When I began my career as a journalist in 1993, people spoke of the “CAD/CAM sector”. Back then, two abbreviations were enough to describe what we now call the digital product development process chain. It was all about replacing the drawing board and reusing computer-generated drawings to create NC programmes.

Since then, what was once a standalone solution has become a central component of integrated enterprise IT solutions, and the number of acronyms has become almost overwhelming. Consequently, my area of expertise has constantly expanded. With 3D printing/additive manufacturing, another extremely exciting field has been added, and I naturally continue to focus on general mechanical engineering in parallel. Most recently, artificial intelligence has taken hold across the entire process chain, from design right through to the machine on the production line.

Today, I cover the entire field of digital product development through articles in magazines and blogs, as well as through presentations. My ‘career’ as a CAD user began when I started 3D modelling in 2011; since then, I have worked with all the major systems on the market. In 2013, a 3D printer arrived in the office, followed by a CNC milling machine in 2016 – both built from scratch to maximise the learning experience. For several years now, I’ve been heavily involved with smart home technology and embedded systems. Examples include IoT devices I’ve developed myself, AI-on-the-Edge for analysing analogue measuring instruments, and a digital brewing control system. Here, I also work with industry-standard protocols such as Modbus and MQTT.

Through my blog www.EngineeringSpot.de, I have been tracking, evaluating and analysing the digital product development market since 2014.

I have also written books: ‘CAD for Makers’ is published by Hanser Verlag and is aimed at anyone who wants to get to grips with technical 3D modelling as a hobby. A significant part of the target audience consists of 3D printer owners who are tired of printing downloaded models and want to bring their own ideas to life. Through four projects, I introduce the reader to no fewer than eleven CAD and other systems. The second book, “Milling for Makers”, describes the selection, construction and commissioning of a CNC milling machine, as well as the preparation of milling data using CAM software. Here, too, makers are the target audience.

In the meantime, I have, so to speak, moved into manufacturing with the digital twin. Digital automation and production are my new areas of interest. As part of this expansion of my portfolio, I have been working part-time at the Vogel Communications Group since August 2024, whilst continuing to run my own business in parallel. At “Vogel”, I work in the MM Mechanical Engineering Group as an editor responsible for the Robotics & Automation section. In addition, I manage the Industrial Explorer portal, covering the fields of AI, humanoid robots, cyber resilience and quantum computing.

In my writing and presentations, my aim is to bridge the gap between AI hype and industrial reality: what works on the machine today, what remains a pipe dream, and what does this mean for developers and operators? Ultimately, it’s all coming together in digitalisation.

Are you looking for a journalist, consultant, market analyst, presenter, author and speaker who is wholeheartedly dedicated to digital product development, mechanical engineering and technology in general? Someone who speaks clearly and practically about topics such as AI, embedded systems and OT automation? Then you’ve come to the right place.

I hope you enjoy reading this – and I’m certainly enjoying writing it 🙂