Posted by Tony Wright 1 on 29/01/2021 09:54:34:
The skills required for 3d are computer skills not model engineering ! Using a band saw or a hacksaw you still have to physically do it .Carving a piece of wood is hardly engineering is it . I was Just taking it to it’s logical conclusion.Like cnc it’s the computer program that’s doing the work.
Is this an unusually narrow view of what Model Engineering should be? I spot some misunderstandings too.
My random collection of Model Engineer magazines shows our forefathers considered almost anything technical fair game. One of my 1919 magazines has no models in it at all, and a long article on Wireless Telegraphy.
While computer programmers need deep computer skills, most users don't. Only necessary to understand how to stop and start programs, and to learn how to navigate applications of interest. 3D CAD is just another tool that happens to run on a computer. Like anything else it has to be learnt.
CAD isn't super-human. It saves time and money, for example by automatically adding facts to model as they develop. By designating a part is made of steel, the computer can calculate the weight automatically. Even better, the weight is recalculated if the material is changed to something else, like Aluminium. Once a computer model includes physical characteristics, CAD is able to do more advanced stuff like identifying where designs are too weak or too strong (overweight). Information like centre of gravity is available as a by product – the designer doesn't have to use reference books, do tedious calculations by hand, or build several prototypes. And once a model is defined, it can be imported into other models, so standard parts like gears and fasteners are a doodle.
CAD doesn't do the most important part of design – imagination! So there's little difference between conceiving a manual design and the same in CAD. CAD has no magic button to convert vague ideas into reality. Designers still have to plan, think, decide and review. Once learned, CAD relieves the designer of most of the drudge work, but it doesn't do creativity. That's our job.
CNC is just another time saver. In the good old days metal was shaped with cold chisels or forging. Then came files and grinding, which some at the time considered a threat. Milling machines are basically motorised precision files, and they too were disapproved of by traditionalists. Preceded by automatics and other mass-production methods, CNC is just another step down the same road: it keeps machines busier than humans can manage. Each change shifted the nature of the skills and techniques used, but they are all valid. Being different doesn't make anything wrong or inferior.
I don't have a problem with traditional skills or modern methods, they're both wonderful. Hand and brain are equally admirable. Nor do I have a problem with history, motorbikes, aircraft, electricity, chemistry, astronomy or computing on the forum. Diversity is one of the main attractions.
Dave