TriMech Blog

It’s STEM Day! In case you are new to this concept, STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The purpose of STEM is to provide young students become familiar with new technologies available and the challenges they pose for the future. Students in STEM classrooms take time to cover significant topics and fun activities in these fields, present ongoing projects or just discuss the importance of these areas in today’s world. In honor of National STEM Day, I want to share a topic that has always been interesting to me, flying. In this blog, I will cover some of the physics and mechanics involved in making things fly and how they can be tested using SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD.

Coming from working in the automotive industry, it is easy for me to see the benefits of the yearly new features and updates the SOLIDWORKS portfolio has to offer. But the automotive industry isn't the only industry that has benefits, such as aerospace. This industry breaks new ground on revolutionary technology, as engineers and designers need a tool that will supplement creative freedom, not curtail it. Both industries have seen major benefits of utilizing a central design platform in the last 30 years, one that allows for design, documentation, validation and production.

Today, quadcopters, more commonly referred to as "Drones," have evolved into many different categories. From Scenic Quads that are GPS controlled, used to capture amazing scenery and widely used for movie/video photography to a $5 toy for an indoor flying session, drones have become instinctively popular. Now with the advancement in 3D printing materials such as thermoplastics in the Stratasys FDM family, for years we have been replacing traditional manufacturing tools and end-use parts.

The aerospace industry is fast moving. Once one challenge gets solved, the market has already changed and moved onto a new trend. This means expensive and time-consuming tooling and production aren't an efficient option. To remain competitive, the aerospace industry leans on additive manufacturing, especially 3D printing with ULTEM materials. Find out why in this blog.

Since the Wright brothers first launched their wood and canvas glider in the early 1900s, technology has improved dramatically, making international travel and space exploration a reality. Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, is playing a major role in this revolution by reducing weight, strengthening materials and streamlining design in the aerospace industry.

As we reach the end of Phase II of the TriMech Drone Wars, we're starting to see each team's drone come together. Our four teams have continued to inform us of their latest activities and strategies. If you missed our kick-off blog, you can find it here.

The TriMech Drone Wars are well underway as we explore the teams' creations in Phase II. Our four teams are keeping us up-to-date on their latest activities and strategies. If you missed our kick-off blog, you can find it here.

We're at the end of Phase I in the TriMech Drone Wars. Our four teams have been keeping us up-to-date on their latest activities and strategies. If you missed our kick-off blog, you can find it here.

The TriMech Drone Wars are in full swing. Our four teams have been keeping us up-to-date on their latest activities and strategies as they build their drones. We'll be updating you twice a week with blogs that take an in-depth look at each team's approach during every phase of this competition and follow up with the outcomes of their modification, any challenges they may have encountered, and what modifications are in the pipeline for the next phase.

If you missed our kick-off blog, you can find it here. As a recap, each team was provided an off-the-shelf drone that they will modify using 3D printed parts at a max of $250. They will pit the drones against each other in a speed race, a precision flight, and a payload test. 

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones was once limited to the defense industry. Today, drones are sailing everywhere! Anyone in the commercial or private sectors can pick up an off-the-shelf drone or manufacture one with readily available resources.  

With this in mind, we've decided to pit our application engineers and technical teams against each other in the first ever TriMech Drone Wars. Let the games begin!