Think Before Choosing New CAD Tools

The adoption of CAD technology for product design is widespread across the globe. There are a number of CAD tools available today that offer cutting-edge technological advancements with every new version launch.

However, does all the hype around the latest CAD tools actually help the organization in developing products better and faster? For some, adopting new technology is simply to ensure that they are not left behind, while there are manufacturers that adopt new CAD tools just because their management feels that using some specialized tools can help in improving the design, but aren’t sure whether it will be right or not.

Recent research from Business Advantage identified that majority of the organizations prefer to continue with their existing established and proven CAD technology as compared to adopting newer ones. Choosing the right CAD tool as such requires proper understanding of the existing situation. There is no such thing as good or bad CAD tool; instead there is definitely one best CAD tool for a specific task. It is the duty of CAD managers to think beyond the capabilities of the software available in the market and identify which one actually meets the specific needs of the organization.

It's important to identify the requirement of the organization before thinking of switching the CAD technology.

Following key questions are needed to be answered first:

• What features will the new CAD tool provide to improve the design process?
• Are there any phases in the design process that are broken or require overhauling?
• How well are the existing systems optimized?

If 3D helps in obtaining better and more accurate designs, and the design process works smoother but needs an upgrade, then transformation to adopt a new CAD system can be logical. However, if the existing system is being customized to specific requirements of the design process, it is important to figure out the effect of losing all those important tunings that were done over many years.

The fundamental requirement before choosing the right CAD tool for your organization is to identify how the company’s design processes evolved using the existing CAD technology. If there are tools that can be improved by simply tweaking or optimizing them, the switch to new system would make no sense.

About Author: Nikunj Patel is a design engineer working with Hi-Tech CADD Services for the past 4 years. He loves designing specialized industrial equipments and can always be found in the lab discussing, brainstorming & tweaking designs. He has also worked on architectural projects taking interest in every aspect of design & analysis.

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Cheapest, Best & Most Reliable Desktop 3D Printers — 3DPrint’s 2015 Buyers Guide

by Whitney Hipolite · April 7, 2015

It’s rather crazy how many emails we receive on a daily basis asking us to suggest a 3D printer for a particular use. There are literally hundreds of different machines on the market, and several new printers launching each and every week. It can oftentimes be difficult to sift through all the clutter, especially if you are new to the industry. That’s why I got together with some of the writers here at 3DPrint.com to crunch our heads together and come up with what we feel is a pretty solid list of printers, which you really can’t go wrong purchasing.

These machines are listed in a particular order based on several criteria, but any printer that has made this list is probably not going to disappoint you in the long run. We used a combination of 3D Hubs’ rating system, combined with Amazon.com reviews, other third party review sites, reader feedback, and the experiences of the team here at 3DPrint.com to choose and then rank these machines to the best of our ability. This list is not static and will change weekly as we feed additional information into our ranking methodology, and as new printers emerge onto the market.

LulzBot TAZ 5
Aleph Objects and their LulzBot brand is one of the hardest working 3D printing companies I have ever come across. They have been growing by leaps and bounds, and I truly believe this is because of one main attribute–quality. The customer support is phenomenal, the printers are built on a completely open source framework, and the machines have some of the most useful features available on the market today. Although I have not seen the TAZ 5 in action or used it myself,  I have seen in action or used pretty much every one of their other machines and judging from the warm reception the TAZ 5 has received early on, I am willing to rank this printer as one of the top buys within the space. Boasting a spacious 298 x 275 x 250 mm build envelope, with the ability to print in a laundry list of materials, this printer should be on the top of your shopping list. With a company tag line of “Industrial Grade 3D Printing at Your Desktop,” I will not be one to argue. Priced at $2,200, it’s not the most affordable, but if you have the money to spend on a 3D printer, this likely is your best bet.

Pros: Open source, feature rich
Cons: Noise, ease of use

MakerGear M2
This 3D printer has to be ranked at or near the top of pretty much every 3D printer review site you will come across. Almost every review you will read, whether it be from Amazon where the last time I checked, 92 out of 97 reviewers gave it 5 stars, or the monthly 3D Hubs rankings, this is an exceptional machine for its price. The frame of this 3D printer is incredibly sturdy, and it utilizes some of the best components on the market. You will be hard pressed to find someone who has purchased this machine and has anything really bad to say about it. If you are looking for a printer which will perform just as well as any machine on the market, is priced lower than many of its main competitors, and has amazing customer support, this is the machine for you. This printer has a build envelope of 203 x 254 x 203 mm, and is priced at $1,775.

Pros: Customer support, print quality, sturdiness
Cons: Noise, ease of use

Zortrax M200
This machine continues to receive some of the highest user reviews on 3D Hubs among all 3D printers on the market. With a heated build platform, auto calibration, and a decent size build envelope of 200 x 200 x 185 mm, this machine packs a punch. It comes equipped with the company’s Z-suite software making the conversion of a model to a 3D print as easy as ‘1…2…3′. Priced at $1,999, it certainly isn’t the cheapest machine on the market, but as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” The company certainly has put its best foot forward with both this printer and their entire still-developing ecosystem.

Pros: Print quality, accuracy, and ease of use
Cons: Material compatibility, connectivity

Printrbot Metal Simple
Brook Drumm is considered by many as one of the grandfathers of 3D printing. His company, Printrbot, consistently releases quality products, which not only perform great, but are insanely affordable. This machine has won several awards, and continues to be one of the most well-received printers on the market today. With a build envelope of 150 x 150 x 150 mm, users are able to print items of a decent size, while not breaking the bank. Time and time again we have heard from users about how high the resolution of printed objects end up being, and the overall quality and sturdiness of the machine is apparent. In fact, priced at just $599.99 fully assembled, it’s hard to go wrong with this machine.

Pros: Sturdiness, print quality, price
Cons: Small print envelope

Formlabs Form 1+ 
This printer steps away from the norm when it comes to desktop 3D printing, and uses an entirely different process, Stereolithography (SLA). Although it may be a bit messier than the FDM/FFF processes, the Form 1+, by far, will give you the best overall print quality when compared to any of the other printers on this list. That’s because SLA technology is simply more capable of printing intricate detail. The Form 1+ is perfect for the business setting as well as for the home. Instead of strands of thermoplastic filament, the Form 1+ utilizes a photosensitive resin which could best be described as a syrup. The resin is cured (hardened) as it is exposed to a laser beam. It is able to print at layer thicknesses as small as 25 microns and has a build volume of 125 x 125 x 165 mm. Priced at $3,299 it is the most expensive printer to make our list–however, it’s really hard to even try and compare the Form 1+ with these other machines.

Pros: Print quality, ease of use, appearance
Cons: Cost to run (resin is expensive, electricity), material compatibility

MakerBot Replicator Mini
This is one of our favorites, not only because it’s ranked high by users overall, but because it’s small, elegant, and will enable you to open up access to the entire MakerBot ecosystem. If you want quality and the backing of a $2.5+ billion company (Stratasys) behind your printer, the Mini may be for you. Equipped with an on-board camera to monitor your prints, and incredibly easy software for transforming your models into physical objects, the Mini’s main shortcoming is its ability to only print with PLA, as well as its somewhat limited build volume of just 100 x 100 x 125 mm. If you are fine printing with PLA, which will still provide quite a range of materials options, and you aren’t looking to print large objects, the MakerBot Mini is likely a great bet, priced at just $1,375.

Pros: Ecosystem, ease of use, connectivity
Cons: Noise, print speed

Flashforge Dreamer
Back in September the writers at 3DPrint.com were provided one of these machines to review. Initially we gave it to a writer, Heidi Milkert, who had never had any experience using a 3D printer before. Remarkably, she was able to quickly figure the printer out and within hours had her first print sitting on her desk at the office. Case in point, this 3D printer is simple, reliable, and priced very affordably. With the ability to print with both PLA and ABS thermoplastic, and a build envelope of 230 x 150 x 140 mm, this machine is perfect for almost any 3D printing job. Priced at $1,299, this fully enclosed 3D printer is a solid buy.

Pros: Ease of use, print quality
Cons: Connectivity, noise

Ultimaker 2
Ultimaker is ranked up there with MakerBot as one of the top selling desktop 3D printer brands, and for good reason. The company has prided themselves on delivering high quality 3D printers which also look nice sitting on you table or desk. With layer resolutions as fine as 20 microns, and a build envelope of 223 x 223 x 205 mm, this machine is great for everyday home use. It will print with PLA, ABS, and U-Pet materials, is very easy to calibrate and get started, and is priced at $2,499.

Pros: Ecosystem, print quality
Cons: Cost to run, price

Prusa i3 Hephestos
Oftentimes the simpler the machine, the better it is. After all, the less likely it is for a part to malfunction if there are fewer parts overall. I’m a big fan of the RepRap movement, and have to say, some of the machines spawned from this movement are extremely capable, and best of all, affordable. The Prusa i3 Hephestos is of course an open source machine which was developed by the bq Department of Innovation and Robotics. With a build volume of 215 x 210 x 180 mm, and available in three different versions, each with varying degrees of resolution as well as print speed, this printer would be good for teenage beginners all the way up to professional designers. Priced starting at €499 and going on up, it’s incredibly affordable if you don’t need all the bells and whistles found in other machines.

Pros: Community, open source, print quality
Cons: Ease of use, print speed, noise

Afinia H480
Utilizing some of the best linear actuators available on the market, this small, yet powerful 3D printer has been well received by consumers and small businesses alike. It’s an older machine–in fact, it was unveiled back in 2012–but still tops the charts when it comes to reliability and precision. Afinia has since produced newer machines, but their older printer, the H480, seems to have been a bit ahead of its time. The build envelope for this machine is not the largest, at 140 x 140 x 135 mm, but that doesn’t stop reviewers from keeping it near the top in terms of ‘best bang for the buck.’ The H480 is priced at $1,299.

Pros: Print quality
Cons: Material compatibility, running cost (energy)

There you have it, out current list of the top 10 3D printers, when considering price, reliability, and quality. With new printers coming out weekly, please check back to this list weekly to see if anything has changed. We will also be adding new categories to the list in the future. Feel free to chime in with your opinion and provide your own personal insights in the ‘3D Printer Buyer’s Guide’ forum thread on 3DPB.com.

BIM: Revolutionizing Building Life Cycle Management

Building information modeling (BIM) is transforming architecture, engineering and construction by providing accurate, timely and relevant information throughout a building's life cycle. While the use of BIM technology for facility management is still developing, the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of building life cycle management is clear.
The challenge faced by the facility management profession is the divide between the information used for building design and construction, and the information needed for effective facility management.

What is BIM?

The term building information modeling gained currency around 2002 through the writings of Jerry Laiserin. But Laiserin himself notes that BIM concepts go back to the early days of computer-aided design (CAD) in the 1980s, being described conceptually by researchers such as Charles Eastman and being implemented in working software in early CAD programs such as RUCAPS. Only recently have programs such as Autodesk's Revit, Graphisoft and Bentley systems converted the concepts of the '80s into practical, affordable software within reach of every architect and engineer.

At its most basic, BIM encompasses two key attributes:

• Object intelligence: the ability to associate material and assembly data with graphic elements.
• Three dimensions: complete three-dimensional graphic representation of buildings.

A more comprehensive definition of BIM has been proposed by construction company M.A. Mortenson1. According to Mortenson, BIM must exhibit six key characteristics:

• Digital;
• Spatial (3D);
• Measurable (quantifiable, dimensionable and query-able);
• Comprehensive (design intent, building performance, constructability, and including sequential and financial aspects of means and methods);
• Accessible (to the entire AEC/owner team through an interoperable and intuitive interface); and
• Durable (usable through all phases of facility life).

The current state

While BIM widely is considered to be a single, unified technology, this is not the case. Leading software developers such as Autodesk, Graphisoft and Bentley Systems have developed very capable technology that serves the building design, engineering and construction phases of the building's life cycle. Moving into the more diverse requirements of the occupancy and management phase of the building's life entails a variety of other technologies and software. Fortunately, software developers are moving rapidly to accomplish the integration needed between these various systems. Most likely, the result won't be a single software package but rather sets of compatible software programs that support interoperability.
Evaluating the current state of BIM technology against Mortenson's six criteria shows that BIM has yet to reach its full potential. Although BIM is digital, 3D and measurable, at this time it is not completely comprehensive, accessible to the entire AEC/owner team nor durable.

BIM benefits for building design

The benefits of BIM for architects and engineers are significant. First, for many design firms, the new BIM software tools support a better way of designing buildings. With the complexity of modern buildings and the difficulties of preparing construction documents using two-dimensional CAD drawings, BIM software programs provide major advances in managing information.
Second, the ability of BIM software to easily generate realistic three-dimensional views and even walkthroughs makes visualization a free byproduct. This not only provides valuable guidance to the designer, but also is tremendously helpful in communicating a design to clients.
Third, BIM software supports various types of building analyses. In particular, integration with energy analysis programs provides essential information early in the design process to guide decisions on building materials and mechanical systems.

BIM benefits for construction

Although the benefits of BIM during the construction phase are less obvious, they are compelling. First, the ability of BIM tools to track phases of construction is valuable in construction coordination. For general contractors in particular, BIM tools for coordinating space and schedules are very effective, particularly for large projects on urban sites where staging areas are always at a premium.
Second, software tools for clash detection provide ways to reveal layout errors in advance, thereby enabling more cost-effective resolutions and fewer expensive change orders.

BIM benefits for facility management

While BIM has proven its value in design and construction for five years or more, the necessary technologies for using BIM in facility management only now are emerging. A large number of new building projects have been designed and built with BIM software. However, there is a tremendous opportunity to leverage this store of information and greatly improve the practice of facility management.
Although we are still at the early stages of understanding the ways BIM can be used throughout a building's life, there are at least six areas that are proving valuable.

Preventive maintenance

Information about building mechanical equipment stored in BIM models is valuable in creating the database needed for ongoing preventive maintenance. Equipment that requires regular inspection and upkeep, particularly heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and life safety systems, are of particular significance. Additionally, information about air and electrical distribution systems that undergo periodic modification is valuable to facility managers.

Space management

BIM models provide a useful starting point for space and occupancy management. Organizations that occupy large amounts of office space will benefit from this information. By integrating building data with human resources data, organizations can reduce vacancy and ultimately achieve major reductions in real estate expenses.

Energy efficiency initiatives

Since commercial and industrial buildings are responsible for almost 20 percent of the energy consumption in many countries, there is a mandate to analyze options to improve energy performance. BIM plays a significant role by facilitating the analysis and comparisons of various alternatives.

Base of ongoing changes

Managing accurate record drawings has long been a challenge for building owners and facility managers. Although BIM does not preclude the effort required to maintain accurate building data, it does provide two advantages over traditional CAD technology:

• BIM provides an easier means of representing three-dimensional aspects of the building. This is particularly important for representing mechanical systems.
• BIM models can carry extensive data about assemblies, finishes and equipment items.

Life cycle management

Recent emphasis on sustainability has raised the profile of building life cycle management. Responsible owners are realizing this makes sense both economically and ecologically. BIM provides value in managing relevant data about current building conditions and facilitates the analysis of alternatives. Some building design professionals are embedding data on life expectancy and replacement costs in BIM models, thereby helping an owner understand the benefits of investing in materials and systems that may cost more initially but have a better payback over the life of the building.

Building automation systems

Building automation systems (BAS) provide real-time monitoring and control of the sophisticated electrical and mechanical systems used in today's buildings. Experience has shown that effective building operation is critical to achieving the potential energy savings. Although work is still in early stages, integrating BIM with BAS will provide significant benefits, particularly for technical buildings such as hospitals and laboratories.

Keeping BIM alive

It is common to hear discussion about the BIM handover, implying that useful information will be exported to standardized formats for import into other systems. While there is value in this approach, the one-way migration of data all too often results in the BIM model "dying a premature death." A better approach is to use technology that works bidirectionally between the BIM system and other building management systems. This enables the BIM model to retain its usefulness throughout the life of the building.

Challenges

Although BIM technology has the potential to provide tremendous benefits to facility managers and building owners, there are challenges to overcome.

Deciding what to track

Although BIM makes it much easier to track building information, there is still effort required to develop and maintain information that is current, accurate and relevant. For some building information categories, the cost of doing this simply will not be justified by the value.

Changes in deliverables

The challenge for facility managers and owners is to write contracts that are effective in defining the delivery of useful information. Design intent information is not the same as as-built information. When architects and engineers prepare BIM models for design, bidding and construction, materials and components are defined generically. Specific decisions on manufacturer and product selection are left to the general contractor, the subcontractors and the specialty suppliers. Subject to complying with the design documents, contractors are expected to use this freedom of selection in order to achieve a more competitive cost. Although typical construction procedures call for record documents to be provided to the owner at the completion of a project, this information typically is provided in the form of paper or scanned documents.
BIM has the potential to change this with contractors providing "live" BIM models as part of the commissioning process. However, there are many challenges in defining the best practices for BIM deliverables.

Changes in FM technology skills

To achieve the real benefits of BIM, facility managers will need to attain a basic level of familiarity with BIM tools. More significantly, facility managers will need to develop greater proficiency in information management, learning how to evaluate the importance of different types of information and establishing procedures to keep information accurate and current.

Changes in business relationships

Although BIM can be used with traditional competitive bid construction practices, it provides extra value when the architects, engineers and contractors are all part of a collaborative team. Hence other forms of contracting, such as negotiated bids and integrated project delivery, are enhanced by BIM. In addition, new cloud-based computing technology provides an effective means of sharing building data with all participants of the design-build team, regardless of physical location.

Asian perspective

In past decades, new technology would be used first in North America and Europe with Asia, Latin America and Africa following. However, BIM is being adopted in locations around the world, particularly in the fast growing cities in Asia. For example, the 128-story Shanghai Tower, due to complete construction in 2014, was designed with BIM tools. The government of Singapore is promoting BIM for all new construction projects.

Rather than use older technologies that make maintaining accurate building records difficult, Asian countries are finding the advantages of using BIM technology. Industry practices for maintaining BIM models of record still are developing. It will be necessary to gain more experience in how this rich source of potential information can be best used before best practices emerge.
BIM technology applied to facility management is in early stages. Although the ultimate application of BIM to facility management still is being refined, there are ample benefits today to justify the effort. Architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and facility managers who begin using BIM data today and bridging the information divide will reap the greatest benefits.

References:

1. BIM Handbook, Eastman, Teicholz, Sacks, Liston, John Wiley & Sons, 2008

Michael Schley is the CEO and founder of FM:Systems, a leading developer of facility management software based in Raleigh, N.C., USA. He is responsible for overseeing FM:Systems operations and guiding the company's product direction.
Schley is recognized globally for his expertise in FM technology and has spoken at numerous conferences throughout the world. He was recognized in 2008 as an IFMA Fellow, chairs the FM Advisory Council for Cornell University and serves on the IFMA Foundation Board of Trustees.
He can be reached by email at mschley@fmsystems.com.