Geomagic is a software development company that has developed for the first time ever 3D systems of printing, software and technology used for design and engineering. This includes 3D printers, scanners, software and apps, and a range of materials that can be printed on to create 3-D parts, models, and prototypes. 3-D systems (*by Geomagic, reformatted for new software release in 2014) is one of the leading providers of what they refer to as reverse engineering “3-D content to print solutions”. Geomagic can be used for most areas of design- especially product design and engineering. This type of technology is most readily used in development facilities for medical, healthcare, and bio-mechanical fields.
Geomagic provides software and tools that allow the design of realistic 3-D objects. All created designs generate automatic data and instant feedback once the object’s context is described, or computed. For example, if the object of design is part of a bridge, a conveyer belt, or part of an airplane, the software is able to calculate formulas and provide all information needed about the object’s positioning including the the weight distribution in all areas of the object or its context, how much room the object is able to bend or flex, how much pressure it can withstand, at what angle does it become unstable, how it will affect the other material around it, etc. Geomagic also provides a 3-D copier. The 3-D images of the object, and all coordinates and corresponding descriptions are scanned. This state of the art 3-D printer is then able to instantly produce a perfectly accurate, scaled prototype the object. The printer creates these prototypes and models out of different materials like mesh, metals, thermoplastics, edible sugar, and ceramics. The printer can also be used for simulation and the inspection of 3-D parts in manufacturing production lines, or for the production of ready-to-use, real parts (for example, a surgical casting device made of thermoplastic).
One truly amazing thought I had after learning about Geomagic was the realization of how groundbreaking and innovative this technology is. Its allowing users to quickly and efficiently create, communicate, and manufacture parts and prototypes. This is something that can be used in nearly every industry and has the potential to change the world of design forever. Even more amazing, is the idea that the wide spread use of this technology could cause a shift from international manufacturing and production to local manufacturing and production. Local production could essentially heighten and sustain our local industry and market. Ping Fun is a cofounder of Geomagic and the inventor of this type of 3-D modeling technology. In the early ‘90s she worked on computer graphics and helped develop an early edition of the web browser called Mosaic that helped popularize the world wide web. Years later she worked with the same partner from Mosaic, as he started his own company Netscape. While working Netscape, Fu caught the entrepreneurial bug when she had the idea for developing 3-D modeling software that would combine digital technology and manufacturing. I was fortunate enough to see her speak at Chicago’s Ideas Week. She blew my mind as she spoke about her success as an entrepreneur... and she was wearing a a multi-media scarf around her neck that she had designed and manufactured that day.
Hannah Gregory
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