Fwd: RE: RP service providers in Universities

From: Elaine Hunt (ehunt@ces.clemson.edu)
Date: Thu May 03 2001 - 17:32:00 EEST


>Having been away it was amusing to find the Ivory Tower under attack
>again.... We are such bad apples.
>
>As for universities and service providers.... one day we will learn to
>help and enhance each other but until the profit leaves the picture or
>pocket this will never happen.
>
>At Clemson our consortia does not provide SB work. We do things that SBs
>would cringe to have to provide. Our intent is to look at things in a
>different manner so that new applications, techniques as well as failures
>can be experienced. I have sent many companies ( I could names names)
>away, some very irate that I would not agree to produce parts on
>demand. Few SBs would stop long enough to test a vat of experimental
>resin, modify their system to test new scanning equipment, or other such
>neat ideas.
>
>Universites do not received the big discounts that most people believe we
>do. We have the same expenses that SBs have, we pay salaries to students
>both grad and undergraduate, and we must generate our own way. Research
>can not provide all the costs of keeping technology and neither can
>excessive lab fees be charged to students. The top problems with
>technology and universities is money to upkeep such systems.
>
>A local college came by a few months ago and talked about getting a RP
>system. As we talked I asked why the sudden interest. It seems that a
>local industry had them do CAD work for them and mentioned how nice it
>would be to get models made. I asked how much they charged for their CAD
>service and they said they could not charge for their services. Then I
>asked if they planned to charge for their models and they looked
>confused. They had not considered any cost beyond the actual purchase
>price. I can see how educational facilities buy equipment without any
>thought as to paying for upkeep and maintenance. I am sure that this
>company hopes to get free models from these unsuspecting people. Either
>way RP will suffer since education was not the purpose of their purchase.
>
>
>The age old argument of just what is education and what is for profit will
>not be solved by this list. I just hope that one day someone will remember
>that it takes all of us working together to make the technology
>better. Any loose dollars floating around I could use to buy an new piece
>of equipment?
>
>
>Elaine
>
>
>
>
>

*******************************************************************
Opinions, suggestions, and other controversial matter VOID where prohibited.

It cost about 75 cents to kill a man in Ceasar's time. The price rose to
about $3,000 per man
during the Napoleonic wars; to $5,000 in the American Civil War; and then
to $21,000 per man in
World War I. Estimates for the future wars indicate that it may cost the
warring countries not
  less than $50,000 for each man killed. Senator Homer T. Bone
******************************************************************

Elaine T. Hunt, Director elaine.hunt@ces.clemson.edu
Laboratory to Advance Industrial Prototyping
Clemson University 206 Fluor Daniel Bldg.
Clemson, SC 29634-0925
864-656-0321 (voice) 864-656-4435 (fax)
http://www.vr.clemson.edu/credo/persall/persall.html
http://www.vr.clemson.edu/rp/
http://www.vr.clemson.edu/credo/rp.html

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Jan 04 2002 - 09:57:13 EET