As more goods get shipped around the world, Loadhog is redesigning transit packaging for sustainability. Emilie Eisenberg learns more about the company’s focus on greener, more ergonomic alternatives In goods transportation, the pressure is on for manufacturers to ship in as environmentally friendly way as possible, while delivering products free from damage in easy to handle containers. Experts in goods handling Loadhog has been making specialist transit packaging since 2023, moving stock for brands like Sky, the NHS and Pets at Home. Investing in a 3D printer from SYS Systems has allowed Loa ..read more

With 2024 predicted to be the ‘Year of AI’, Autodesk’s State of Design & Make Report finds designers and engineers feeling positive about the technology and confident about harnessing its powers, writes Stephen Hooper Autodesk’s annual State of Design & Make report has just been released and contains a lot of good news. Increasing adoption and growing trust in artificial intelligence (AI), tied to confidence in resilience and optimism across design and make industries are the top findings. These are based on surveys and interviews of 5,399 global business leaders, futurists and experts ..read more

Finding a way to document and market very expensive products without compromising on security is easier said than done. Emilie Eisenberg hears how Taiga Motors turned to software platform Zea for help For electric powersport company Taiga Motors, creating a comprehensive parts catalogue was the natural next step in its design workflow, but protecting confidential data was just as important. The Canadian off-road vehicle company, based in Montreal, is best known for its snowmobiles, electrifying the vehicles for a more sustainable experience. A rise in the popularity of its products meant the c ..read more

With a cobot hand sufficiently dextrous to perform sign language, Tatum Robotics hopes to help DeafBlind people around the world achieve improved powers of communication It’s hard to comprehend a world where your entire means of communication is based on touch alone, but this is the reality for those with combined sight and hearing loss. A tactile form of sign language – tactile signing – where the DeafBlind person places their hands on top of another person’s signing hands in order to feel and read their movements is key to their ability to converse and learn about the world around them. As a ..read more

EOS has launched its used polymer take-back programme aimed to reduce material waste and has also added EOS Aluminium AISi10Mg to its Responsible Products portfolio. It has partnered with Agiplast, a specialist company in the regeneration of high-performance polymers, to create VIRTUCYCLE, which transforms used polymer materials into recycled high-performance injection moulding granules using sustainably sourced energy. EOS performed a third party verified life cycle analysis on the programme to verify its positive impact, confirming that 1kg of polymer material was turned into 0.945kg granule ..read more

Keeping Hasbro’s pipeline of new toys flowing is a serious business. Stephen Holmes speaks to members of the company’s Spark R&D team, responsible for bringing exciting concepts to life and integrating new technologies that keep playtime fun The list of brands owned by legendary American toy maker Hasbro brings childhood memories flooding back. From Transformers to My Little Pony, and from Operation to Risk, few companies have such a rich heritage on which they can draw. There are also numerous toys and games ready and waiting in the wings for a periodic resurrection, such as Beyblades and ..read more

The release of the Apple Vision Pro in February 2024 is taking 3D design capabilities off the desktop and out into the virtual world. Emilie Eisenberg brings news of five apps that are promising their most interactive versions yet Onshape Vision Onshape Vision by PTC syncs with CAD and PDM systems to allow product designers to view and collaborate on 3D CAD models. Designers can hold, expand and resize their products, and use hand gestures, eye movements and voice commands to edit their designs. PTC’s goal is for colleagues based in different locations to feel like they’re sharing the same phy ..read more

Stratasys has announced the release of its SAF HighDef Printing capabilities as well as its new 3D printer, the H350 Version 1.5 (V1.5) with both intended to improve service and performance. With these releases, Stratasys intends to expand SAF adoption “with additional applications and use cases for a growing set of manufacturing end markets.” The new SAF HighDef Printing allows high-definition printing with detailed resolution, allowing manufacturers to scale their 3D printing through repeatability while creating more detailed parts. SAF thermal control can be utilised for creating smooth, pr ..read more

Working alongside human colleagues to automate repetitive tasks, ‘cobots’ are quickly invading the workplace. Stephen Holmes speaks to Universal Robots, maker of robotic arms that are getting to grips with jobs that vary from maritime welding to making coffee Today, just 2% of applications that could be transformed by robotic collaboration are already automated — but the rise of the collaborative robot, or ‘cobot’, looks set to transform that picture. Cobots are engineered so that they can work alongside humans without the need for safety barriers and be equipped with different peripherals to ..read more

Streamline Solutions has released Elements 4.2.0, an open-source software suite for vehicle design applications and intended for streamlining CFD simulations. The software is suitable for design applications distributed by Streamline Solutions, a joint venture by ENGYS and Auto Research Centre. Elements contains two simulation environments: a virtual wind tunnel wizard for modelling external vehicle aerodynamics, and a general purpose CFD interface for solving other design applications including in-cabin flows. Any type of vehicle can be designed using the software, with the virtual wind tunne ..read more