We have never had a problem with Universities. We have often recommended
that new companies in the market use the Consortiums to gain and expand
exposure of what can be done with Rapid Prototyping. It is a deductible
expense that helps expand the members budgets in times of need.
I fully endorse the activities of the Educational institutes. If the
Universities use their ability to educate the Engineering student body, the
long term benefits are for the Rapid Prototyping community. The
Universities also enable the development of new applications which (as of
the past few years) can not be funded by Service Bureau. I do hope the
Universities continue to use the Consortium environment to expand market
awareness. Let us also remember that MIT is where 3D Printing began.
As to the RP-ML hosting thing, I would also be willing to help support
Hannu. Not for hosting reasons, but as an act of gratitude for the years of
FREE service and support he and HUT has provided our entire community.
LEARN AND ENJOY!
Carl Dekker
----- Original Message -----
From: "Choren, John" <choren@msoe.edu>
To: <rp-ml@ltk.hut.fi>
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 11:57 AM
Subject: Educational RP/Research Firms Competing With Private Firms
> My comments do not presume to represent the interests of other
universities.
> However, here at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), we work with
> firms that are members of our Consortium on product development projects
> that may or may not include the use of our considerable RP capabilities.
We
> do not solicit or accept work from non-Consortium companies who contact us
> frequently for RP parts. Rather, I pass the 2-3 calls that I receive
every
> week along to area service bureaus with which we or our Consortium
partners
> have worked with previously.
>
> Our job at MSOE has always been one of education: the education of
> engineers and product designers within our Consortium to produce better
> products and the education of students who go on to work in industry. The
> use of RP technology in that educational process is only one tool in the
> toolbox. In many instances, those same MSOE students have gone on to work
> in the RP industry or started their own engineering consulting
firms/service
> bureaus.
>
> We have always maintained that the opportunities in the product
development
> arena are plentiful enough for all to participate. I think Mr. Robert
> Crangle hit it dead on in an earlier message to this list: "...if a
service
> bureau in its everyday work is literally unable to compete with the
service
> offerings of North American universities, it has bigger problems related
to
> the scope, scale, customer relationships, responsiveness, production
quality
> and overhead of its operation."
>
> John A. Choren, P.E.
> Director
> RPC
> MSOE
>
> For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
>
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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