Unless running their own firm, industrial designers don't get to choose the problems they solve. The client's problem, no matter how small, becomes your Manhattan Project. So while this may seem frivolous, let's say your client supplies beach resorts, and this is their problem:All this time, we've been so worried about robots coming for us, we took our eye off of beach umbrellas.What would you do? Any designer would note that the solution is within the environment itself. Every beach has, in addition to wind, sand. As earth materials go, sand is the easiest to move.This BeachBUB umbrella employs an integrated sandbag. You fill it on-site, obviously, and it becomes a ballast. This AnchorONE design comes with a shovel. You dig an 18"-deep hole, then insert the anchor, which is made of HDPE and PVC. The company says they've tested it in a wind tunnel and that it will handle up to 44 mph gusts. If digging doesn't appeal to you, this Blue Beach Umbrella Anchor System consists of sliding poles that serve as both the anchor and the installation tool. You hammer the thing two feet into the ground, which is supposedly enough to keep the included umbrella steady. Not everyone craves the safety of an anchored umbrella. As you can see below, at least one Florida-Man-type sees windblown umbrellas as an opportunity to interact with his environment. #design #solutions #beachside #umbrellawind #wars

Damen Compact Crafts, a division of the Dutch shipbuilding company Damen Shipyards Group, has partnered with CEAD, a developer of large-format additive manufacturing solutions, to build a 3D printed high-density polyethyleneWorkboat. The joint initiative will be carried out at CEAD’s Maritime Application Centerin Delft. This project brings together maritime design and industrial 3D printing expertise to investigate more sustainable and efficient vessel production methods. DCCr is designing the workboat for multipurpose operations including inspections, patrol, support, and logistics. As part of the research, the hull will be produced using CEAD HDPro material, a high-performance polyethylene blend. The aim is to determine whether additive manufacturing can introduce greater flexibility, reduce waste, and accelerate production timelines. 3D printing the hull enables more complex geometries and may allow integration of recycled or renewable materials into the build process. Nick Pruissenand Charlène van Wingerdenformalize the collaboration to develop a 3D printed HDPE workboat at the Maritime Application Center in Delft. Photo via CEAD. Founded in 2014, CEAD develops turnkey large-format additive manufacturing systems for industrial use. Its portfolio includes robot-based and cartesian-style solutions capable of producing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic components. For this workboat project, CEAD is providing its hardware and process expertise in printing large polymer structures. “The MAC was founded to accelerate exactly these kinds of innovations – and a 3D printed HWB is a perfect example of that,” said Charlene van Wingerden, Chief Business Development Officer at CEAD. Damen Shipyards, which operates 35 shipyards and 20 affiliated companies across 20 countries, delivers approximately 100 vessels annually. The company focuses on serial construction, modularity, and integrated systems to streamline design and production. “3D printing allows us to respond more quickly and flexibly to what our customers really need,” said Nick Pruissen, Managing Director at Damen Compact Crafts. “It’s an exciting step toward smart, sustainable solutions that work.” Damen views additive manufacturing as a potential fit within its broader digitalization and standardization strategy. Both parties describe the initiative as an exploratory step toward incorporating additive manufacturing into maritime production workflows. The project will serve as a technical evaluation of process capabilities, material performance, and structural feasibility. According to the partners, the workboat program reflects a practical use case where market-specific vessel requirements can be tested against automated, large-scale 3D printing technologies. Facade of CEAD’s Maritime Application Centerin Delft. Photo via CEAD. Large-format additive manufacturing gains traction in marine sector In the United States, ErectorCraft has begun commercially producing 3D printed boat hulls using large-format additive manufacturing. The company employs high-density polyethyleneand proprietary ErectorBot extrusion systems to fabricate full-scale marine components without the use of traditional molds. ErectorCraft’s approach includes on-site production capabilities, engineering services, and 3D concrete printingfor marine infrastructure. According to the company, its decentralized manufacturing model shortens production timelines and lowers material waste. Chief Technology Officer Leonard Dodd developed the ErectorBot system and previously contributed to Autodesk’s direct metal deposition process used in the first class-approved 3D printed propeller. In Europe, yacht builder Pershing has integrated LFAM into its GTX116 model through a collaboration with Caracol. The yacht’s side air grilles and visor were produced using Caracol’s Heron AM platform, a robotic extrusion system operating at the company’s Milan facility. The components, made from ASA reinforced with 20% glass fiber, were printed in 72 hours and finished with a gel coat. According to Ferretti Group, this production method resulted in a 50% lead time reduction, 60% less material waste, and a 15% weight savings compared to traditional fiberglass lamination. Caracol operates one of the largest LFAM centers in Europe and has expanded its applications across the aerospace, marine, and construction sectors. 3D printed intake grilles. Photo via Caracol. Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights. Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Featured image shows Nick Pruissenand Charlène van Wingerdenformalize the collaboration to develop a 3D printed HDPE workboat. Photo via CEAD. Anyer Tenorio Lara Anyer Tenorio Lara is an emerging tech journalist passionate about uncovering the latest advances in technology and innovation. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, Anyer has quickly made a name for himself in the tech community. Anyer's articles aim to make complex subjects accessible and engaging for a broad audience. In addition to his writing, Anyer enjoys participating in industry events and discussions, eager to learn and share knowledge in the dynamic world of technology. #hdpe #workboat #hull #printed #damen

Corporations make a lot of stuff they want to sell you, and invest a lot of money, effort, and time into convincing you to not only to buy a product, but to buy a specific version of it. While there’s nothing wrong with pointing out the advantages of one product over another, sometimes marketers use specifically vague or deceptive phrases in order to convince you to choose the one they're offering up.The problem with these phrases is that they exist in a kind of gray area—they’re not outright lies, but they’re also not particularly transparent. When you see one of these eight terms printed on a product’s label, it's a good reminder to engage in some critical thinking about what it's actually telling you.FDA-approvedSeeing the phrase “FDA Approved” on a medicine’s product label probably gives you a certain sense of confidence. After all, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t just approve everything! Getting that FDA stamp of approval must mean it’s safe and high-quality, right?But that’s not actually what “FDA Approved” means at all. The phrase specifically means “the drug is determined to provide benefits that outweigh its known and potential risks for the intended population.” It has absolutely nothing to do with quality, and it doesn’t even mean it’s low-risk—just that the benefits outweigh the risks. That’s useful information, but in marketing, the phrase is used as an indicator that you’re getting a superior product that you can trust to be safe, when all it really means is that it works, and the downsides areworth it.Genuine leatherThe word “genuine” is doing a lot of work here. You probably think it must be some kind of industry term, with all kinds of meaningful grading and quality testing behind it. But in the words of Lifehacker editor Beth Skwarecki, “‘genuine leather’ just means it’s...leather." It literally just means the thing you’re holding in your hand is, in fact, made of leather. It says nothing about the quality of that leather—good or bad.PatentedIf you watch Shark Tank, you probably have a high opinion of the patent process, and assume that if a product is patented—and shouts that information everywhere in its advertising—it must be innovative and unique. You’d better buy this version, is the implication, because no one else can replicate its patented magic.Eh, not necessarily. Sure, some patents do, in fact, protect innovative ideas. But patents can be issued for a lot of reasons—sometimes minor technical improvements, or new ways of combining ingredients or components. The U.S. issues hundreds of thousands of patents every year, and not all of them are meaningful in the sense of describing amazing breakthroughs or even unique applications. But the term conveys a certain gravitas to a product’s other claims around effectiveness, utility, and value, so marketers use it any time they can.Maximum strengthThe “it goes to 11” of marketing copy. This phrase always looks convincing— it's usually written in all caps at the top of the label to let you know that the product is not messing around, and that it is the most product you can buy.The problem is, what does “maximum” mean? Maximum compared to what? If it means compared to the other versions of the product, that doesn’t necessarily mean competing brands won’t be stronger. If it refers to some sort of legal or physical limitation on how powerful a drug or other product can be, then that same restriction applies to competing products as well. It’s a relative term that doesn’t mean anything unless you put in some research to understand what the reference points actually are.All-naturalEvery now and then, someone falls for the classic “dihydrogen monoxide” prank, agreeing that a dangerous chemical like DHMO should be banned after hearing about all the potential hazards it causes, like death if accidentally inhaled. DHMO is, of course, water—dangerous under the right conditions, but also necessary for life. The point being, many chemicals are all-natural, technically speaking, and there’s no clear guidance from the FDA on what the term means. Most products are processed to such a degree that it’s impossible to determine what “natural” even could mean, so labeling something as “all-natural” doesn’t mean much.Doctor-approvedWhen shopping for health-related products of any kind, it can be persuasive to see one is “doctor approved” in some way. You might think this means that a major medical association has come together to recommend that product, or at least conducted some sort of study and determined that this product did the job best. It probably doesn’t mean that, though. While it often means that at least one doctor tested or reviewed the product, that doctor may have been on the company payroll, and either way the phrase doesn’t mean a more formal or official approval process of any kind took place.Clinically provenSimilarly, the phrase “clinically proven” can be deceptive because the clinical studies being referenced are often paid for by the manufacturer itself. While that doesn’t necessarily mean these studies are fake, it does call into question how objective the study and its designers were, and whether any independent bodies corroborate its findings.Worse, sometimes the studies being cited for the “clinically proven” claim don’t actually prove that the product works. Sometimes fine print hidden somewhere on a label or website will clarify this, but not always. Even if a study was reasonably well-conducted and independently organized, you need more than one study to have confidence that an active ingredient or specific formulation of something actually works as advertised.RecyclableIf you’re worried about the future of the planet, you might be seeking out products that lower your carbon footprint. Seeing that a product’s packaging is recyclable makes you feel better about using it, because you know that when you toss it away you’re not adding to a landfill.Except, often, you are. Companies sometimes use materials in their packaging that are technically recyclable, but practically not recyclable. In other words, the specific plastic or other material can be recycled, but aspects of the packaging itself—shape, size, and the stuff it contains—mean that it will be separated out and tossed into a landfill regardless. And sometimes the specific material used isn’t recycled universally—for example, HDPE plastic can be recycled, but not all recycling facilities accept it. #dont #fall #these #eight #deceptive