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Thank You, Teach!

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The Lincoln Middle School Students having a go at using the Wacom tablet during their tour of Salient

This last Friday and Saturday, I had the privilege of leading 20 junior high students and 10 high school students through the product design process here at Salient Technologies headquarters. The students traveled to Bozeman to take part in a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition.  Picture an intense basketball tournament with dozens of teams, but instead of winning because you can put an orange ball through a metal circle, a team wins by completing complex challenges performed by a robot they built and created.  The teachers coaching the team reached out to Salient for a tour and inside-look in aims to inspire kids to pursue careers in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics), more specifically, design and engineering.  It’s funny how things come full circle sometimes. Little did they, or we,  know that the teacher leading the charge for the high school team was my first design/engineering/CAD teacher from nearly 20 years prior… a teacher who inspired me in the very same way.

The tour of Salient consisted of an inside look at the Design Process: what it looks like to take a product from imagination all the way to production.  After working on thousands of products over the years, we were able to reference a handful of fun examples from NASA valves, to familiar household games like Yahtzee.  We looked at industrial design, drawing in 3D CAD (and using Wacom tablets!), video animations, renderings, structural design and designing for manufacturing.  It was just the kind of stuff I was first introduced to in the very same class this teacher was teaching in the mid 90s.

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David’s first CAD file – a Hummer…go figure.

During the tour, I pulled out an old, yellowed drawing to share with the group.  It was my very first CAD drawing – a side view of a Humvee drawn under the open-ended instruction of the very same teacher.  It was drawn in 2D AutoCAD back when just printing in color was ground-breaking technology.  I hung onto that simple drawing because it was an exciting discovery for me. It was where I first encountered a new tool that could help amplify my artistic and creative ability. It was the first time I got my hands on the same type of technology I now use almost every day in my exciting career.

On behalf of designers and engineers everywhere, I wanted to say thank you to the teachers who inspired creativity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  In this specific case, Thank You, Mr. Ruble, for fostering a place of inspiration!

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The whole crew of Lincoln Middle Schools’ FIRST program on their tour at Salient Technologies, with NERF guns in tow.

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The infamous Mr. Ruble and the FIRST crew from Lincoln High School wrapping up their Salient tour.

Salient’s Top 10 Highlights of 2014

Top 10 Highlights of 2014

It’s been a pretty big year for us here at Salient.  Following are some of our Highlights, “Letterman-style”:

No. 10:  Salient featured in a webisode of “In The Making”

No. 9:  David as Keynote Speaker for the RJ Young 3D Printing Conf. in Nashville, TN

No. 8: Rolling out the new Salient Website

No. 7: New PC SolidWorks Workstations (that we built ourselves!)

No. 6: Hiring two new Salient Team Members – Seth & Christina

No. 5: “Product Testing” Blue Ribbon Nets’ Aquafade nets in the Beartooth Mountains and catching a hoard of trout

No. 4: Participating in HATCH 2014 in Big Sky, MT

No. 3: Attending the Chicago Toy & Game Fair & The MMEC Compete Smart Show in Billings, MT

No. 2: Flying to Dusseldorf for the World Valve Expo

And No. 1: Working on over 130 product designs THIS YEAR!

Bonus:  Numerous Epic NERF Battles in the office.

Merry Christmas

3D Printing in the News

Just in case you missed it – here’s a short feature* on 3D Printing by ABC Fox Montana starring Salient Technologies, Inc. owners David Yakos (VP, Director of Creativity) and Steve Sanford (President)!

Reporter, Rachael Aragon takes a quick look at the how’s and what’s of 3D Printing at the Salient office in Bozeman, MT…

ABC Fox Montana 3D Printing story - November 2014

*Update: March 18, 2015 – We regret that the video for this feature is no longer available, but you can still click on the photo above to read the full article.

 

Taking Ideas from Good to Great

“Salient has been a vital part of The Ripple product development process, not only from an engineering perspective, but also in terms of design conception and education.  Developing an innovative and functional product is not a black and white process and what separates Salient from the competition is their willingness to dive in and explore all the possible ways your product can look and function. I would definitely recommend Salient to anyone who is ready to turn their idea into a reality.” – Kevin Scharfe, Founder, Warum Studios, LLC

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Here at Salient, we get to work with lots of people who have really good ideas, and we love nothing more than helping our clients develop their good ideas into great ideas. So when Warum Studios, LLC approached us with The Ripple, we knew it could be a great product, and the collaboration began.

With some “expert tweaking” – including improving on the bayonet design, size and depth of the bowl, and the ergonomic handle design – Salient kicked out manufacturing files, and The Ripple began a Kickstarter campaign to fund the next phase in production.  In a little over a month, Warum Studios was able to raise almost $30,000 in Kickstarter backing, collect market research and narrow down their target market to people in their 20’s who live in dorms or small apartments; young families and the disabled.ripple-3-horizontal

Now, 10 months after producing their first run, founder Kevin Scharf is proud to say they’ve sold almost 4,000 Ripples to customers all over the world! “What makes The Ripple truly special”, says Scharf, “is not that it’s a detachable bowl and plate, but the possibilities for different dishes and devices that can connect quickly and securely with our bayonet mount.  We are now in the market research phase of adding a smaller bowl to the lineup for kids and possibly a dipping cup/drink holder!”

The Ripple is currently available in retail stores across Montana and was recently published in Japan’s version of the Wall street Journal.  Friday, November 14th, you can tune into the DIY Network hit show, “I Want That”, at 9 PM Mountain Time, to see The Ripple featured as one of the shows coveted items. The Ripple has also been accepted into the “Discover Design” section of the juried Chicago-based International Housewares Show in February 2015. But, if you can’t make it to Chicago, you can purchase your very own Ripple HERE.

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Top 10 Benefits of 3D Printing

3D printing is one of those technologies that seem somewhat mysterious and futuristic. The closest experience most have with the science is from watching Star Trek where Data or Spock could request anything they wanted from a wall-mounted computer consul called the Replicator. It would replicator2theoretically arrange subatomic particles into whatever was requested; like a meal, uniform or a spare part for a machine. Today, the process is a little different than what you might experience on the Starship Enterprise however, that concept isn’t too far off the mark. Modern processes don’t synthesize at the atomic level but rather build one layer at a time by extruding molten plastic or curing a resin using UV or laser light. After 30 years of perfecting additive manufacturing (3D printing) it has become a vital step in product development. Today people are 3D printing replacement tools, ornate foods, textiles for clothing and even organic matter like bone. With this technology emerging in mainstream, I wanted to visit ten major benefits of the technology…

  1. Time-to-Market: 3D printing allows ideas to develop faster than ever. Being able to 3D print a concept the same day it was designed shrinks a development process from what might have been months to a matter of days, helping companies stay one step ahead of the competition.
  2. Save Money: Prototyping injection mold tools and production runs are expensive investments. The 3D printing process allows the creation of parts and/or tools through additive manufacturing at rates much lower than traditional machining.
  3. Mitigate Risk: Being able to verify a design before investing in an expensive molding tool is worth its weight in 3D printed plastic, and then some. Printing a production-ready prototype builds confidence before making these large investments. It is far cheaper to 3D print a test prototype then to redesign or alter an existing mold.
  4. Clear Communication: Describing the product you are going to deliver is often misinterpreted since it leaves construction up to the imagination. A conceptual picture of the product is better than the description since it is worth 1,000 words, but getting to hold the tangible product-to-be, in hand, clears all lines of communication. There is no ambiguity when holding the exact, or at least a very close, representation of the product.
  5. Feedback: With a prototype you can test the market by unveiling it at a trade-show, showing it to potential buyers or investors, or raising capital by pre-selling on IndiGogo or Kickstarter. Getting buyers response to the product before it actually goes into production is a valuable way to verify the product has market potential.
  6. Get the Feel: One thing you can’t get from a picture or virtual prototype on the computer screen is the way something feels in your hand. If you want to ensure the ergonomics and fit of a product are just right, you must actually hold it, use it and test it.
  7. Personalize It: With standard mass-production, all parts come off the assembly line or out of the mold the same. With 3D printing, one can personalize, customize and tweak a part to uniquely fit their needs, which allows for custom fits in the medical and dental industries and helps set people apart in the fashion and jewelry world.
  8. Build your Imagination: In the modern boom of digital art and design, the possibilities are not only accelerating but limitless. One can now 3D print almost anything they imagine after drawing it up virtually. In a relatively short time, an idea, concept, dream or invention can go from a simple thought to a produced part that you can hold.
  9. Square Holes?… No Problem: The limitations of standard machining have constrained product design for years. With the improvements in additive manufacturing, now the possibilities are endless. Geometry that has been historically difficult or impossible to build; like holes that change direction, unrealistic overhangs, or square interior cavities, is now possible and actually simple to construct.
  10. Fail Fast, Fail Quick, Fail Cheap: Being able to test ideas quickly and discover what doesn’t work accelerates discovery leading to an ideal solution. 3D printing allows a product developer to make breakthroughs at early stages that are relatively inexpensive leading to better products and less expensive dead-ends.

David Yakos is VP & Director of Creativity at Salient Technologies, Inc.

“In The Making” – An Inside Look at the Design Process

Sharing an inside look at our design process and the journey of one of our current projects is pretty exciting – especially when it’s with Doc Mike North, host of In the Making.

In the Making takes viewers behind the scenes of spectacular projects, people and ideas while they are being created. Doc North travels the world to give viewers an inspirational look into what it takes to make scientific breakthroughs, create companies and invent the future. Follow North to catch the next big thing while it’s still IN THE MAKING.

In this episode of In the Making, we’re exploring a new, non-lethal weapon alternative and sharing a bit of the developmental process by showcasing concept design, prototyping and production design.  The non-lethal pepper spray attachment mounts to any standard picatinny rail and has a range of approximately 30 feet to assist in defusing hostile situations.

In the Making with @Doctor North

Developing a product that’s used in the field means several prototypes versions are necessary to test the feel and function of the device. It’s important that a product feels right when in hand, which isn’t something that can be determined from a digital CAD file. The product has to feel robust, secure, made for the hand, and easy to operate. In testing this product, we found physical testing helpful in figuring out nozzle size and ensuring the pepper spray reached the correct distance. We also tested and perfected one hand operation including firing, loading and reloading.

The aim in designing this product is to save the lives of people who are unnecessarily shot due to chaotic series’ of events ending in lethal force. Officers are often called to enter situations without knowing the true nature of the environment and whether they will need to be armed with lethal or non-lethal force. This product gives law enforcement an option other than lethal force without endangering themselves or civilians by needing to lowering their firearm to switch tools in the midst of conflict. Now, hostile environments that are escalating to a high-risk situation can be quickly defused before they end in a fatal shooting.  Our goal is providing an alternative to lethal force by making a product that matters.

Thank you, Doc North, for your time and energy!

David Yakos is VP and Director of Creativity at Salient Technologies, Inc.

Thinking of You… Designing for the End User

Standing in the greeting card section of my local box store, I noticed a lot of “Thinking of You” cards. Tasked with finding an appropriate birthday card, I thought, “you really have to be an intentional and thoughtful person to get a ‘just-because’, Thinking of You card for someone.” You know the cards… they’re sappy,Thinking-of-You like, “The other day I was smiling for no reason, but then I realized I was thinking of you”; or snappy, like, “Just thinking of you… which reminds me… you owe me twenty bucks.”  As product designers, we have to take this intentional and thoughtful approach in crafting our ideas if we really want to connect with the End User. Buying a card, we know the recipient needs to be cheered up because they had a bad week, or loved on because they are excessively sentimental and feed off the sap. The intent of focusing on the reader’s or users’ needs can be called “user-centered design”.

In User-Centered Design, we need to look at who this End User is from the very early stage of designing a product.  We try to foresee the little girl, old man or even the puppy who will be using the product.  Doing this requires diving into imagination, dreaming up personas and asking questions of them: Will they intuitively know how to use the product without reading the instructions? Will they use it in extreme environments? How will they hold it? Where will they store it? With what will they clean it? Will they try to eat it? In product design, we’re sometimes guilty of jumping right into feature-based design with ideas biased by personal experience and desire… “I want it to look like an iPhone. I want it water-proof and it should be yellowish-orange because I think Apple is the greatest, I’m a swimmer and I really love yellowish-orange…”  What happened to the thoughtful and intentional designer; the kind that buys thinking of you cards? Ask questions!

One fun example of asking questions for thoughtful End User design occurs when creating a new dog toy. When developing dog toys we have to ask, “Who is the End User and what will they do with it?”  Obvious, right?… it’s the dog. But, when you think about it further… the End User of a dog toy is two-fold: a partnership between the pup and its owner.  Both the dog and his master want endless play out of the toy. westpaw-5-twizThe form has to be such that the teeth of the k9 can grab but cannot easily catch and cut into the toy, encouraging a long-lasting chew.  At the same time, it has to fit the hands of the owner who has to pick it up and throw it. Will it be covered in slobber when it’s grabbed? Is there a place that would be easier to hold on? Will it hold a treat and if so, how hard will it be for the dog to get it out? Will we discourage the dog or keep him entertained? How will it fly if thrown? Is the dog owner environmentally conscious and would they prefer an eco-friendly material? Does it matter to the owner where the product was made? Would they clean it if it was an easy process? Will this product ever end up in a pond and if so, should it float? How will this product make them feel? Yep, we have to talk about feelings.

In developing West Paw Design’s Tizzi, we envisioned a dog toy that could offer virtually endless play. We accomplished this by focusing on interactions between the users and toy while playing at the park or at home – not on the toy itself. Through our questions it was revealed that the form could not have sharp edges that would tear if a tooth got caught. In a game of tug-of-war there had to be room for teeth and fingers. If part of the toy became covered in slobber there had to be other grabbing options, or at least a texture to help mitigate the mess. A treat could be hidden in a chamber and the handles twisted and locked to allow for indoor play – possibly on the kitchen floor. The treat chamber would encourage prolonged play for the dogs with obsessive personalities…but what about a high energy dog at the park?  On the Tizzi, when the handles are twisted and locked the age-old game of fetch is enhanced by a toy that flies like a spiral thrown football resulting in even more fun for both End Users.

Lola with her Tizzi

Lola with her Tizzi.

With more questions answered, we select an appropriate material. The award-winning ZogoFlex material offers indestructibility, is recyclable, non-toxic, dishwasher safe, can be made in the USA and it is less dense than water allowing it to float if thrown into a pond or lake. Material selection alone allowed us to hit some major design criteria which were defined by focusing on the End User’s experience. Ultimately, we were successful in creating a product that makes the dog and owner feel good – good about getting exercise, good about environmentally conscious purchases and good about the enhanced relationship after solid playtime.

By asking and answering questions like these, we narrow down the intent of the product which governs the form and final function – not the other way around. We become intentional designers by just Thinking of You

David Yakos is VP and Director of Creativity at Salient Technologies, Inc.

SolidWorks Workstation Build

By Steve Sanford

I have always wanted to build a PC from the ground up. Coincidentally, it was always something Joel Switzer (our senior product designer here) wanted to do as well. Around Salient, we were always changing out computer components and upgrading everything “upgradeable” throughout a workstation’s lifecycle. Then eventually, the workstation would be retired and a new (usually Dell Precision) workstation would be put in its place. This time, instead of buying a pre-built workstation, we decided to build two workstations that would be as fast as our budget would allow.

SolidWorks logo

As a certified SolidWorks trainer and tech support provider (in a previous life) I always recommended users buy a balanced workstation. That is, processor, graphics, ram, hard drive speed, etc. should all be balanced for a given budget. In the last couple of years, though, it’s become apparent that less expensive workstation-class graphics cards coupled with the fastest processors resulted in excellent day-to-day results. No one likes waiting around for their CAD system to rebuild solid model geometry, and one core (or thread) in the processor is responsible for that in common 3D CAD systems. Even though SolidWorks is single-threaded–meaning that typical modeling work only utilizes one processor core–other applications, such as photo rendering, video creation, and using multiple programs at the same time can utilize a multi-core processor. At Salient, that’s translated into moving away from Intel Xeon processors and into Intel Core i7 processors for our last several upgrade cycles.

Intel Devil’s Canyon i7 4790k Logo

When Intel announced it’s Devil’s Canyon i7 4790k (the “k” meaning it is unlocked or can be overclocked) and the release new Z97 motherboards, we knew we had try building some dedicated SolidWorks machines. So, with a few tips from Charles Culp and Anna Wood on the SolidWorks forums, an Easy PC builder YouTube video, we used PCPartPicker.com (see this link for our build) to spec out components that would work together.

PC Part-Picker is helpful in figuring out where each component is a good deal, but if you have a Micro Center nearby, they have some great deals on processors and components. Being in Montana–far from the nearest Micro Center…and any other source of components–we found most of the parts we needed on Amazon, Newegg, and Tigerdirect. After they all showed up, we got out our toolkit, slapped on our anti-static wristbands, and set about assembling our two new workstations.

At the same time, we decided to make a timelapse video of the build just for fun. This isn’t meant to educate anyone on putting together a computer, but with a GoPro with suction cup mount and Canon DSLR + intervalometer just itching to be used, we couldn’t resist. Enjoy!

Next up is using these workstations for SolidWorks 3D solid modeling software and Adobe Creative Cloud. After we make sure they’re running smoothly, we’re going to try overclocking, both manually and with ASUS’s AI Tuner to see what kinds of performance gains we can achieve.

Steve Sanford is the President and Co-Owner of Salient Technologies, Inc.

 

The Importance of an Animation – Using 3D CAD to Tell Stories

If a picture is worth a thousands words, then at 30 frames per second, a video is worth its weight in gold…

Seal Master

In the product design world, a high value is placed on sharing ideas, which springboard to greater things. Animations are helpful for both proof of concept prior to an idea being fully fleshed out and for products that are ready to manufacture.  Today, videos play a pivotal role in getting a product seen by the right person or group, and often lead to purchase or licensing agreements. With social media playing such a large role in our society, creating a video that highlights the key features of your design and why it stands apart from others can be a key player in getting a product to market.

Take Kickstarter for example. Each crowd-funding campaign is required to have a video to share the story behind the idea of what’s being pitched and all the elements that make this particular product worth monetary backing. Frequently, these products are still in a prototype phase, so the value of an animation is immeasurable in being able to paint a picture of something that could potentially exist, but needs funding to actually reach the manufacturing stage.

Earlier this year, Seal Master Corporation approached Salient Technologies, Inc. for help showcasing a product. Using 3D CAD and video editing software, the STI Team was able to provide Seal Master with a technical animation showcasing their inflatable seals and the components that set it apart from the competition. Salient delivered the video they envisioned to communicate product features to potential client and grow their business.

Check out the video animation below:

After working with STI, Dan Jackson, IT Manager for Seal Master Corporation had only good things to say:
“Salient Technologies has been wonderful to work with. From initial draft to final revision, our animation has been created exactly how we envisioned. When many other design firms fell short with our concept, Salient had the knowledge and vision to deliver. They provide quality work for a fair price. Looking forward to working with them in the future for all of our technical animation needs.”

Let Salient Technologies, Inc. help share your idea and vision through the power of animation!

Get Lost! How 3D CAD is Used to Build a Massive Maze

Fall has officially arrived in Bozeman, Montana when the local straw bale maze opens to the public.  Every year, they amaze the community with very large and complex designs that, like the Nazca Lines of Peru, can truly be appreciated from the sky.  Over the years, the Bozeman Straw Bale Maze has given us an immense castle to explore, a pitchfork-holding scarecrow, 3D stage coach and now, an isometric view of a tractor.  This years’ monolith was built out of 4,300 purposefully placed straw bales and now confuses even the greatest of navigators.

Bozeman Straw Bale Maze 2014Asides from being a gigantic maze, beautiful piece of art and an ideal community event, another highlight is how this feat is accomplished. With inspiration for the tractor from the newly added straw bale rides pulled by a classic John Deere, maze founder Dale Mandeville drew up what he wanted to create. “It’s always a challenge because we’re working off just a drawing and then we take what is an 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of paper and turn it into a 150 foot drawing on the ground,” says Mandeville.

After scanning the tractor drawing, the file is brought into SolidWorks, 3D CAD software. From there, a precise grid is placed over the picture and the placement of towers, tents, parking and buildings are added.  A much larger grid scaled to size (roughly 400:1) is then placed on the ground utilizing miles of string and spray paint markers. This grid drawing method allows one to break a complex image into individual manageable squares (finite elements). Utilizing the original drawing as a reference, it is much easier to create one square at a time, one after another until the entire image comes together which can be quite helpful if a projector is unavailable or won’t suffice.

The Maze is one of those events you must experience in person! But if you simply can’t make it, or want a preview, you can experience the 2012 Scarecrow virtually within a 3D environment created with MicrosoftPhotosynth HERE.  Have fun!

tractor-grid

 

David Yakos is VP and Director of Creativity at Salient Technologies, Inc.

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