Photo by John Kennedy

Engineering goes on the cutting edge at CSULB

Out there in cyberspace, visitors to the College of Engineering home page on the World Wide Web can view both the scanned sculptured heads of Dean Richard Williams and a model from the movie "Lion King," sharing space.

Their busts were made possible by the same technology that brought Lucy, considered an anthropological phenomenon and one of the oldest human skulls recreated, into the computer age on the Internet in Europe.

Known as the 3D-Scanning, it arrived on campus in January and is getting set to launch Cal State Long Beach on the cutting edge of manufacturing technology.

"We are now at the forefront of manufacturing technology," said Ortwin Ohtmer, chairman of the department of mechanical engineering. He is working to integrate the system into the existing rapid prototyping manufacturing technology.

He explained that when integrated, the equipment will make it possible to reduce manual work in the development process of new products by 90 percent.

CSULB is the only leader in the field among universities in Southern California and has the chance to follow toy manufacturer Mattel Inc as leaders in the field.

At present, the normal process in industry for product development is to have a model complete with errors, which must be modified through extensive manual labor.

Under the 3-D Scanner method, the parts are scanned and the technology is utilized to make a feature-based solid model, that allows for instant analysis and animation of the product.

This new development in engineering is like taking the age-old philosophy of Plato in "Allegory of the Caves," many steps forward, Ohtmet said and now makes it possible to touch real world objects that are created through the computer.

"Objects can now be presented in real-time dimension, you can measure for tolerance , hear its noises and generally feel it", Ohtmer said.

He said the new technology has various applications across design-oriented fields, human and health services and automobile industries.

A proposal is now being developed for a big joint laboratory on campus which will allow for full utilization of the potential of the technology, Ohtmer added.

Meanwhile, the new technology has been incorporated into the new Bachelor of Science degree in manufacturing introduced in the department under the National Science Foundation Ð funded Southern California Coalition for Education in Manufacturing Enginee ring.

The CSULB-led coalition is part of the technology reinvestment project aiming to convert the defense industries in the area to dual use through diversification and commercialization.

Other members of the coalition include UCLA, UC, Irvine, USC, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Los Angeles.

Ohtmer said the technology fits perfectly into the aim of the coalition Ðto produce manufacturing professionals with technical skills necessary for industry to be competitive in the global marketplace.

A brochure of the coalition describes design and manufacturing as the battleground of the 1990s.