Engineer's Picks: Robots in Construction, Generative Design & Fast-Charging Batteries

[engineering.com]( Engineer’s Picks In the latest issue of the engineering.com communique, we answer these questions and more: • How will Trump's tariffs affect North American manufacturing? • What's happening with robots in construction? • How does a 3D battery charge in seconds? • And why aren't there more products made with generative design? June 11, 2018 [Steel Squeeze: A Look at How the Trump Tariffs Could Impact Manufacturing in North America]( By: Lane Long The Trump administration recently dropped an economic bombshell that Canada, Mexico and the European Union will be subject to 25 and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, respectively. Why is this a bigger deal than imposing tariffs on China or Russia? Lane Long offers an in-depth analysis on what this news could mean for U.S. manufacturers. For one thing, by including two of the three largest exporters of steel to the U.S., these tariffs mean higher prices are now unavoidable. That’s bad news for the auto industry, which was already predicting a rough year due to higher metal prices before the new tariffs were announced. The aerospace industry could be in an even worse position, with retaliatory measures threatening its exports in addition to the higher material costs. [Read the full story →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- June 7, 2018 [Construction Robotics Industry Set to Double by 2023]( By: Emily Pollock For all the productivity gains we've seen thanks to new technologies, productivity in the construction industry has lagged behind. However, that seems to be changing, as indicated by a recent report from Markets and Markets, which predicts that the global construction robot market will more than double by 2023. This market includes traditional robots- which range from vehicles to androids- as well as robotic arms and exoskeletons. While traditional robots will continue to hold the largest share of the market, exoskeletons are expected to have the highest growth rate. Robotic arms bring some particularly tantalizing possibilities, including 3D-printed buildings and bricklaying at superhuman speeds. [Read the full story →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- June 7, 2018 [3D Battery Charges in Seconds]( By: Jeffrey Heimgartner Whether you're itching to take a selfie or can’t wait to take your new Tesla out for a spin, no one likes waiting for batteries to charge. Fortunately, thanks to a team of engineers at Cornell University, soon we might not have to. The team took the traditional concept of a battery- an anode, a cathode and a nonconducting separator- and shrunk it down using nanotechnology. Their concept intertwines the three components in a self-assembling, 3D gyroidal structure, using thousands of nanoscale pores, each containing an anode, cathode and separator. The result is a power density orders of magnitude higher than conventional battery architectures. [Read the full story →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- June 7, 2018 [Generative Design: The Road to Production]( By: Phillip Keane Even the best designers have trouble competing with Mother Nature, and why shouldn’t they? She's had hundreds of millions of years' worth of practice. That's why generative design- which uses algorithms inspired by bone growth-has so many people excited. But given all the apparent benefits of generative design, why aren't we seeing more products take advantage of it? Philip Keane spoke to some of the biggest names in generative design and manufacturing to find an answer. Cost and anxiety about consumer acceptance are two of the biggest hurdles to adoption, but there's another, more nuanced issue. Generative design and additive manufacturing seem to go in hand, which means they can support each other, but they can also hold each other back. [Read the full story →]( We hope you enjoy these stories. Here are a few more of our top picks for this week. Enjoy. More Stories [Icon]( Unchain the ShopFloor through Software-Defined Automation [Read →]( [Icon]( PLM Start-Up Offers Alternative to Rip and Replace [Read →]( [Icon]( All the Small Things: CAD Tips and Tricks [Read →]( Resources [Icon]( Live Webinar: The Best Design System for the Modern Engineer - June 27, 1PM ET [Sign Up Now →]( [Icon]( White Paper : Why GDPR Must Be Baked Into Your Enterprise Software [Read Now →]( [Icon]( White Paper: Future Direction for Product Lifecycle Management and Model-Based Systems Engineering [Read Now →]( That’s it for today. Check back in at engineering.com for more stories about the latest trends and news that are defining the way the world works. Stay In Touch With engineering.com [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( Copyright © 2018 engineering.com, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Engineering.com [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences](