“Imagination is one of the most profound human qualities. Every great achievement in human history has started as a work of imagination.”

Beginning life as a passion project, Genesis Custom Sabers has since grown into Rob Petkau’s full time job. From cobbled together ‘junk sabers’ to immaculately crafted illuminated swords, Rob has honed his craft over the years, and now places only the highest quality sabers in the hands of wannabe Jedis.

In this episode Rob explores the evolution of his designs, and how advances in technology have allowed him to create perfectly custom fit blades. He explains how he creates and designs the sound fonts that bring the sabers to life. And he discusses the immense appreciation he has for his fans, some who treat their sabers as ‘shelf queens’, and others, like Jimmy, who test (and break) them in combat.

We also hear from Jon Hirschtick, who heads up PTC’s Onshape division. He explains how Onshape allows Rob to meticulously finesse and customize his designs.

Find out more about the Genesis Custom Sabers here.

Find out more about Onshape here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC. 

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates

This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Ollie Guillou. Location recording by Jess Schmidt. Music by Rowan Bishop.

“What if we just make beautiful batteries, and that is the frame?”

With no frame and no chassis, Arc’s Vector is a truly original electric motorcycle. Inspired by the retro vibes of the café racer, stripped back nature of electric violins and the angular design language of a stealth bomber, Mark Truman and his team have created an elite, high-spec product that celebrates its electric status.

In this episode Mark tells us about the origins of Arc, and how his team has been given complete creative freedom to design something truly unique and aspirational. He explores the many customisation options available to customers. And he discusses the Vector AE program, an exciting initiative which aims to improve safety and the rider experience through the development of a heads-up display helmet and haptic jacket.

We also hear from Brian Thompson, who heads up PTC’s CAD division. He explains why PTC’s CAD software CREO has been vital to Arc in the creation of the Vector.

Find out more about the Arc project here.

Find out more about CREO here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC. 

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.

Third Angle is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Ollie Guillou. Location recording by Hannah Dean. And music by Rowan Bishop.

In this brand new series of PTC’s Third Angle podcast, we share the moments where digital transforms physical, and meet the brilliant minds behind some of the most innovative products around the world - each powered by PTC technology.

On the line up we meet the founder of Arc, a project that’s reinventing the electric motorcycle. We visit the headquarters of Volvo Construction Equipment, an organization developing the new-age of climate friendly construction vehicles. And we try on Actronika’s Skinetic, a vest that allows you to feel the virtual world.

You’ll also be introduced to PTC’s product experts, exploring tools like 3D computer-aided design software CREO, product lifecycle management solution Windchill, and industrial internet of things platform ThingWorx.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC. 

Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.

Third Angle is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Ollie Guillou. And music by Rowan Bishop.

The expression ‘SaaSification’, whereby the cloud is helping companies facilitate the speed and scale at which organisations create and refine their offerings, is becoming more and more popular as manufacturers increasingly turn to cloud-based design platforms to encourage collaboration and to offset the dangers of a cyber-attack.  

In the past year the entire software industry crossed the point where now more than 50% of all commercial software of any category is SaaS.  PTC has seen sales of Onshape, its cloud-native product design solution, double since the start of Covid and Industry analysts are estimating a third of companies will have over 60 percent of their applications on a cloud platform within two years.

BUT, there are still a few manufacturers who are dubious in taking the SaaS step, whether that's due to a security aspect, or that they don't understand the true value of SaaS and moving to the Cloud.

Jon Hirschtick, PTC's General Manager of Onshape, discusses the concerns that manufacturers still have and highlights the true advantages of a SaaS based product.

Net Zero is the UK’s contribution to stopping global warming and it seems on a weekly basis we are hearing about new pledges from the UK government to drive this initiative – whether that be to make our next car purchase electric or to change our current household heating systems to hydrogen-based boilers. 

But aviation also has a role to play, with the government pledging net zero internal UK flights by 2040.  Today’s attempts to fly on battery power rely on the same Lithium-ion technology that powers cells phones and automobiles; it can work, but to really get off the ground aviation will need a new generation of energy storage technology.   

Of course, all these alternative power sources will generate a large amount of heat.  Heat that companies will also need to look at ways of controlling. One such company is Oxford based Qdot Technology who are working on answers to the cooling problems using its expertise in thermal management technologies.  Dr Holt Wong, one of the founders of Qdot Technology, talks to PTC's Paul Haimes about what his company is doing. 

Listen to PTC's Paul Haimes as he chats to Meggitt's Global Demand Planning Lead, Andy Bennett, about how Servigistics enabled Meggitt to hit the ground running after lockdown was lifted.

This year more than ever we’ve been urged to take a ‘staycation’.  With Covid travel restrictions ever changing for foreign destinations, British holidaymakers are making the decision to take a break closer to home.

In fact, according to figures from tourist board Visit Britain, 16.4 million UK adults were intending to take a domestic getaway this summer. Of these, around one in three (or some 5.4 million) were planning on camping or caravanning. 

This in turn means caravan manufacturers needing to keep designs fresh and manufacturing efficient to meet the demand.  One company in particular, and a PTC customer through its Partner Root Solutions, is Swift Group.

Paul Cunningham, engineering director, and Chris Milburn, design director at Swift Group chat to PTC's Dave Hughes about how design is helping to drive Swift’s future.

We’ve spoken on previous podcast about how the UK government is positioning itself as a ‘global services and technology hub’ with the intent of making it the best place to start and grow a digital business, trial a new technology or undertake advanced research. 

Key to that success will be innovation hubs and facilities, like BAE’s Factory of the Future, that is at the forefront in terms of innovation and technologies such as Industry 4.0. 

PTC's Dave Hughes, chats to Alex Griffiths, Senior Integration Engineer at BAE Systems, about BAE’s Factory of the Future and how, through deployed technologies, it’s more than just bricks and mortar.

Chris Courtney, UK Research and Innovation, and Francisco Betti, World Economic Forum, continue their conversation with PTC's Nick Leeder about the much talked about 'levelling up' of the UK.

If the UK government is to deliver on its much-stated goal of tackling regional economic inequality in the UK, it must focus more on UK manufacturing as it plays a huge part in addressing these disparities .

It would be an understatement to say that the forecast looks decidedly mixed for UK manufacturing post-Brexit. 

On the one hand, data from the IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for March and April is encouraging. Two consecutive months of strong growth in output, order books and employment would seem to bode well for the sector.   

On the other hand, profitability has dropped to its lowest level for a decade, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).  

And both studies observe that the sector faces strong headwinds as it navigates the post-Brexit era.  

PTC's Nick Leeder is joined by Francisco Betti, head of advanced manufacturing at the World Economic Forum, and Chris Courtney, Challenge Director of the Manufacturing Made Smarter programme at UK Research and Innovation, to chat about what this potentially means for UK manufacturing, and what's next.