Mechanical Design Forum Blog

2011-10-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

Important announcement - MDF 2.0

Dear Forum Members,

Over the next few days we will upgrade the forum software to the industry leading platform "vBulletin". The Mechanical Design Forum will be temporarily offline for possibly a day or two hours whilst this is happening.

When we're back you'll notice some big changes around here. The Mechanical Design Forum will be a far superior website. It will have a much better user interface, member blogs, some nice social network integration, lots of great features.

Important: What you'll need to do:

It's very simple - when we're back you'll receive an email from us asking you to reset your password. Just follow the link in the email - the rest is very simple.

We look forward to seeing you in MDF v2.0.

Best regards,
MDF Management

Win a SpaceExplorer professional 3D mouse and more!

2011-04-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Forum members,

We are pleased to announce a new Mechanical Design Forum prize draw!
We have 9 fantastic prizes to give away, and it's really simple to be entered! Enter by the 20 May 2011!*

The prizes:

1) The star prize: A SpaceExplorer professional 3D mouse (sponsored by 3Dconnexion) (SRP £199 / 299 € / $299)
2) How Do They Do It? (volume 1) [DVD]
3) Deconstructing Product Design: Exploring the Form, Function, Usability, Sustainability, and Commercial Success of 100 Amazing Products [BOOK]
4) Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design [BOOK]
5) This Is the Part Where You Pretend to Add Value: A Dilbert Book [BOOK]
6) Modern Marvels - Engineering Disasters [DVD]
7) It Looked Good on Paper: Bizarre Inventions, Design Disasters, and Engineering Follies [BOOK]
8) 1001 Inventions That Changed the World [BOOK]
9) Why Didn't I Think of That?: 101 Inventions That Changed the World by Hardly Trying [BOOK]

HOW TO ENTER:

1) "Like" us on Facebook by visiting Mechanical Design Forum Facebook page.
2) Email us to tell that you've followed us. Please confirm your name and forum username in the email.

Please note that those of you that already like us on Facebook are eligible, and will simply need to email us too to be included in the draw.

Thanks once again to our sponsor, 3Dconnexion for providing the star prize!!

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*Prize draw terms and conditions:
1. Entries must be via email and in accordance with "How to Enter" section of the draw, and entry into the draw implies acceptance of these conditions
2. All entries must be received by 20 May 2011.
3. The prizes will be awarded to the first 9 entries picked at random on or before 22 May 2011.
4. The prizes must be accepted as offered; there is no cash alternative.
5. Winners will be notified by email by 28 May 2011.
6. Prizes 2 to 9 will be posted from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk directly to the winners. The Mechanical Design Forum will not be held responsible for the loss of prizes during shipment. Prize 1 will be provided and shipped by 3Dconnexion.
7. Details of winners (Mechanical Design Forum username and county) will be posted in this thread shortly after the draw.

New! Social network icons in your profile

2011-02-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

New! add social network icons to your profile on the Mechanical Design Forum. I hope you like this improvement.

Add your Skype, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts for all to see - they'll appear right next to your posts!

All you need to do is update your profile with your social network details and the relevant icons will appear in your profile and in the mini-profile that appears next to posts (pictured above).

Mechanical Design Directory - 50% off Standard Listing

2011-02-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce another opportunity to get a fantastic discount on the
Mechanical Design Directory.

Mechanical Design Forum members can enjoy 50% off a Standard Listing until the end of the month*.

CLICK HERE for more details about the offer.

CLICK HERE to see the Mecanical Design Directory listing options.

*Offer expires 28th Feb 2011

Mechanical Design Directory launch

2011-01-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the launch of a sister site to the Mechanical Design Forum: the Mechanical Design Directory . It is intended to be an invaluable resource for mechanical design engineers!

The Mechanical Design Directory aims to provide:
• A comprehensive directory of mechanical design consultants.
• A comprehensive directory of manufacturers
• A comprehensive directory of tools & resources for mechanical design engineers.

Please check out the directory. We hope you like what you see - please let us know what you think. We hope you will also return to it when you need to find something!

Get listed in the Mechanical Design Directory
If you’d like to advertise your products or services in the directory, rates are very reasonable. Even better, fantastic discounts are available to Mechanical Design Forum members. Members can get a FREE Standard Listing (worth £5.99), or have 40% off the Premium Listing package (these offers end 31st Jan, so be quick if you’d like to take advantage). Click here to get the discount codes.

Mechanical Design Forum welcomes its 900th member!

2011-01-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

Mechanical Design Forum welcomed its 900th member! We expect to have 1000 members in the next couple of months. When this happens we'll hold a celebratory prize draw for Forum members. We'll keep you posted!

Forum Makeover!

2010-04-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a spot of redecorating here this weekend :D I hope you all like the changes I've made. Please tell us what you think here and do please let me know if you have any problems or find any bugs. Below is a summary of the makeover:

1) New, more cheerful forum logo that doesn't take up half the page!
2) New toolbar in the header - you'll never get lost in the forum again! The toolbar gives instant access to "hot topics", "what's new?" (I.E. New postings), and a few other things including hotlinks to our LinkedIn group, Twitter and Blogger.
3) The entire forum has been widened slightly. Wider images can now be posted (max 700px wide)
4) A new favicon - a nice friendly "M" for "Mechaical Design Forum" (the little icon that appears in your browser bar). This has replaced original wacky, incomprehensible one.
5) Forum rules now written. Please read them!
6) An "About" page (accessible from the toolbar).
7) I've tidied up the header and got rid of some useless tools/links that nobody would ever use.

Win a SpaceNavigator 3D mouse!!

2010-02-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

THIS PRIZE DRAW IS NOW CLOSED!

The Mechanical Design Forum is now 6 months old! To celebrate this here’s your chance to win a SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse from our friends at 3Dconnexion!

To enter the prize draw all you need to do is write at least 3 meaningful posts in the Mechanical Design Forum (www.mechanicaldesignforum.com) between now and the 19th March! Please click here for more info and the full terms & conditions.

A 3D mouse is perfect for 3D CAD! Redefine the way you work with 3D applications. Pan, zoom and rotate as if you’re holding the model in your hand or fly like a helicopter through three-dimensional worlds. It’s a level of control that’s simply not possible with a traditional mouse and keyboard. Whether you’re creating dazzling 3D models or exploring virtual worlds, SpaceNavigator’s superior navigation experience sets your imagination free!

You can find out more info in the SpaceNavigator 3D mouse (worth £99 ex VAT) at the 3Dconnexion website: www.3Dconnexion.com

Happy posting and good luck!

Prize draw sponsored by 3Dconnexion

Amazing robots

2010-01-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

We have a popular thread about robots on the Mechanical Design Forum. Please visit it here:

Below are some of the highlights from that thread. There are some really incredible things out there!

1) Snake robot (Hirosi Fukushima Robotics lab, Japan)

Here is a link to an amazing video of this robot in action.

2) Big Dog (developed by Boston Dynamics)

Developed by the military, this robot is designed in terrain that's too rough for conventional vehicles. Watch the video below and read more about Big Dog on Wikipedia. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BigDog

3) Real terminator robots of the future
A video with a mixture of science-fiction and science-fact. The boundaries between the two certainly seem to be blurring!

4) Monkey brain control
Not technically a robot as it's a cyborg, this amazing video shows that a monkey can control a cursor on a screen by the power of thought alone:

Please visit this thread for more amazing robots. If you've come across any other interesting robot videos, images, news articles etc, please contribute to the thread and share them with us!

We’ve got 200 Members! …and other news

2009-12-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

200 MEMBERS!

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve now got 200 members. The great thing is that they’re all genuine because I’ve ruthlessly deleted the accounts of all the bots, spammers, Viagra salesmen and general nuisances who constantly invade the forum!

Things are looking pretty vibrant these days – with 203 members, 185 topics and 541 total posts. It’s really great to see that so many members are keen to share knowledge (I’ve highlighted a few interesting topics below). It’s also wonderful to see that we’ve got some regulars (hi to Pete and mvalenti especially). We’re also averaging almost 5000 page views per week, which makes me think that I’ll be upgrading the forum hosting package soon for the extra bandwidth.

NEW: THE NEWS FORUM

The Mechanical Design NEWS! section is a new forum section (thanks to matt_decat for the suggestion). Please use this section to post interesting articles that are relevant to the subject of mechanical engineering / product design / industrial design.

QUESTIONS THAT REALLY NEED AN ANSWER – PLEASE HELP!!!
It must be a bit frustrating for some members if they post a question and nobody answers it. Therefore, here’s a few that haven’t been answered yet. Perhaps you can offer an answer…

• Can anyone help Pete source an 8000N In-line Linear Actuator?
• Wizardofid wants to know about die casting a pressure pot
• Cyberking asks “Are there any jobs in China for British mechanical designers?”
• MechEngineer wants to know how to Calculate CREEP of a material
• sachin.akp wants to know if “Link shape will matter for torque transmission”
• martindetuede wants to know about Mechanical improvement during rowing

INTERESTING FORUM SECTIONS / TOPICS
Thanks to all the members who have posted some great material on the forum. Here are some links to one or two areas of the forum that you may find of interest:

* The Leisure Lounge – An ever-popular part of the forum. Indeed, the only internet pub for mechanical design engineers. Why not drop in for a beer?

* there is a great thread on robotics here
* An interesting article on Conformal Cooling For Injection Molding Application
* Some really useful links to good anthropometric data here:
* Show off your mechanical design work. I have added some examples of my own work in this new section. Please share pics and details of your own work too!

FINALLY - Tell us what you think!
Please use this thread to tell us what you think about the Mechanical Design Forum. Don’t be shy - I really value your feedback. After all, this is YOUR community, so I want everyone to feel entitled to have an input on how it’s run.

We've reached 100 members!

2009-10-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a quck newsletter of how things are going at the Mechanical Design Forum...

WE'VE REACHED 100 MEMBERS!
Firstly, I'm pleased to announce that we've exceeded 100 members - actually at the time of writing, it's 110 members to be precise! The Mechanical Design Forum officially started just over 8 weeks ago, so we're averaging 14 new members a week right now. I'm also pleased to inform you that all forum members are 100% genuine - I have gone to great lengths to filter out the hundreds of spam-artists that artificially boost membership of many forums.

NEW FORUM SECTIONS
Here are a few special sections of the forum that you may find of interest. Some have been around for a while, some are relatively new, and some have been suggested by forum members.

* Manufacturers of mechanical parts - Use this part of the forum to recommend & discuss suppliers/manufacturers for mechanical components anywhere in the world.
* The legal and IP section - discuss patenting or any legal aspect of mechanical/product design.
* Employment opportunities - Please use this section to advertise if you're looking for work, or to post positions that are available.
* The Leisure Lounge (Off topic) - A popular part of the forum. Think of it as a pub for mechanical designers. Anything goes here!
* 3D rendering gallery - This is one of the most popular parts of the forum. Please use this section to show off your best work.

Got an idea for a forum topic? Please post your ideas here
A bit thank you to members stewlenox and Pete for their suggestions so far

QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING!!!
Here are a few threads that have so far gone unanswered. Can you help with any of the following?
* Kenny82 need some help finding Adhesive backed washers
* josetorero wants to know How to calculate an agitated vessel?
* Peteneeds info on Anti-Microbial Coatings
* Wizardofid wants to know about die casting a pressure pot
* Kenny82 asks "Will India be the next China for manufacturing?"

FINALLY - Tell us what you think!
Please use this thread to tell us what you think about the Mechanical Design Forum. What can we do to make this a better or more successful place? Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated.

3D CAD rendering gallery - show us what you've got!

2009-08-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

A new exciting part of the forum is the 3D Rendering Gallery. Please post examples of your 3D renderings in this area. I hope that soon we can kick off an official "Mechanical Design Forum" 3D rendering competition where somebody will get voted "3D Rendering King" and receive a nifty prize! Watch this space for more info.

Above is a great example of a 3D rendering by forum member swschultz (Scott Schultz from 3D Relief Inc). You can see the rest of Scott's gallery here.

New avatar gallery

2009-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Please find some time to update your profile with some interesting details about yourself. Why not personalise your profile with an avatar of your choice? There's a new gallery on the forum you can choose from (some examples are pictured). Just go to your User Control Panel > Profile to edit your profile and update your avatar.

Or why not go totally crazy and create your own! The maximum avatar size permitted is 100 x 100 pixels.

Suggest a "Mechanical Design Forum" topic!

2009-08-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

The forum structure & topics have been designed to cover as many areas within the "mechanical design" sphere as possible. However, I'm sure there's some areas that have been missed.

If you're browsing the forums and want to contribute, but can't seem to find the best area to start a discussion, please let us know. Maybe we can create an area of the forum devoted what you're interested in discussing.

The place to go to make your suggestion is within the "Help & Info" forum. There's a sub-forum entitled "Suggest a forum topic". Here's a link directly to that area.

Let's talk patents and legal stuff

2009-08-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

A new "Patent" section has been added to the Mechanical Design Forum under the category of "The Legal & IP section".

Please drop by to discuss any aspect of this complex topic. Please ask or answer questions - or even just share your own valuable knowledge by perhaps writing a "how to" guide. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated, and would be a fantastic resource within our ever-growing community of mechanical design engineers.

Calling all industrial designers!

2009-07-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

A new section has been added to the Mechanical Design Forum specially for the discussion of industrial design.

In many industry sectors industrial design is a vital part of the design process. The appearance of a product or mechanical assembly can be critical, particularly in the consumer products industry. Obviously this discipline is closely tied with mechanical design. Many mechanical designers during their careers will work with industrial designers. Many mechanical designers ARE also industrial designers (or have experience in this area) - you know who I'm talking to, you product designers!

Therefore I would like to encourage discussion on industrial design in this new part of the forum. I would also like to encourage industrial designers & product designers to sign up to the mechanical design forum. You will be more than welcome!

Please can some more people sign up?

2009-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well the Mechanical Design Forum's been going for 2-3 weeks and we're up to a whopping 12 members (including myself)! Please, please can some more people sign up??

I'm making a few changes to improve the forum and to also increase it's vibility in search engines. These are as follows:

I will re-create the forum in it's official www.mechanicaldesignforum.com webspace instead of using the redirect to the "freeforums" hosting that it currently is.

The homepage www.mechanicaldesignforum.com will be an HTML page with a general blurb about the forum and a link to the actual forum which will be sited at www.mechanicaldesignforum.com/forum, if you get the idea.

All this should hopefully get us a better Google ranking and allow better overall flexibility & self-sufficiency.

...oh and please ask all your friends to become members of www.mechanicaldesignforum.com!

Welcome to the Mechanical Design Forum BLOG!

2009-07-11T04:33:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the first post of the mechanical design forum blog. This blog is intended to be a companion to the forum in that I can keep you posted on any important announcements and developments concerning it.

I also intend to use the blog to draw your attention to interesting areas of discussion & debate on the forum.

That's about it for now, folks! Below is some general blurb about what the mechanical design forum is all about

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The Mechanical Design Forum is the online community for Mechanical Design Engineers

Please sign up to discuss any aspect of mechanical design. Here are a few examples of the current topics being discussed:

Manufacturing processes (injection molding sheet metal, machining etc)
DFA (Design for assembly)
Mechanical Design Jobs - in the UK, US, Europe, Asia
2D CAD / 3D CAD
Thermal management
Industrial DesignLegal issues - design patents
Mechanical design jobs!

Please sign up to join in the discussion and to build a network of useful contacts & information sources.

Do you need a help with a mechanical design problem? Sign up at the Mechanical Design Forum where you can get advice from fellow members.

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