Production Manufacturing Trip to China (Part 1)
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We Pause, Reflect & Give Thanks
Hawaii and Las Vegas have a special bond, in fact it is often fondly referred to as the “ninth island”. There is a closeness, a friendship. The senseless tragedy that took place last Sunday has hit close to home for many of us. A heartbreaking event such as this really makes you stop, reflect and give thanks for everything you have.
In the wake of this tragedy I wanted to personally reach out to our family, friends and customers to say, ‘Thank You’.
Thank you to the customers that have become friends. Thank you to the friends that have become family. Thank you for entrusting us to help develop your idea and launch your business. Thank you for your role in helping our business succeed.
While we are thankful every single day, it is easy to get caught up in routine and not express our gratitude nearly enough.
We are very fortunate to call Hawaii home and are thankful every day for our supportive community. We are part of a community that rallies around one another and works hard to help others succeed. The guidance, support, mentorship and generosity we have received throughout the years is humbling—and for all of it, my warmest mahalo.
Sincerely,
Collin Kobayashi, President & Chief 3D Officer of 3D Innovations
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
3D Innovations: A Top 100 Twitter Account in Honolulu
Our 3D Innovations Twitter account made the list for the Top 100 Twitter Users in Honolulu, Hawaii. (We are currently at #27.)
We are always looking for ways to connect with our clients and industry leaders. You can also find us sharing product design, manufacturing and startup news and events on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.
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3D Innovations LLC is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Celebrating Makers During The ‘National Week of Making’
The National Week of Making (June 17-23) is a chance to celebrate and honor our nation of tinkerers, inventors and entrepreneurs. With barriers to entry diminishing and technologies becoming more available—such as 3D printers, design software and desktop machine tools—maker enthusiasts are now better equipped to design and build almost anything.
Local and national maker communities have really started to rally around one another since the first National Week of Making took place in 2014. Makers are feeling empowered to learn new skills and develop products that make our lives easier and our world a better place.
Here at 3D Innovations, we support makers and the entire maker movement. We understand the desire to build and develop a cutting-edge product. The drive to commercialize an idea is what making and entrepreneurship is all about. Product development is exciting, yet it is also all-encompassing and full of challenges. With years of product development experience, on a wide variety of products, we pride ourselves on being a resource for the maker community.
If you are busy building a product but find yourself up against a roadblock, let us help! Below is a brief list of our core services.
Don’t see a service you are looking for on this list? Let’s chat! Send us an e-mail at info@3d-innovations.comor or call us at 1-808-772-8667 to discuss your specific product development challenge.
Catch us at the ‘Third Annual Honolulu Mini Maker Faire’ on June 25th! Find details and further event information on our blog. See you there!
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Startup Connector is a Manufacturing Accelerator helping companies commercialize—turning ideas into products.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
The Third Annual Honolulu Mini Maker Faire
We are excited to share that 3D Innovations will be at the upcoming Honolulu Mini Maker Faire on June 25th. This is always a fantastic event and brings together our local community of makers.
We will have a booth at the event and would love to chat with you! Stop by the 3D Innovations booth to learn about Product Development, Prototype Design, 3D Printing and Manufacturing. If you have an idea for a product that you would like to bring to market and commercialize, come talk to us to see how we can help.
We will also have a few (awesome) 3D printed parts on display for you to check out and get your hands on.
If you have product development questions and don’t want to wait until the Honolulu Mini Maker Faire on June 25th, send them our way at info@3d-innovations.com or reach us by phone at 1-808-772-8667.
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Startup Connector is a Manufacturing Accelerator helping companies commercialize—turning ideas into products.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
2016 Hawaii STEM Conference
UPDATE (5/7/2016): Photos from the 2016 Hawaii STEM Conference can now be viewed on our Facebook page, here.
We are thrilled to share that 3D Innovations will be in attendance at the 7th Annual Hawaii STEM Conference presented by the Maui Economic Development Board and Women in Technology. This is an event that we look forward to each year. This year the conference is on May 6th & 7th, and we will be hosting two different events, one each day.
Saturday, May 7th: We will be conducting a drone design and building workshop for teachers. This workshop will cover the basics of drones—how to design and build them, and how to integrate the curriculum into their classrooms.
While drones are finding a place in many industries, academia is also an area where they are thriving. This is another hands-on tool that is relatively low-cost and allows teachers to bring lessons to life for students.
If you are planning on being in attendance at the conference, please take a moment to stop by and introduce yourself. We love meeting new people and sharing our passion for STEM education with new friends.
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Startup Connector is a Manufacturing Accelerator helping companies commercialize—turning ideas into products.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
Engineering & The Women That Shaped The Field
March is Women’s History Month and we would like to take a moment honor some of history’s most prominent female engineers. There have been many women before us that helped define a disciple and engineer change. We do not often stop to think about the technology they developed, but these women made incredible contributions to society and deserve credit for leaving a lasting mark. While a list of prominent female engineers could be pages long, we decided to focus on a handful of pioneers.
Engineering Pioneers
Below are five women that made in enormous impact on the engineering profession…
There are no doubt many more women who have helped propel the engineering discipline forward. Design News recently published a piece, 10 of History’s Greatest Women Inventors You Should Know, and many of these women did not get credit at the time for their work, but their inventions have shaped technologies that have changed our lives and the course of history.
Encouraging Girls to Pursue Engineering Careers
It is no secret that STEM careers are increasing at a rapid rate while the qualified applicant pool is relatively stagnant. We need more women to engage in engineering studies and become leaders in the industry. Breaking down the negative stereotypes associated with engineering and encouraging students to pursue the discipline are just a couple of the most basic ways in which we can help girls become excited about the field. Here are a few ways to make engineering come “alive” for students…
For additional ideas, check out our Encouraging Our Future Engineers & Innovators post.
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Startup Connector is a Manufacturing Accelerator helping companies commercialize—turning ideas into products.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
The Menehune Mount Is Now On Kickstarter
This past November our President and Chief 3D Officer, Collin Kobayashi, had the honor of participating as mentor for the Menehune Hat Clip team at Startup Weekend Honolulu. The Menehune Hat Clip is a simple mount that attaches right to your hat and allows you to connect your GoPro to capture that ‘perfect shot’. This team of young entrepreneurs went on to capture First Place at Startup Weekend Honolulu and then tied for First Runner Up in the Global Startup Battle Champions track! While they were quite possibly the youngest team participating in Startup Weekend, their determination and drive helped propel them to the top.
After Startup Weekend, the team knew that they wanted to continue to fine tune their idea and eventually get it into the hands of consumers. Instead of focusing on a mount solely for GoPro, the design was altered and became a universal mount for any recording device. The prototypes have been designed and tested, manufacturing partners have been procured—however, first funds need to be raised. Their Kickstarter page, Menehune Mount, is now live!
If you are into vlogging or taking event action shots, you are going to want to check out the Menehune Mount. The mount has been designed to easily hold your GoPro or iPhone and can attach to many surfaces (tent fabric, poles, magnetic surfaces). The compact design makes it lightweight to carry around or mount on the bill of your hat. Learn more about the Menehune Mount and all of the testing that went into perfecting its design on Kickstarter or the Menehunes website.
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Startup Connector is a Manufacturing Accelerator helping companies commercialize—turning ideas into products.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
Happy Holidays & Best Wishes
From our 3D Innovations family to yours…
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
Startup Weekend Honolulu 2015
*UPDATE (12/14/2015): The results are in, and the Menehune Hat Clip tied for 1st Runner Up in the Global Startup Battle! Such an accomplishment for these hardworking students. Way to go!
**UPDATE (12/7/2015): The Menehune Hat Clip is a Champions Track Finalist in the Global Startup Battle 2015! The Championship Track judges will now be scoring the 12 remaining teams and a winner will be announced later this week.
Last weekend our President and Chief 3D Officer, Collin Kobayashi, had the honor of participating as a team mentor at Startup Weekend Honolulu. This was the eighth Startup Weekend Honolulu event but the first time 3D Innovations was involved.
Before the event Collin was approached by entrepreneurs Evan and Kari Leong and asked about participating as an additional mentor for their two oldest children, 12-year-old Buddy and 10-year-old Koko, who were eager to test out an idea at Startup Weekend. Their children had the idea to develop a new camera hat clip that was both durable and secure, from this idea the Menehune Hat Clip was born. Both children are avid sports enthusiasts and found that current hat straps for camera mounts were flimsy, which did not provide for a stable and secure mounting system. Both boys experienced this problem first hand while trying to capture ‘POV’ (point-of-view) shots while surfing and knew that there had to be a better way.
One of the children had seen a 3D printer at school, but had never used it before. He was intrigued by the idea that you can design something with software and in a very short time, be able to produce the part into a physical prototype. Collin was able to teach them software basics while educating them about additive manufacturing technology.
In the end, these hardworking students were satisfied with both the design and prototypes, and turned their focus on presenting the idea to a panel of judges and audience members. The Menehune Hat Clip was the first prize winner and the brothers were quite possibly the youngest participants across Global Startup Battle 2015, which connect Startup Weekend events in over 250 cities around the world. We can’t wait to see the Menehune Hat Clip push forward and into stores one day.
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today
2015 Advanced Manufacturing Conference
This week we were in attendance at the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Conference here in Honolulu. The focus of this event was on advanced manufacturing technologies and companies that represent this growing industry. Below is a short summary of our experience at the conference with some of our thoughts on the subject sprinkled in.
Advanced manufacturing is reshaping the current manufacturing landscape. Industry leaders in Hawaii understand that major manufacturing shifts are taking place, and want to assist the local manufacturing community in harnessing and implementing these emerging technologies.
Focusing on Infrastructure
Currently the manufacturing community in Hawaii is still relatively small, but with a heightened focus on economic development, workforce development, energy infrastructure and policies there is significant growth potential. However, with growth comes challenges; high energy costs make it cost prohibitive to run power hungry equipment and without high-speed broadband manufacturing productivity is significantly hindered. These are certainly a couple issues that need to be addressed before Hawaii experiences a manufacturing “boom” per se.
Our local aerospace, aquaculture, astronomy, biomedical, robotics and scientific industries have a clear and defined path towards utilizing advanced manufacturing technologies. The internet of things (IoT), big data and additive manufacturing are just a few of the technologies that would not only increase efficiency for these businesses, but would enhance competitive advantages on a local, national and global scale as well.
Developing a Skilled Workforce
While we know that the manufacturing community here can grow, another major factor in that growth is workforce development. Access to skilled professionals is vital.
Supporting future workforce demands means that an increased focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, at all grade levels, is necessary. Fostering children’s innate curiosity and encouraging them to search and discover on their own, develops the necessary STEM centered mindset. Access to STEM resources and technology in the classroom will also provide invaluable hands-on experience that over time translates into a high-tech workforce.
Skilled STEM professionals will be require to support advanced manufacturing technologies such as Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Product Lifecycle Management solutions (PLM), automation/programming, design, robotics, software, and maintenance support.
High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) has a plan to support and increase the human infrastructure by introducing a strategic plan called 80/80. This plan seeks to have 80,000 high technology jobs that pay $80,000+ per year by 2030.
Harnessing Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Technology
There is no doubt that additive manufacturing is synonymous with advanced manufacturing. Stratasys was in attendance and brought various samples of parts made with their wide array of additive manufacturing machines. With the continuous development of new materials and finishes, the application of 3D printing can continue its transition to additive manufacturing, and have a profound impact on product development, prototyping, and manufacturing sectors.
Businesses and leaders in Hawaii have the drive and desire to grow our local manufacturing and technology sectors. With continued support and focus on initiatives at all levels, these industries will not only grow but thrive, making Hawaii a technology and manufacturing hub.
We are eager to see what the future holds!
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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.
Subscribe to the 3D Innovations newsletter on our Facebook page!
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn today