'Can we develop things like CAD app stores?'

Jon Hirschtick, Jon Washington and Ben Gebhardt at DFM Summit #5 discussed what has held back adoption of CAD-based cost estimation tools like aPriori. Open API's and connections with online parts marketplaces like Proto Labs and Fabricating.com could make costing tools more useful. 'They are all just tools,' Solidworks founder Hirschtick concluded. 'You need to be a great engineer to use them.'

'You need print-outs to get a feeling what the product will be like'

Jeremy Luchini (Lagoa), Anthony Moschella (MakerBot) and Brad Augustine (Humanscale) discussed what digital tools can do for collaboration in product development at DFM Summit #5.

'Complexity comes free' in digital fabrication

ShopBot founder Ted Hall at DFM Summit #5 discussed decentralization in manufacturing and the return of cottage industries. Hall appreciates the 'lifestyle opportunity' in this trend, but makes the neo-luddite argument that digital fabrication is 'unlikely to improve or increase employment'.

SketchUp will 'fly you out to San Mateo'

SketchUp and ShopBot challenge makers to design an information kiosk for Maker Faire Bay Area in May. SketchUp's John Bacus introduced the competition last Thursday at DFM Summit #5 in Brooklyn.

Situ Studio 'a new breed of architects and designers'

Situ Studio is a design, research and fabrication practice in Brooklyn. 'We set out our business with a fabrication shop that can take on full scale production,' says founding partner Aleksey Lukyanov-Cheny.

Machine Made helping makers get things made

Machine Made is a manufacturing and fabrication platform for designers and makers. The manufacturing network will provide support 'starting and bridging through that prototyping phase and going through the first run,' says Andrew Baccon, partner in Machine Made with Erik Tietz.

MulvannyG2 developing furniture

Zac Feltoon last year became the lead industrial designer at architecture firm MulvannyG2. 'The design language that we speak now is a hybrid between industrial design and architecture,' he says.

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