Among other industries that have seen a rapid change due to the implementation of additive manufacturing, jewelry designers are able to create entirely different forms that, even up until a few years ago, were too costly to implement into a day-to-day workflow. Between the combination of generative modeling software and various methods of small-scale 3D…
With 2020 the way it is, celebrating Christmas might be a bit lonely for some. Maybe you’ve been cooped up “two weeks” already. Maybe you’ve thrown off the restraints of government tyranny. Either way, everyone needs a good hug. You can’t do much about social distancing and the rampant virtue signaling, but you can do…
With 4K screens the norm nowadays, you would think there are many an option for portable 4K displays. Well, there are. There are just a couple of problems. First of all, there are a lot of options. Second, the combo of 4K, touchscreen, and features means a price point that skimps on one or the…
Sculpting, be it in clay or soft polyurethane foam requires a few key tools to efficiently bring your creative work to life. And among them, a fluting tool is just the ticket for precisely shaving convex slivers of material away to perfection. Xiem Fluting Tool Set The Xiem Fluting Tool Set caught our eye during…
If you’re like us and used a massive drafting table in college back in the day (do they even still?) you may have one or you may be on the lookout for one. So classic. And if you can find one with a protractor arm, even better. But once we saw the size and had…
We’re in the process of putting in new outdoor electrical run and improving some existing electrical. To have a check of wiring we had an electrician out. His go to (and only) tool used the whole time here was a single non-contact voltage tester. He described it as a tool he uses every day, worth…
As technology becomes more compact, trendsetters start researching ways to improve multi-sensory experience. Keypads have been replaced by touchscreens. CRT TVs have been replaced by nearly flat, lightweight, large (and sometimes curved) OLED displays. But what’s next for 3D display technology? We thought it was dead but, sans special glasses, perhaps there’s life to it.…
We had been on the lookout for a good workbench that checks off several requirements when we came across the Seville Classics Lighted Stainless Steel Workbench. This has 48″ x 24″ work area, pegboard, lighted work area, and an open area under the bench, so you can wheel in carts or bins and don’t have…
We’re on the brink of Amazon Prime Day (Oct 13-14) where Prime members get extra doses of savings across all categories of products. They’ve already launched Early Prime Day Deals with discounts on Smart TVs, and more. We’re keeping an eye out for the best tools for Designers and Engineers throughout the week, so stay…
A few months back, we had a first-look at Cadasio, an online platform to create and share product documentation and assembly instructions. Now, they have announced the official release after two years of development, a closed beta, and an early access phase. Files may be uploaded to the platform or you can use one of…
Take one look at the VersiCube and a dozen questions start popping in your head: “Is it a toy?” “How does this work?” “It this a miniature cheese grater?” Truth is, not even the creators know the full extent of this little doodad’s capabilities. So what is it? The Versicube was made with three goals…
Would you wear socks lined with silver? What if I told you they prevent your feet from smelling like they’ve been soaking in food scraps? I know; I didn’t believe it either. How could lining a piece of clothing with metal eliminate foot odor? As it turns out, the Silver Ankle Socks is not the…
Well, it’s finally happening. After years of promising to bring drone deliveries to the masses, Amazon Prime Air has finally gotten approval to operate as a drone airline. The clearance, which comes from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), classifies Amazon’s drone delivery program as an “air carrier”. This will allow Amazon to begin commercial trial…
There are a handful of tools I’d put in the absolute must-have category. One of those is a battery tester. I’ve had the Amprobe BAT-200 Battery Tester for the last seven years and it has saved its meager cost in time and batteries saved. If you’re a parent or someone who goes through batteries and…
Without a doubt, if ever a virtual reality was needed, 2020 is it. With the insanity of social distancing, self-isolation, and tyrannical mandates looming, it’s important to get your exercise and stay healthy. With that, we need equally ridiculous, yet helpful products to make lockdowns bearable. While you SHOULD just GO OUTSIDE for a walk…
Or rather, for a sports car, but it’s a start. As of the moment, Porsche has succeeded in 3D printing production-grade pistons for the engine of their newest 911 sports car, the 911 GT2 RS. Now you might wonder why Porsche didn’t try putting 3D printed pistons on a vehicle with less demanding speed capabilities.…
Coral is a range of products from Google Research that allows you to create your own AI projects for prototype or production products. They share occasional projects they’ve cooked up in the lab, publishing most recently a teachable sorter project that uses machine learning to sort objects, specifically marshmellow cereal. Gautam Bose and Lucas Ochoa…
What do horror, romance, and desert island movies have in common? Not a lot, except the idea that at any time, people can get stranded in the wilderness. Or a cave in the middle of a storm. No cell service, just the clothes on their back, and maybe a pocket knife and a moldy cracker…
The world would be a much better place if, outside of everyone’s front door, there’s a scenic route, primed and ready for brisk walking, jogging, and – of course – cycling. You can avoid so many tricky logistics like fitting or strapping your mountain bike onto your tiny car. Or what to do with a…
Since it became relatively accessible in the halcyon days of 2009-2017, give or take, 3D printing has been lauded as revolutionary tech – and for a good reason. Even excluding specialized machines that might solve homelessness from the equation, you’ve still got a hefty bit of creative power within reach. When it’s not geared towards…
Let’s talk about history for a bit. Just last June, archeologists from Cambridge and Ghent produced a revolutionary bit of research for the journal, Antiquity. In it, they described some problems and placed them against the immense possibilities that might come from the use of ground-penetrating radar surveys (GRS) on archeological sites. Here’s where it…
As they say, “distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Not quite limited to love between people, some things undoubtedly get better with some time or space apart. When you come back to a book you loved in high school, it can feel exciting, like reading it for the first time. If you limit your trips…
Anxiety over recent events – and the pressure of having to work during said events – has caused us to turn a wide variety of spaces into a classy home-office. However, there’s one critical item to complete any work-intensive space. A speaker that provides just the right amount of ambient music to keep you concentrating…
Let’s settle a debate: Magneto is the best character in X-Men. He’s suave, he’s broody from a rich backstory, and he does more exciting things with technology than Batman could ever hope for. It’s beautiful work to pull out excess iron from inside someone’s blood and body. And who doesn’t want to lift metal beams…
If you’ve been waiting nearly a decade for American astronauts to launch on American soil from an American rocket, today is your day. At 3:22 EDT, NASA and SpaceX will launch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on a Falcon 9 rocket. The Demo-2 mission is the first time…
Stratasys has dropped a full-color 3D printed bombshell with the introduction of the new J55 3D Printer that combines a number of features in a printer that’s sized and priced for small and medium design and engineering business. The J55 is a full-color 3D printer with a rotating build platform, stationary head, odor-free operation, native…
Huddle around the computer a little bit, your digital detox is a farce! How can you stay away from great stuff that you can read and chew on … mentally that is! We got you covered, while you were away, busy with your digital detox diet. Don’t be shy, take a look at the week…
We’ve said it time and time again, but the Raspberry Pi is just so dang cool and we believe all designers and engineers should have one in their toolkit—if not on their desktop. While there is a bit of a slight learning curve, it’s nothing that today’s designers and engineers can’t handle on a leisurely…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Thank you! A big thank you to everyone who took part in the SolidSmack 2020 Reader Survey. We’re sifting through the feedback to make SolidSmack even better and so glad to have you a part of it. Winner of the Gift Card is: Matt B. An email will go out shortly with information to claim…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Huddle around the computer a little bit, your digital detox is a farce! How can you stay away from great stuff that you can read and chew on … mentally that is! We got you covered, while you were away, busy with your digital detox diet. Don’t be shy, take a look at the week…
We’ve said it time and time again, but the Raspberry Pi is just so dang cool and we believe all designers and engineers should have one in their toolkit—if not on their desktop. While there is a bit of a slight learning curve, it’s nothing that today’s designers and engineers can’t handle on a leisurely…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Editor’s Note: This is a guest article from Hubs. As we come to the end of 2019, the technologies behind mass-scale digitization aren’t slowing down at all. Within the next five years, 85% of industrial companies are expected to have implemented Industry 4.0 technologies in all important business divisions. As a result, the consolidation of…
Huddle around the computer a little bit, your digital detox is a farce! How can you stay away from great stuff that you can read and chew on … mentally that is! We got you covered, while you were away, busy with your digital detox diet. Don’t be shy, take a look at the week…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Huddle around the computer a little bit, your digital detox is a farce! How can you stay away from great stuff that you can read and chew on … mentally that is! We got you covered, while you were away, busy with your digital detox diet. Don’t be shy, take a look at the week…
Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or…
As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed,…
Huddle around the computer a little bit, your digital detox is a farce! How can you stay away from great stuff that you can read and chew on … mentally that is! We got you covered, while you were away, busy with your digital detox diet. Don’t be shy, take a look at the week…