Cadalyst - January 2008 - (Page 15)

techtrends serious. simple. cheap! Figure 2. The Lunocet, another of Ciamillo’s inventions, mechanically mimics a dolphin’s flapping tail. interested in the dolphins is that they have a highly efficient propulsion system. What they do is oscillate their tails, which are like wings. As they move up and down, they create a forward-directed lift force, which generates the thrust to propel the animal forward in a way that really doesn’t require a lot of additional or wasted energy at all.” The performance of this novel propulsion system depends on a number of variables, including the ratio of body surface area to fin surface area, fluke flexibility, camber, peduncle hinge and pivot, and angle of attack. Fish and Ciamillo will need to conduct a series of real-world tests to figure out the best configuration for the Subhuman’s propulsor and for the Lunocet. Alibre Design is professional 3D solid modeling for serious designers. If you are a machinist modifying imported models or a design engineer building a complex assembly, Alibre Design has the features you need to get the job done with ease. Our new V10 adds more power with direct editing and a new Add-on Alibre CAM, but the price remains the same. Join the growing numbers of users that have discovered why Alibre Design is the smart competitive products. If you are skeptical, put us to the test on your next project. Download our 30 day free trial of Alibre Design Professional. We’ll train you and get you started. So go with the industry’s fastest growing 3D CAD software. It’s that simple. Center of Gravity When Ciamillo felt the Lunocet model in Solid Edge was ready for production, he exported the parts as IGES files into Mastercam software for generating tool path. Soon, the first physical prototype was born (figure 2). “It was made of carbon fiber core with molded skin,” Ciamillo said. “The skin was created in CAM (computeraided manufacturing) using the IGES file. The core was essentially a piece of foam sandwiched between two pieces of carbon fiber. It was quite buoyant.” Ciamillo found out just how efficient the Lunocet was when he dropped the model into the 10,000-square-foot test lagoon behind his shop. “When we pushed it flat to the bottom and let it go, it left the bottom immediately, with the leading edge pitching up, the buoyant force provided the transverse motion similar to a flapping fluke. The Lunocet, generating lift, shot horizontally across the tank.” When he conducted a similar test on the 1,000-lb Subhuman, he discovered that the buoyancy was off by merely 3 lbs. He attributed this accuracy to Solid Edge’s ability to calculate an assembly’s weight and center of gravity. “If I www.alibre.com 877-525-4273 Catch Alibre at the PD&M Show in Anaheim at booth 3609, January 29-31, 2008 ©2007 Alibre Inc. All rights reserved. Alibre CAM and Alibre Design are trademarks of Alibre Inc. www.cadalyst.com | cadalyst | January 2008 15 http://www.alibre.com http://www.alibre.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - January 2008

Cadalyst - January 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Chasing the Dolphins CAD that Won’t Break the Bank AliasStudio 2008 — Design and Visualization Software VectorWorks 2008 — CAD/BIM Authoring Software Dell Precision M4300 — Mobile Workstation What’s in Store for 2008? Low- or No-Cost CAD Goliath Reinvented Doin’ the DEED Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes The Return of Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - January 2008

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