Our design firm is full of engineers that spend a lot of their time doing simulations for clients and we love everything sci-fi. I just happened across a video that mixes these two of these things, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Star Wars ships. A YouTube channel, EC Henry did an aerodynamic analysis of all […]
Clients are talking more and more with us about their digital ecosystem. Specifically how their new product development plans fit into their new digital ecosystem. We have seen enough interest that it felt like time to have a more in depth discussion. Garner’s classic definition of a digital ecosystem is, “an interdependent group of actors […]
Here at Northern Lights Solutions, we use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) nearly every day to develop better products faster. We hardly take a moment to think about the history of FEA and how it became such a vital tool to today’s engineers so we decided to do a little homework and here is what we […]
We have been doing a lot of simulation lately and we are now following the initial simulation up with physical testing of initial production parts. Seeing the simulation proven out right or wrong and what that means and what we learn from those experiences is always interesting. So it seems like time to discuss what […]
For a design engineer, one of the greatest rewards of the job is to take an idea from concept and create a functioning end-product. It’s so rewarding because the path to get there is typically long with sometimes unforeseen obstacles along the way. One method to ease the process is building a prototype. On the […]
For engineers, the success of a project may be determined through several factors. Each one needs to be weighed and balanced for the particular application. For example, the design of a given component must take into account the manufacturing cost, complexity, function, and environmental impact of the part. Naturally, an engineer’s expertise can assist in […]
In today’s connected world, it’s become unavoidable for people to constantly stay in communication. In industry, it’s no different. Via machine to machine (M2M) communication and the internet, equipment and processes can be constantly monitored and controlled from anywhere. From machinery in a factory, to construction equipment in the field, to marine craft in the middle […]
For a design engineer, the ability to use MCAD (mechanical computer aided design) is one of his greatest assets. Using CAD, engineering teams can collaborate to create, edit, view, and share their designs. Traditionally, CAD programs such as SolidWorks, Creo, and Autodesk must be downloaded, configured, and installed in order to operate. Recently, a new CAD […]
Since everything is made out of something, so we thought it a perfect time for a quick discussion about material characteristics. “Inventing is the mixing of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need.” – Charles Kettering Four Material Characteristics Stiffness/elasticity concerns the lengthening or shortening of a material under loading. […]
A paper just published in Nature by Hansoo Kim from the University of Science and Technology in South Korea demonstrates that by manipulating the structure of steel on a nano-meter scale, you can create a new steel alloy that is stronger and lighter than titanium but at a tenth the cost. It has been a […]