So much news and so little time!
As the world of product design and engineering continues to shift shape thanks to recent developments in digital fabrication, cheaper and more powerful CAD platforms, an ever-increasing interest from a younger generation, and all-around interest in the field, SolidSmack exists to help drive the future of product design and engineering forward by bringing you the news.
Over the last year in manufacturing, we saw an increase of YouTube and Vimeo videos from a slurry of large companies who are becoming more transparent about their design and manufacturing processes, as well as an increase of small studios and designers who are changing the landscape of localized manufacturing.
Here, we’ve rounded up ten of of our most-read stories over the past 12 months that helped lead us into another great year of pushing the boundaries for what’s to come next in 2015.
Watch the Making of the Iconic Eames Shell Chair With This Series of Mesmerizing Gifs
“Released in 1950–and still just as relevant today as it was nearly 65 years ago–the classic Eames Shell chair was the world’s first mass-produced plastic chair. While the original design has gone through countless iterations (an example of Charles and Ray’s ode to constantly refining details), the general gist of the original design still stands with us today. Herman Miller ceased production of the fiberglass-reinforced models in the 1990’s due to sustainability reasons, however the company went back in time recently for an Instagram campaign to show us just how Charles and Ray managed to produce ‘the world’s first mass-produced plastic chair’…”
Bi-Link Tells You How To Get Your Product Manufactured (and Reduce the Pain of the Process)
“We’re living in a world of daily product launches. If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering your own or, at the very least, dream of making riches by bringing the ultimate, life-altering product to market. Whether that is done through crowd sourcing, investor sourcing or mother-in-law sourcing, there will always be a point when that brilliant idea needs to become a brilliant reality. Manufacturing. It’s the gray area; the “part they don’t tell you about in school.”…”
Industrial Designer Jolan Van der Wiel’s Magnetic Fabrication Techniques
“You may remember Dutch designer Jolan Van der Wiel‘s Gravity Stool when it hit the internets a couple years ago. His unique take on the centuries-old seating design used the simple concept of magnets to sculpt the stool upwards rather than turning, blow molding, injection molding, or any other fabrication method seen thus far…”
Take a 13-Minute Tour of the Ridley Bikes Factory From Frame Design to Finished Product
“Originally founded as Race Productions NV by frame builder and painter Jochim Aerts in 1990, Ridley Bikes have been a market leader in creating high-performance racing bikes for some of the world’s most elite cyclists…”
Crazy Guy Hydroforms Steel Suit With Pressure Washer, Has Friends Shoot Him With Fireworks
“As far as internet video celebrities go, genius inventor and all-around mad man Colin Furze is certainly one of our favorites. The plumber, stuntman, inventor, and filmmaker from Stamford, Lincolnshire, England is known for his wild and downright impressive inventions ranging from ‘The World’s Fastest Pram’ (complete with a flamethrower and World Record to boot) to his famed ‘Wall of Death’…”
This ‘Making of a Stool’ Video Will Make You Want to Spin a Lathe
“When it comes to watching glorious wood project videos on YouTube, it’s hard to argue that Frank Howarth of the YouTube channel Frank Makes doesn’t rank up there among the best. With passions in both photography and woodworking, Frank blends the two seamlessly to give his viewers a unique view of his various project processes (such as strapping a camera to his lathe!!??)…”
Behind the Design: “I Made a Bicycle For My Wife”
“Color us impressed. Reddit user ‘bcmanucd‘ has just shared his process on the trending /r/DIY subreddit of creating a time trial bike for his wife using his university’s engineering shop. While it’s unclear what his design or engineering background is, one thing is for certain: the dude can build a pretty impressive bike!…”
Behind the Design: The Nixon Supertide Marbled
“Still one of the most popular watches for surfers, the Nixon Supertide features pre-programmed tide information for over 270 beaches through the year 2023, a 48 hour future tide, a heat timer, as well as the more common alarm and light functions for when it’s time to ditch the waves for some grub…”
Behind the Design: WOO Minimalist Wood Children’s Toys
“Having been inspired by natural elements for their new collection of wooden toy designs, product design, graphic design and architecture studio Vrtíška Žák have reduced common and traditional wooden children’s toys into their most simple forms with the minimalist WOO toy collection…”
The Revocaster Wants to Bring Mass Manufacturing to Your Desktop
“As 3D printing finds its way into solving a myriad of problems ranging from more traditional product development methods to more recent medical applications, there is one trait that leaves much to be desired: the ability to create multiple high-quality prints in a short amount of time…”
