March 27, 2013 - 3D printing speeds crazy ideas into testable prototypes

 CSI NewsBriefWed, Mar 27, 2013
Subject: March 27, 2013 - 3D printing speeds crazy ideas into testable prototypes

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March 27, 2013 News for commercial building design and construction professionals 3D printing speeds crazy ideas into testable prototypes 3D printing, used to make a variety of finished items, is being used in a range of industries to quickly produce and test product prototypes. Ford, for instance, used a 3D printer to produce a testable prototype for a hybrid transmission from aluminum powder. Said Charles Sprinkle, a systems engineer for loudspeaker maker Harman America, "This has more than cut in half the time it takes to go from a crazy idea in someone's head to a part that's ready for production." USA Today (3/20)      Products, Innovation & Technology:  Diagonally cut pylons chosen for Tappan Zee Bridge design  (More stories below ...) Sustainability & Green Building:  Unobtrusive structures could bring more functionality to urban parks  (More stories below ...) Advancing Your Career:  Get a productivity boost from your network  (More stories below ...) News from CSI:  Participate in a CSI Practice Group  (More stories below ...)   Products, Innovation & Technology  Diagonally cut pylons chosen for Tappan Zee Bridge design The public has chosen a design that includes diagonally cut, slender towers for the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. The chamfered-top pylons will rise 419 feet above the water. The winning design was also recommended by a state panel. Meanwhile, Tappan Zee Constructors will begin geotechnical investigations to analyze soil conditions in and around the Hudson River. The Journal News (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, N.Y.) (3/21), Patch.com/Pleasantville, N.Y. (3/24)      Calif.'s Devil's Slide tunnels open to traffic The Devil's Slide tunnels, twin bores 4,200 feet long in Pacifica, Calif., will be opened to motorists early this week. The $439 million project is the first highway-tunnel project in the state in nearly 50 years. "It just seems unreal to me," said Zoe Kersteen-Tucker, a project advocate. "We worked on it for so many years. Now we not only have a state-of-the-art tunnel but we've protected Montara Mountain and all these beautiful coastal hills forever." San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)/San Mateo County Times (3/25), San Francisco Chronicle (3/21), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/24)      Survey: Collaboration apps among most popular for AEC firms Engineering News-Record (3/21)      Technology helps AEC firms document "green" building Constructech (free registration) (3/22)      Australia 108 tower will be Southern Hemisphere's tallest building, for now CNN (3/21)      Simplifying Post-Trade Processing Across Asset Classes As trading across multiple asset classes increases, operating in silos is no longer an effective strategy for optimizing post-trade efficiency, mitigating risk and capitalizing on market opportunities. Learn how leading firms are consolidating their operations, data and technology infrastructure to create a center of excellence for multi-asset, post-trade processing. Get the FREE WHITEPAPER.   Sustainability & Green Building  Unobtrusive structures could bring more functionality to urban parks Getting urban dwellers to make better and more frequent use of their limited green spaces is the objective of the London-based company Invisible Works, which envisions using "biomimetic" infrastructure to unobtrusively bring things such as shows, screenings and restaurants into parks. "We're really saying that people need to be able to use this space, and people are living in a technologically developed city. How do we integrate these two things together without harming the environment but enhancing it?" said project director Ed Shuster. FastCoExist (3/25)      Report: U.S. labs lack standards for design, construction Bioterror laboratories and other labs that study pathogens in the U.S. are at "increased risk for accidents" because there are no national standards for their design, construction and operation, according to the Government Accountability Office in a followup to a 2009 study on the labs. "In the absence of some fundamental criteria, each laboratory can be designed, constructed, and maintained according to local requirements. This will make it difficult to be able to assess and guarantee safety," the GAO said. USA Today (3/25), GlobalPost.com/Agence France-Presse (3/25)      White paper: Take a proactive approach to loyalty and retention Discover how you can increase customer retention and minimize defections by delivering targeted, real-time offers to customers by using predictive analytics. Learn how businesses are capitalizing.   Advancing Your Career  Get a productivity boost from your network Develop a "growth team" consisting of people you admire and who care about your success, Jason Womack writes. "These are the people you can share your challenges with and turn to for ideas on how to increase productivity," he writes. Entrepreneur online (3/19)      6 tough activities you must be willing to do U.S. News & World Report/On Careers blog (3/20)      A guide to metering, pricing, and billing for cloud commerce Recognizing the disruption that cloud computing will have on the technology industry, vendors are rapidly shifting their offerings to the cloud. Emulating early movers like Amazon Web Services, Google App Engine, and Microsoft Azure. Learn what your commerce system needs to support a successful cloud offering. Download the free white paper now.   News from CSI  Participate in a CSI Practice Group Join the discussion! CSI offers several web-based practice groups focused on issues in construction industry communication. Most practice groups meet monthly by webinar and encourage group discussion. Join a CSI Practice Group!  Contract Administration Practice Group  Sustainability Practice Group Specifiying Practice Group Product Representation Practice Group BIM Practice Group      CSI Academies customizable onsite training Looking for customizable onsite training without the hassle and cost of having employees travel? The Academies customizable onsite training brings individual sessions from the CSI Academies and delivers a tailored program for your organization. For more than 60 years, CSI has focused on improving construction communication between architects, specifiers, product reps and others to save money, time and stress for all the parties. The CSI Academies are your chance to learn the construction industry skills that can improve your performance. Let us train your team! Contact CSI's Professional Development Director Erica Smedley-Cox for more information.      Learn more about CSI -> Home Page  |  About CSI  |  Join  |  Formats  |  Education  |  Certification  |  CONSTRUCT Show This SmartBrief was created for profjorge.entrep@gmail.com Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Privacy policy Editorial Team Lead Editor:  Jennifer Hicks       Advertise Associate Publisher:  Kathy Dowdy 469-305-7122 Recent CSI NewsBrief Issues: Monday, March 25, 2013 Thursday, March 21, 2013 Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Monday, March 18, 2013 Thursday, March 14, 2013 Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information