Netflix is addicting. I find myself scrolling through the movies it suggests for me in search of the next great Hollywood Blockbuster (or is it Hollywood Bust?) I can sink my teeth in to.  The truth is I am far from a movie snob.  I am easily entertained by both the latest Transformers saga and the most recent Diane Keaton romantic comedy drama.

Case in point… I found myself intrigued during a recent viewing of Jobs, the biopic of Apple-founder Steve Jobs.  While this movie was not successful by anyone’s standards, I found it entertaining because I knew little about Jobs (or Apple for that matter), even though I have used Apple products religiously the last several years. Also, the way the movie portrayed Jobs as continuously-focused on innovation and revolutionizing people’s lives was uplifting.

“I want to put a ding in the universe,” Jobs said.

This idea leads to several of our features this issue as they are focused on providing customers solutions.

• •  The article, “Tech Trends for Practical Casting Design” on p. 25, is focused on the role of casting process modeling software in providing more effective casting designs. While the success of the software is well-documented, its use as an integral tool by casting designers is still developing.
• •  In “Steel Job Shop Proves Value of 3-D Scanning” on p. 30, 3-D scanning technology was the key to be able to produce accurate first-article castings and quality tooling.
• •  In the article, “Solving Customers’ Problems” on p. 34, the solutions discussed include a weldment to casting conversion, reverse engineering and additive manufacturing.  The growth of additive manufacturing in metalcasting has been covered well in this magazine, the true potential of it for metalcasting and manufacturing as a whole is just beginning to be realized.

Each of these changes, improvements and advancements has the opportunity to change the world to some degree and put at least a small “ding in the universe.” Manufacturers always have this opportunity at their fingertips because they consistently create value.

Every time you help design and manufacture a new product or component, you have the opportunity to reduce weight, improve performance, reduce emissions, increase safety, lower cost and, most importantly, enhance someone’s life. In most instances, the enhancement is valuable, but marginal to the typical consumer. In a select few instances, we actually can see the ding.