connected to a vac.

Depth of cut settings (in mm) are marked on the blade.

The Cordless Cutout Saw takes proprietary blades that are short with a curved end that resembles the blade of the plunge-cutting handsaws sometimes used to cut into existing wood floors. With teeth on the end and either edge of the blade it can plunge straight into the work and cut in either direction. 

Blades are currently available for cuts up to 1 3/16" deep in drywall (two layers of 5/8" material) and up to 9/16" in wood. It will also accept three segments of an 18mm snap-off blade, which will work for cutting drywall and acoustic tile. Toothed blades are necessary for wood.

A pair of set screws holds the blade in place and allows it to be adjusted up or down so that it barely penetrates the material. As a result, the operator need not worry about hitting framing, wiring, or plumbing inside the wall or ceiling. The same is true of spiral cutout saws but they can be difficult to control during freehand cutting and their dust-collection setups are awkward at best.

A variable speed 18-volt tool, the Makita saw cuts 0-6,000 strokes per minute and is said to cut up to 984 feet of 1/2-inch drywall per charge with a 4.0-Ah battery. It's equipped with a battery gauge, non-marring base, and a pair of LED lights to illuminate the cutline. 

The Makita Cordless Cutout Saw is a niche product and will not appeal to everyone. But it would be a great help to anyone who regularly cuts into walls and ceilings in occupied buildings, or any other place where it's necessary to minimize the spread of dust.

Proving design is truly a universal language, the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®) 2017—hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)—attracted hundreds of entries from 54 countries on six continents. Top winners and the 64 Bronze winners are revealed. Which 25 designs won Gold—and which 52 designs won Silver—will be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Atlanta. The IDEA Ceremony will be free and open to the public at The Rich Theatre. It will be followed by a black-tie optional, ticketed, Samsung-sponsored Gala at the High Museum of Art. Both venues are part of The Woodruff Arts Center. Through Aug. 11, the public can vote online for the People's Choice Award winner.

Fireball: 2017 Sports, Leisure & Recreation Top Winner

Google Home: 2017 Consumer Technology Top Winner

"IDSA IDEA 2017 winners demonstrate how designers are able to capture what's invisible to others and inspire beauty through the smallest of details within the simplest of artifacts," says IDEA 2017 Jury Chair Owen Foster, IDSA, of SHiFT Design Camp and Aether Global Learning. "Winners go beyond the tangible that we are so accustomed to seeing—to cultivate amazing, holistic ecosystems." Foster led more than two dozen design experts from around the world in judging 20 categories covering products, brands, experiences, strategies and more. Onsite jurying was held in May at the newly-renamed Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, MI.

Jamboard: 2017 Consumer Technology Top Winner

Real Rain: 2017 Home & Bath Top Winner

From an instant digital printing camera to an illuminating way to support sick children; a 3D-printed humidifier to a smart and ecofriendly indoor sprinkler system; a children's 360° underwater video camera to next generation identity trackers; a hotel room service app to a floating city—innovations abound in the latest winners submitted by design firms, corporations, universities and more. IDEA 2017 entries come from Australia to Austria, Belarus to Brazil, Chile to China and from countries including Croatia, Estonia, India, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Vatican City State.

Scooter for Life: 2017 Automotive & Transportation Top Winner

Microsoft Surface Dial: 2017 Digital Interaction Top Winner

In addition to People's Choice, several other special awards will be announced on Aug. 19 including Best in Show, Curator's Choice, Jury Chair—and new this year—the Plastics Innovation Award from the Plastics Industry Association.

The Ceremony and Gala will follow IDSA's International Design Conference 2017: Design IS Business, scheduled Aug. 16–19 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis; conference registration is open online through Aug. 7. Follow the excitement on #IDSAIDEA #IDSA17Atlanta on Facebook, LinkedIn, @IDSA on Twitter and @IDSAdesign on Instagram. To schedule press coverage, contact media@idsa.org. For more information on limited sponsorship opportunities, email sales@idsa.org.

In this video, see how many of the best designs in the world have been honored over the years at the IDEA Ceremony and Gala—held at landmark design venues across the country.

We native New Yorkers know that the best view of Manhattan is not from the Brooklyn Promenade, which only shows you downtown. The best view is from the Kosciuszko Bridge, which gives you a lengthwise view of the entire skyline. (It's the shot they use in the opening credits of the original "Law & Order.")

Alas, the venerable and un-spell-able Kosciuszko (locally pronounced kuh-SHOO-sko) has aged out, being from the 1930s. It's being replaced with two new spans, one of which has already been erected.

This raised the problem of how to get rid of the old span. Painstakingly dismantling it piece-by-piece would take forever. The alternative would be to dynamite the thing over the Newtown Creek, which would be an ecological disaster.

Instead, last week the city pulled off something clever: They cut key parts of the bridge, separating the span, and mechanically lowered it onto a barge waiting below. Here's how they did it:

Writes NYC-based UrbanTech Consulting Engineering, the "Engineer of Record" for the design of the strand jack lowering system you saw in the video:

Eight 500-t strand jacks worked in sync, lowered the 2400-ton main span of the 80 years old Kosciuszko Bridge in nine long hours. The entire operation was completed smoothly without a single glitch. Team of ironworkers from Queens and Brooklyn worked together with the management and engineering team of Skanska Kiewit and Ecco III, JV (SKE) for the past eight months in preparation for this moment. UrbanTech is proud to be part of this team.

The old span was shipped to New Jersey, where it will be recycled.