Digital Engineering 24/7

Helping design and engineering professionals discover, evaluate and specify technologies and processes that shorten the design cycle and enable success.

Alert!

Digital Engineering ceased publication on July 1, 2026. This website remains available as an archive of engineering content.

For inquiries or information, please email [email protected].

Design Engineering Technology Primer

The state of the industry for design engineering technology.

By DE Editors  

January 26, 2011

By DE Editors

Engineering technology moves faster and faster every day. To help you keep up, DE's contributing editors have compiled in-depth overviews of various design engineering technologies and the companies that provide them.

On this page, you'll find technology overviews of different additive manufacturing technologies, 3D scanning and sensors, as well as outlooks on MCAD, analysis and simulation. We hope you find them useful in your day-to-day tasks as well as in planning for the future.


FUTURE FOCUS

Evolution of Computer-Aided Design

Evolution of Analysis

Evolution of High-Performance Computing

Evolution of Sensors & Embedded Systems

Evolution of Rapid Technologies

Evolution of Simulation

Direct ModelingDirect Modeling and Simulation
How they can work in tandem.

As direct and parametric modeling merge, engineers are learning the value of direct modeling to simulation. Read DE's six-part series includes two step-by-step tutorials.

Continue reading

3D Scanning 101 3D Scanning 101
How to choose digitizing technologies.

With multiple digitizing technologies available, it is often not obvious which might best serve your needs. We'll look at principles, characteristics and key advantages and disadvantages of both low- and high-density scanning techniques.

Continue reading

Sensors 101Sensors 101
How to choose the right sensor.

Choosing the right sensor for the job isnt straightforward, but knowing the factors to consider can help you achieve your goals "and avoid unhappy surprises.

Continue reading

Additive Manufacturing 101Additive Manufacturing 101
Defining your options for rapid manufacturing.

Have you heard bits and pieces about additive manufacturing (AM) but dont quite know what differentiates the technologies? DE goes back to basics and clarifies the alphabet soup of AM processes and systems.

Continue reading

More Technology Overviews


PODCASTS WITH INDUSTRY VISIONARIES

 
 

From our Sponsors

Meltio Takes Metal Additive to the Next Level
Meltio's DED technology enables industries to tailor and customize their solutions to create & repair metal parts.
Easing the Transition from ETO to CTO with Configuration Lifecycle Management
Manufacturers are discovering that the Configure-to-Order (CTO) model provides significant benefits when it comes to customization.
Siemens + Altair = The Next Chapter in Design and Simulation
With its acquisition of Altair, Siemens creates a unified simulation portfolio combining generative design with high-performance computing and AI workflows.