Conveying product complexity to the layman (or woman) can be difficult though. Have you ever tried to explain what you do to someone who is not \u201cin the know\u201d? If your experience was anything like mine, your attempt fell flat and your not-so-rapt audience was left staring at you blankly. It\u2019s no small task to simplify the complexity of CAD into conversational tidbits that the average person can easily digest. Harder still is making the topic interesting\u2026 at least for those who don\u2019t share your enthusiasm for the perfect blend.<\/P><\/p>\n
Yet that is exactly what Hugh Newsam and Jon Rimmer managed to do for an audience of nearly a hundred during the Cambridge Science Festival<\/A>.<\/P><\/p>\n Questions such as \u201cHow many parts were in the first Boeing 777<\/A>?\u201d or the more relatable \u201cHow many words are in the entire Harry Potter series?\u201d served not just to engage the audience, but also to demonstrate the magnitude of developing and managing products. The first Boeing 777\u2014which, not coincidentally, was the first ever aircraft to be designed entirely with CAD\u2014had 3 million parts, while the Harry Potter series contains nearly 1.1 million words. Those numbers are significant enough to make even the most casual observer sit up and take notice.<\/P><\/p>\n From there, Jon and Hugh were able to delve into the meatier topics of the digital twin, virtual versus physical prototypes, and pulling it all together with NX<\/A>.<\/P><\/p>\n Jon and Hugh also explored the concept of digital twin<\/A>. You no doubt have heard this term used a lot lately, and will continue to do so as it remains a key part of the future of manufacturing and product development in general. The digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical product that lives alongside it throughout the product lifecycle and beyond. The digital twin helps to conserve resources by reducing or eliminating altogether the need for physical prototypes. It\u2019s no secret that a physical copy of a product takes time and money to create. Any design changes set you right back to square one in that process. The digital twin leads to higher efficiency and improved product quality (all of that extra time you save can be put toward improving the design, after all!).<\/P> You can\u2019t have a digital twin without data though, and that is where things come full circle to tie in to the theme of this years\u2019 Cambridge Science Festival which is, of course, Big Data! There\u2019s another buzzword for you, but again, its popularity is not unfounded. As more products are brought into the digital realm, there is more information one can collect and use to better understand the world. Big Data<\/A> deals with how to do precisely that.<\/P><\/p>\n This year marked the first time that Siemens has participated in the Cambridge Science Festival. The 14-day-long fair comprised 120 events including talks, exhibitions, demonstrations and hands-on, interactive experiences, all of which were dedicated to the latest research in science and math technology.<\/P><\/p>\n The point was not just to share the revolutionary changes coming out of science and tech, but also to ignite the spark of excitement that will lead future generations to pursue careers in science and be the next engineers.<\/P><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the takeaway for you? Well, the next time you find yourself struggling to explain to your spouse, child, friend or neighbor what exactly it is you do for a living, think back to the Cambridge Science Festival and remember these tips taken from Jon and Hugh\u2019s presentation:<\/P>They used numerous real-life examples to explain how an engineer like you uses NX to model, simulate, and validate a product from conception to completion. Audience members including university students and even children as young as 12 got to see firsthand how an engineer creates the mechanical components for a car. The Bloodhound car<\/A>, in particular, drew a lot of attention for the unique challenges it faces. We won\u2019t get into too much detail on the Bloodhound in this post, but it is essentially part racecar, part rocket ship with the goal to set a new land speed record of 1,000 mph. Look for a follow-up post coming soon if you\u2019d like to learn more!<\/P><\/p>\n
\n<\/P>
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n<\/UL><\/p>\n