Rapid Prototyping & Tooling

2024 Award Finalists

The Create the Future Design Contest, launched in 2002 by SAE Media Group, recognizes and rewards engineering innovations that benefit humanity, the environment, and the economy. Read on to learn about the finalists in all seven categories chosen from new product ideas submitted from more than 50 countries. The Grand Prize winner and category winners will be chosen at a live competition on November 15.

Shape Memory Alloy Tubular Structure

Applications include vehicle and aircraft tires, sports helmets, military equipment, and seals and couplings. Read on to learn more.

3D-Printed Mini-Actuators Can Move Small Soft Robots, Lock Them Into New Shapes

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of...

Aligning Laser Antenna Optical Components for the LISA Space Mission

In January, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Program Committee approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, the first scientific endeavour to...

Single Drop of Ethanol to Revolutionize Nanosensor Production

Macquarie University engineers have developed a new technique to make the manufacturing of nanosensors far less carbon-intensive, much cheaper, more efficient, and more versatile — substantially improving a key process in this trillion-dollar global industry.

How Simple Component Improvements Can Revolutionize Plant Processes

Since its introduction, dozens of steel mills — ranging from hot to cold and bar to sheet — have recognized the benefits of incorporating INSTAclamp Lock Rings into their operations. Despite a redesign with a new material, the product is not restricted by which mill types it can operate within.

New Technology Offers Better Diagnosis of Dizziness

The vibrating device uses bone-conducted sounds to achieve better results.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on the VersaBlade wire-to-wire connectors from Molex, one on 3D-printed food technology, and more.

Printing High-Fidelity Sensors

Printed radio frequency (RF) surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor devices are a promising technology for providing highly reconfigurable, cost-effective, and multi-parameter sensing.

High-Throughput Battery Cell Production

As battery manufacturers work to rapidly add new production capacity, they face a challenge in compressing the time it takes to build new production lines.

The Need for Speed: Strategies for Data and Testing in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Despite recent supply-chain disruptions, semiconductor buyers are increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to chip manufacturers.

2022 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Winner - Large-Scale 3D Printing with Tubes

The 3D printing industry has grown quickly over the last decade with average compound annual growth rates of around 27 percent leading to a market size of $17.7 billion in 2022.

Products of Tomorrow

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.

3D-Printed Lubrication System for Single-Use Engines

CTO Daniella Sladen and her team at Zulu Pods have created an oil-delivery system that fits in the palm of your hand.

Painting 3D-Printed Objects

Engineers have created a highly effective way to paint complex 3D-printed objects, such as lightweight frames for aircraft and biomedical stents, that could save manufacturers time and money and provide new...

Combating COVID-19 with Clean Air Tech

NASA-derived air-quality technologies help curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the Future of 3D Printing in the Automotive Industry?

1 Year? 5 years? 10? A reader wants an industry expert to predict when 3D printing will truly catch on in automotive manufacturing.

Create the Future Design Contest: Success Story — Reinventing Mobility

Rowheel, which was a winning technology at SAE’s Create the Future Design Contest in 2010, continues to roll forward.

Designing from the Outside In vs the Inside Out

You can design something special when you begin with a blank piece of paper on a wall. Editor Ed Brown shares a lesson learned from his early days as an engineer.

5 Ws of the Ocean Battery

Learn the Who, What, Where, Why, and When for an ocean battery that holds onto excess energy from offshore wind farms.

How to Build an 'Ocean Battery'

Dr. Frits Bliek and his team at Ocean Grazer are building an "Ocean Battery" that brings hydrodam technology to the sea.

Microneedles

Microneedles offer an intriguing alternative to the drug-delivery devices we know and don't love.

Agile RFID Antenna System

Applications include manufacturing/assembly line tracking, industrial transportation and logistics, and healthcare.