3D Printing Ethical Dilemmas

With the advent of inexpensive consumer 3D printing technology, many new ethical dilemmas have begun to surface. Within the next decade many countries around the world will need to implement new legislation to keep up with the rapidly increasing capabilities of 3D printing.

Intellectual Property

Consumer Grade 3D Printer

Image by: Creative Tools via Flickr

Commercially Available 3D Scanner

Image by: Creative Tools via Flickr

New filesharing platforms such as Thingiverse, or My Mini Factory give users the power to share creations and download other peoples designs. This ability is extremely useful to help spread, and create innovative ideas. The downside of such power is creative licensing. Most CAD file sharing websites are self governing and have their own terms and policies on what can be downloaded and what can be shared. While this works well in theory, we have seen this issues in online distribution of other digital media types such as music, or videos. Like music and video, CAD files are very susceptible to illegal downloads. 

Another concern shared by many is the use of 3D scanners, which make it possible to scan a physical object to create a CAD file that can then be 3D printed. Currently the performance limitations of 3D printers make it so that it is not possible, or not economically viable to recreate most consumer products. Although right now these limitations keep 3D printers from reaching their full potential, it is likely that 3d printing technology will soon reach extreme heights of manufacturing capability to produce a wide range of goods.

Image by: Inhabitat Blog via Flickr

It is important to consider how 3D scanners/printers will affect our society. Protection of intellectual property is imperative to preserving the rights of citizens. Preserving this right for the future will likely require new legislation.

Public Safety

With innovations in material design, 3D printers are becoming more flexible in the products they manufacture. This capability is great for consumers, but it could lead to the creation of strictly regulated items such as firearms, or knives. This opens up a whole new set of issues that our current laws on weapons regulations do not cover. What kind of regulations do we need to maintain public safety in a world where firearms could be downloaded and printed by anyone of any background or age? This is very controversial topic, because some would argue that government regulations of 3D printers and downloadable media would be an unconstitutional act. Others would argue that without regulations weapons fall into the wrong hands, putting citizens in danger. In any case it is likely to be an issue that will remain disputed for some time. The video below by DNews explores these issues more and shows a live firing of a 3D printed handgun.

First Firing of "Liberator" 3D Printed Gun

Video by: DNews via YouTube

Another threat to public safety worth mentioning is product design. Most industries in America that produce consumer products have to adhere to strict standards regarding product safety. If a company sells a faulty product that injuries a consumer, or causes property damage that company can then become responsible for these consequences. Compared to a system of file sharing, There is no system of responsibility for product failures. Proposed regulations to control or limit the distribution of designs for safety purposes will likely trigger many questions of 1st amendment rights infringement.

The Future of 3D printing

3D printers are likely to have an enormous impact society, most of which will be very positive. It is imperative that the necessary due diligence done to explore ethical dilemmas and protect the public.  

Takata Airbag Recall

Takata Airbag Recall

Automotive recalls have been all over the news recently one example is GM's nightmare of 2014 in which over 2.6 million GM vehicles were recalled worldwide, and blamed for the deaths of at least 13 people. Another large recall was recently announced that involved faulty airbags manufactured by the Japanese automotive parts company, the Takata Corporation specifically faulty airbags. This article will explore technical aspects of the Takata airbag recall and its impact on the industry.

Airbag Design 

Figure 1. Airbag Diagram
Image by Sidney Jablonski via Behance

The basic concept behind airbag design is simple: a safety device that uses a flexible fabric envelope, that can be rapidly inflated in the event of a collision in order to reduce impact forces. Even though the concept is simple the design and deployment of airbags can be quite complicated.

In a collision vehicle sensors trigger the airbag to deploy when threshold conditions have been reached. In the United States airbags are required to deploy, when a force equivalent to hitting a wall at 14 mph has been detected. Once the deployment has begun an ignitor starts a rapid chemical reaction to produce nitrogen gas to fill the air bag. Note in Figure 1 the the chemical reaction is caused by sodium azide pellets. Sodium azide was a very common propellant in early airbags but is not typically used today due to its toxic nature. Modern airbags utilize less toxic propellants like ammonium nitrate or nitroguanidine. From when the the ignitor is triggered to when the airbag is fully inflated takes around 0.4 seconds.

Thankfully safety restraint technology has advanced greatly from the early 1970s when airbags were first being implemented into passenger vehicles. Due to these advancements and regulatory efforts by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department of Transportation estimates that between 1987 and 2012, frontal airbags have saved over 37,000 lives.

Takata Airbag Failures 

From April 2013 to March 2015 17 million vehicles from 10 different automakers with frontal airbags manufactured by Takata have been recalled. The affected vehicles ranged in model years from 2002 to 2008. 

The recall has been caused by a faulty propellent that could deteriorate over time, especially in humid climates. In the event of a deployment the faulty propellent could cause excess pressure in the inflater which can lead to several components in the inflated to rupture, potentially becoming lethal shrapnel blasted at high velocities into the driver and/or passengers. 

Posted right is a video by CNNmoney via YouTube, which outlines key information on the airbag recalls. According to the video at least 4 people have died from the defective airbags.

Aftermath

After further investigation it has been found that Takata was aware of these potentially lethal flaws before the airbags were tested by federal regulators. This blatant disregard for engineering ethics is a serious issue in today's auto industry. Faulty products such as an ignition switch or airbag inflator could lead to serious injury or even death. In the past engineering disasters like these have been harbingers for change in safety regulations and policy, paving the way for new designs and standards in the engineering community and ultimately creating a better, safer world of engineering feats. 

Dual Clutch Transmissions

Dual Clutch Transmissions are quickly becoming the standard for performance and efficiency in roadcars. This will be a brief review on how they work and how they compare to other transmission designs.

How They Work

Figure 1
Image via Wikimedia Commons

Dual clutch transmissions (DCT) are a type of automatic transmission that uses two clutches for odd and even and gear sets. Figure 1 is a diagram of a typical DCT. Essentially it is two separate manual transmissions that are combined as one in a single housing. Unlike manual transmissions, most DCTs have electro-hydraulically actuated clutches that are operated automatically. Some vehicles with DCTs offer modes in which the driver can control gear shifts manually via paddle shifters or other means.

Advantages

Shift times are very important in performance vehicles, because while a transmission is shifting gears the vehicle is moving without torque being sent to the wheels. Other benefits of faster shift times include a smoother/seamless acceleration, and increased fuel economy. As compared to traditional transmissions, DCTs are able to offer much faster shift times between gears. This is because alternate gears can be pre-selected. For example the vehicle could be propelled by the fourth gear with one clutch engaged and as soon as the vehicle upshifts to the fifth gear the even gear clutch disengages and the odd clutch which is already pre-selected to the fifth gear can then engage. These shifts can be as fast as 8 milliseconds; a typical manual transmission shift time averages around 500 milliseconds.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage to DCTs is their high cost. This is attributed to their complex design, economies of scale (since they are not produced at the rate of other traditional transmission designs), and maintenance costs which are attributed to their complexity. DCTs rely heavily on computers to dictate gear shifts further adding to their cost. Although DCTS can provide smooth shifts while accelerating quickly, they sometimes have problems shifting to often at low speeds when the throttle is being applied intermittently. This can cause a jerky ride compared to traditional transmissions.

Applications

Due to the inherent disadvantages of DCTs they are usually reserved for higher end sports cars. Some examples of vehicles that use DCTs include:

Bugatti Veyron
Image by Brian Snelson via Flickr

BMW Z4
Image by Dein Nordrhein-Westfalen via Flickr

Nissan GTR
Image by Sebastien Cosse via Flickr

Some examples of inexpensive models available with DCTs include:

Volkswagen  GTI
Image by Justin Capolongo via Flickr

Dodge Dart
Image by Michael Gil via Flickr

Future of Transmission design

With ever increasing pressure on automakers to design more fuel efficient vehicles, transmission design is an obvious way to increase efficiency and performance. Another recent transmission design is the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). CVTs have no gears but instead use a belt that can be adjusted to an infinite number of effective gear ratios. This design can be more cost effective than 

DCTs while also providing increased fuel economy over traditional transmissions. The main disadvantage behind CVTs is they are not capable of handling the high amounts of torque that DCTs can. Thus they are not suitable for performance/heavy duty oriented vehicles, and are mostly limited to smaller economy vehicles. Transmission design will always be an important element in vehicle design, and with advances in technology and manufacturing techniques DCTs may become a mainstream component in consumer vehicles. 

What is mechanical engineering?

Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that uses principles of applied sciences to design, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. Humans have been mechanical engineers since the early discoveries of simple machines like the wheel or lever. The field truly emerged during the Industrial Revolution in Europe when production of goods shifted from being handmade to being manufactured by machines, and since then the world has exploded in technical innovations thanks to the ever-evolving field of mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering tasks overlaps many other areas of engineering such as electrical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineers. The projects that mechanical engineers (of MEs for short) work on are very diverse and practically unlimited, a few common industries MEs work in are: transportation, robotics, HVAC, and medical devices.

Ferrari F136 FL V8 engine
(Image by: Ferrari http://auto.ferrari.com/)

Ferrari 458 speciale
(Image by: Ferrari http://auto.ferrari.com/)

Pictured above is a great example of a project that mechanical engineers would be heavily involved in, from the design and testing phase, to the designing the equipment and steps used in manufacturing the vehicle's components. In developing a car as complex as the Ferrari 458 speciale it takes a tremendous effort in coordinating between different types of engineers and designers. The Ferrari F136 FL engine is an example of mechanical engineering at its pinnacle, it produces 562 hp at 9000 rpm. To create this amount of power at such high rpm creates enormous amounts of stress on all components of the car from the transmission to the breaks, engineers must calculate these stresses and choose appropriate materials or alter the design of a specific assembly so it can function properly.

The Ferrari 458 is a modern engineering marvel and displays the incredible complexity of what mechanical engineers can create. The 458 is built with almost no compromise for cost. This is not usual, in most projects limitations and compromises are integral to the job. Common limitations in mechanical engineering projects include: budget, material properties, and government regulations. These limitations create many barriers to engineers, but these limitations drive innovations in design, manufacturing processes, and material science. There are examples of these innovations all around us, another car example to illustrate this point is the invention of the catalytic converter.

Cut away view of a catalytic converter
(Image by: http://www.chemhume.co.uk/)

In 1975 the United States EPA created stricter exhaust emissions regulations. To meet and exceed these new standards engineers came up with the catalytic converter. These work by catalyzing a redox reaction to convert toxic pollutants such as unburned hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) into less toxic exhaust gases like nitrogen, water, and carbon dioxide. Today the designs of catalytic converters have greatly improved and they eliminate a large portion of smog and greenhouse causing gases.

The catalytic converter is just one of the many innovations mechanical engineers have created to make a better world for everyone. Often time projects that mechanical engineers work on can seriously impact the public's health and safety. That is why it is vital for engineers to have a strong ethical commitment to the people they serve to help make safe designs for the environment and the people that interact with them.