[Edu-sig] re: Beyond CP4E

[ajsiegel at optonline.net]

>F4E, Fabbing for Everyone is a similar idea, but for the physical 
>world.

Interesting stuff - with or without the E concept attached.

My exposure to this general realm of things 
is real (business) world - one of the clients with which I
work closely is in the injection molding business.

Had the opportunity to tour a plant in Poland that
makes some of his molds. Interesting to see
the process of CAD drawings directly controlling
machines that are essentially carving dense metal
in fine detail.

Earlier in the process of creating a real product is the
prototyping phase.

That  had been complex and expensive.

Now there are contraptions like 3d printers.

Industrial Geometry.

is how those of us with a certain fixation might
look at it.

I would like to build the perfectly formed, appropriately
flexible non-destructible hexaflexagon, with programmable faces.

Wouldn't have thought of that kind of possiblity
ten years ago - but materials science might not be 
too far away from it at this point.

The sad part is that once I had it I would look back nostalgically
on the days when folks needed to use a protractor to calc
60 degress and fold paper by hand.  And I wouldn't be
wrong - emotionally. 

pinky finger.
 

Art