Here's a deeper look into the top trending stories in manufacturing today based on reader feedback: GM's recall problem; a 3D printed Dutch canal home; and law enforcement drones. Below these stories, check out links to other related news and features at Manufacturing Business Technology.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: GM Faces Government Investigation, Hires Law Firms
According to the AP last week, a congressional committee is investigating the way General Motors and a federal safety agency handled a deadly ignition switch problem in compact cars. According to the AP:
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a large number of complaints about the problem during the past decade. But GM didn't recall the 1.6 million cars worldwide until last month.
Upton says the committee will seek information from the automaker and hold a hearing in the coming weeks. A Senate subcommittee hearing also is possible.
Thirty-one crashes and thirteen deaths have been attributed to the defect. If this weren’t bad enough, CBS Evening News reported that GM knew about these problems with ignition switches a decade before it announced a recall. Congress passed legislation in 2000 requiring automakers to report safety problems quickly to NHTSA (within five days, in this case). The laws came after an investigation into a series of Ford-Firestone tire problems. Continue reading...
Just today, GM announced that it is recalling more cars. The company is recalling nearly 1.2 million SUVs for defective side air bags. With all of the recalls happening in the U.S. right now, it's almost surprising that there are still cars on the roads.
A 3D Printed Canal HouseHundreds of years after wealthy merchants began building the tall, narrow brick houses that have come to define Amsterdam's skyline, Dutch architects are updating the process for the 21st century — fabricating pieces of a canal house out of plastic with a giant 3D printer and slotting them together like oversized Lego blocks.
Hedwig Heinsman of architect bureau Dus says the goal of the demonstration project launched this month is not so much to print a functioning house — in fact, parts of the house will likely be built and re-built several times over the course of three years as 3D printing technology develops. Continue reading...
You can check out more on the 3D printed home here: 3dprintcanalhouse.com/
Chaotic Moon Studios shows off a drone that can remotely stun a person, but its creators say it has applications beyond law enforcement.
