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RESOURCES FINDING THE TOP TABLETS FOR ENGINEERS De- sign firms are slowly moving toward mobile design tools, although this transition is not as fast as the transitions in other manufacturing industries. While computing power is no lon- ger an issue with mobile devices, the ability to view and design on a small screen will always hinder detailed design tasks. However, the improvements that are being made continue to entice design firms as well as profession- als and encourage them to transition to these devices. More and more power is coming in yet smaller and lighter devices. Even the latest, thinnest laptop, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, can look like a monster compared to the company’s recently introduced tablet/ keyboard combo, the Yoga P40. The power and portability of some of these new devices are leading many engineers to question the need for super power in a box that stays in one place or their laptop — which suddenly looks large and feels heavy. Maybe a super tablet or convertible would be good enough most of the time? How Mobile Is Mobile? While the “mobile” label can be applied to any computer that can be deemed portable (up to and including 20-pound behemoths with 19-inch screens and power supplies as big as bricks) let us look at what is truly mobile and functional enough for engineering. For this article, mobile means devices you can pick up and carry over to show a coworker something without breaking your back. Power and mobility such as this is offered by some of the new, larger tablets and a fast-growing class of mobile hardware,

such as the tablet/keyboard combination or “convertibles,” currently being led by the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Can a Tablet Be Your Only Computer? The transition to tablets for engineering and designing can be impeded by the size of the tablet screen. For example, the iPad Air 2 with a 9.7-inch (diagonal) screen may be fine for viewing and mark-up, but you couldn’t work on it all day. Tablets are getting bigger, however. The iPad Pro has just burst onto the scene with a 12.9-inch screen. The Panasonic FZ-Y1 tablet is the biggest of all in this article with a 20-inch screen and could be conceivably be looked at all day—though for most full-time CAD and CAE use, a single screen would be considered a graphical downgrade. A tablet should at least include a docking device to which larger or multiple screens could be added. Still, we will include them here for all the following advantages: Rough sketching. Freely sketching to communicate with a customer or to start a design idea such as a product shape, color, etc. or sketching floor plans in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Annotations and mark-up. Annotating an existing design to make changes to the detailed design later or to add material or function-based notes on a machined part. Calculation. Calculating wall thickness of parts, drilling location from edges or wall thickness, measuring perimeter, area, etc. Collaboration. Collaborating and communicating within teams or offsite with suppliers and on the manufacturing floor to

relay design changes quickly. Reuse and overlaying. Design firms of all sizes also report that they are able to replace and reuse components from a library of parts into assemblies during design meetings. Overlaying features in assembly to check with new or existing parts in assembly has also has proven productive for many designers. You Can Touch This Mobile tablet features such as touch and a pen or stylus come in handy to navigate through the design. Over time, these features have been introduced on laptops that may or may not have a detachable tablet attached to a keyboard. Where Are the Apps? Most CAD vendors have released viewers, sketching and light design-editing applications on the popular iOS (iPad/iPhone), Android and Windows platforms. CAD vendors have to work with the limitations imposed by the hardware performance and software of Apple’s iPad that restricts the free release of productive features. On the other hand, the Android platform caters more toward a phone-based operating system. It may surprise engineers to learn that the iOS platform ranks highest in the number of light design applications released. The Android applications are currently only at 70 percent of the number of iOS applications. Most heavy-duty engineering applications, such CAD and CAE, are still based on Microsoft Windows.

Source: Engineering.com

RANDY WILBURN, from page 3

Recruiting is certainly an art and to be successful you must master every aspect of the recruiting process including knowing your client and their culture inside and out. This will never happen with just a phone call, an exchange of contracts or proposals, and LinkedIn. There is so much more to it. If you want to get serious about your recruiting in 2016, you have to pull together a better game plan when it comes to finding the best people. If you are going to work with a recruiter make sure they know you inside and out and can articulate your firm’s culture and values as well if not better than you can. If you need help or guidance in this area I’m here to listen. Let us know what we can do to help make your recruitment and retention goals a reality in the coming year. Mark your calendar too! We will be doing a “Become a Better Recruiter” seminar for the design industry this upcoming year. Visit ZweigGroup.com for dates and more information on all our seminars and events. RANDY WILBURN is director of executive search at Zweig Group. Contact him at rwilburn@zweiggroup.com.

employees that way, but it’s honestly not the same. In my mind, I can see and walk any candidate through our client’s office, the type of employees working there, and the general surroundings around the office building. All these attributes, which we’ve experienced firsthand, help us to have a successful recruiting experience where we can compel candidates from both near and far to consider joining our client’s firm. “If you want to get serious about your recruiting in 2016, you have to pull together a better game plan when it comes to finding the best people. If you are going to work with a recruiter make sure they know you inside and out and can articulate your firm’s culture and values as well if not better than you can.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 11, 2016, ISSUE 1134

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