I've long held the idea that user capability and technological availability are opposed pendulums, constantly swinging and, at times, they meet up and create monumental changes in applicable technology for the masses. Technology takes leaps in capability, sometimes not directly aligned with user needs. Meanwhile, user communities take slower and more deliberate strides.

Nowhere could this be more apparent then within the construction technology field. Just as in business, paper leads the 'end-of-the-line' tactile business world. Portability, dimension and scale have been age-old elements that have preserved paper in the world of human interface. So much so that our paper use now vs. 15 years ago is nearly 10x higher... and we're in the digital age.

In construction, we have seen technology abound. From the creation of the document (Revit's advancement in the Autocad world to the management and delivery world (ReproMAX DFS/PDM, ARC's Planwell tools, Autodesk's Buzzsaw, etc. vs. Document trailers and flat file racks. The only area that technology can't break into (to the printer's current benefit) is the hands on, user interface. The job trailer, the job site, the hands of a foreman. Many tools have tried to penetrate this arena with little to no success. Tablets have made a fore into the on site market with little success. Primarily, I believe, for one reason: Even though tablets provide 'mobility' they don't change the fundamental way in which we interact with the information. The traditional 'point-and-click' atmosphere of computing bodes well in 2D data and spreadsheets, but fails in real-world applications of markup, modeling, collaboration and presentation.

This impenetrable wall of user-based technology in construction, I do believe, is crumbling. The front-runner of this competition? Surface Computing. Multi-touch or Surface computing allows the user to utilize multiple points of touch on one interface. If this doesn't seem like an industry-altering idea, watch this movie. By allowing multiple touch points, the interface no longer requires the end-user to translate typical movement into a combination of point and click gestures. Therefore to rotate a document in Surface computing, you'd grab both sides and twist your hands... just like you would if it were paper. To talk about Surface computing without a visual understanding is essentially like me trying to explain how amazing the London Symphony Orchestra sounds... so, go watch these:





Surface computing or multi-touch interfaces are progressing technologically at an amazing rate. Up until the Apple iPhone, they were attention-garnering elements of technology conferences and university tech labs. Apple brought forth the technology and it was an elemental component of the framework for one of the most successful mobile tools ever released.

The stark truth is that both of those pendulums are swinging and soon, they'll meet again in the world of user interface. Printing won't ever go away in the digital construction environment, but Surface Computing may create a very, very viable option for advancing digital reprographers.

Heck, maybe you'll just be the first company to integrate digital drawing management into Surface Computing for the Job Trailer..?

All the best,
Tanner

As interoperability and furthermore; Green building take economically viable shapes in the US and around the world, thinking 'green' has not only invaded board rooms and drafting tables, but now it may even climb aboard our vernacular...

For many years, those in the construction industry wanted to be involved, Cradle-to-Grave, with projects, essentially, beginning to end. Now, with the Green push, we're beginning to see Cradle-to-Cradle: resources to resources, with very little waste. I found a great article on a Fortune magazine commissioned project aptly titled: the Treescraper. The Treescraper encompasses a full-on, low-emission living environment and is truly representative of what I believe we will begin to see more of; building projects that don't just exist, but rather co-exist with our ecosystem in ways that will make the world a little more comfortable for all of us... Check it out below:

View Article: "The Treescraper"

all the best,
Tanner

Printing has seen its share of change in the last few years and it seems we have spent an immense amount of time talking about how information management will arrive as the savior/destroyer of many ReproMAX Partners/Associates and the industry in general. We spend a great deal of effort talking about this IT change, but one area that deserves its own share of attention is the advancements in printing itself.

In the latest issue of eWeek (12/17/07), David Stone highlights some very disruptive technologies that will alter the way we all print...

Summarized by Tanner Bechtel from an article by David Stone in the December 17 issue of eWeek magazine.

1. Edge-to-edge printing
   HP has released its new 'Edgeline' printers that utilize a 'full-width' print head. This means that instead of mechanically moving the head across the page, the page width head stays stationary and prints without movement. We've all seen this in the nearly comical Memjet demo videos. By having a stationary head, inkjets can print up to 70 ppm.
   
2. Nozzles Galore:
   Again, utilizing Memjet concepts, the new Canon printers utilize thousands of actual ink nozzles. A prototype Memjet printer had 70,400 functioning nozzles. Memjet claims that it can control 900 million drops of ink per second... try cleaning that print head.
   
3. Inks:
   When you're pumping 900 million drops of ink per second, you'd better have some good, clog-free ink. Inks have and will continue to be developed to provide faster dry times, more pure ingredients and truer color reproduction.
   
4. Paper:
   If you're dumping an ink-saturated page more than once per second, the paper has got to hold color, be smudge-free and dry in record time. International Paper and HP have co-developed a new paper technology called ColorLok that locks color faster, provides richer hues and allows for high-speed production from 70+ ppm inkejets.
   
5. Instant-on Fusers:
   Although laser printers provide typically faster results than current inkjets in volume production, waiting around for a fuser to wake up can be painful. We've all had that last document to print prior to a meeting only to meet a printer that's leisurely awakening from a power save nap on our dime. Instant-on fusers bring immediate laser prints in a one-off business environment by allowing fusers to initialize without warm-up.
   
6. Instant-on Scanners:
   Nearly as annoying as waiting for fusers; waiting for a scanner to warm up for copying or scanning can be just as painful. To avoid this, some vendors are now using LEDs as light sources, thus allowing instant-on scanning.
   
7. Solid-Ink Printers:
   Xerox now has equipment that utilizes a solid ink substance. The ink melts, is applied to the drum then applied to the paper in an offset-style process. Xerox claims via a demo video on its website that the solid ink production process can yield 60+ ppm.
   
8. 3D Printers:
   3D, a technology that some of our own ReproMAX members have toyed with is becoming ever-more realistic. In my own dentist office, they can image a tooth and build a crown with a polymer material while you wait. While printing teeth may seem a little creepy, the applications for 3D continue to widen... stay tuned on this one.

Overall, the industry continues to change and tools and technology are becoming available to both usher in a commoditization of traditional print while keeping the printers' edge with new advanced possibilities...

It's a changing world out there, people. With a little research and proper strategic planning, there's no telling where this story goes...

All the best,
Tanner