Why Must We Make Things So Complicated?
A brief look at watches, clocks and other timepieces, and our timeless fascination with spinning gears. What Is A Complication? A watch complication is essentially any movement that displays more than the mere hour, minute or second. This is the face of the world’s most complicated watch, by Vacheron Constantin. Dubbed rather unimaginatively as Ref. […]
Machining In Miniature
For thousands of years men and women have been making miniature replicas of the world around them. Whether as prototypes for full-sized engineering projects, as toys, or to test mathematical and physical concepts, small-scale replicas never fail to fascinate and enchant old and young alike. Presidents, kings and emperors have been gifted throughout the ages […]
Star Rapid Talks About Scale, Manufacturing And Measurement
We will assume that if you’re reading this then you fit the general profile of a creative, intelligent person of good taste and breeding. You’re also interested in engineering, science and technology, all of which we applaud. Well, prepare to have your mind blown. When working with product design and manufacturing, whether it be for […]
Plastic Injection Material For Dummies
No, not plastics to make dummies out of, although you could do that. We want to talk about the kinds of plastics you need for the plastic injection process, and how to make sense of the dizzying array of choices out there. Plastic injection molding is, by far, the most popular industrial technique for making […]
5 Great Ways To Get Started In Design
Think about the products you use on a daily basis. Whether they’re physical products like laptops or digital ones like apps, we’re surrounded by innovative product design examples everywhere we look. These products represent the work of product designers. From a consumer perspective, we only see the end result and don’t know what took place […]
Will The Internet Of Things Affect Your Future Prototype Designs?
It’s a pretty cool name, the Internet of Things. Attributed to Kevin Ashton in 1999 while he worked at Proctor and Gamble, it’s used to describe the connected world we’re rapidly heading towards, a world in which everyday, ordinary devices carry RFID chips and other low-cost, embedded communication devices. These devices will share information in […]
Getting A Handle On Surface Finish
We’ve talked before about color on a prototype, and the subtle ways that color affects our emotional response to a manufactured object. The final surface finish of a part is also important, not only for the mechanical fitness for a given application but also for the visceral appeal to the end user, although describing this phenomena […]
What’s In A Color?
Remember when personal computers first started coming into the modern workplace? Almost all of them, regardless of manufacturer, used the same ubiquitous colored plastic case. Called “putty”, it was a generic light brown mixed with off-white, and you would find this same color used for printers and copiers, telephones and filing cabinets and fax machines. […]
Intern from Germany
Hey there! I am Vanessa from Germany and I recently started my 3-month internship at Star Rapid. I’m looking forward to my stay here in Zhongshan and hope to learn more about the local business etiquette as well as the Chinese cultural traits. I have finished my apprenticeship in foreign trade in July 2014. Now […]
