Akshay Ballal — On 3D Printing and Automation, Achieving Stretch Goals, Scratching Your Own Itch, Taking India Global, and more
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Shownotes
Akshay on LinkedIn
Stratasys
Fused Deposition Modeling
Josef Průša
Internshala
IIT Madras Research Park & Incubation Cell
Avishkar Hyperloop, IIT Madras, at Hyperloop Pod Competition
To Engineer is Human by Henry Petroski
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
Liftoff by Eric Burger
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Episode Highlights
(02:54) What is 3-D Printing? Its history and its future.
(06:10) Why 3-D Printing is slow to gain traction with the masses.
(07:28) What makes 3-D Printing superior as a rapid prototyping technology to CNC and other options.
(11:00) The difference in skills human beings need for 3-D Printing and CNC tooling.
(16:50) Why Akshay chose FabHeads for his internship and the prototype he built during that time.
(20:40) What led to his decision to join FabHeads full-time after engineering despite having offers from established companies?
(24:22) From a mechanical design engineer to the Chief Product Officer in two years—Akshay’s journey.
(26:55) The lessons he learned during the transition from an individual contributor to a manager and leader.
(28:11) His most important lesson: Show the Product. [How they raced against time to build an MVP to display at an exhibition, and how that led to a windfall of business.]
(31:00) His team’s approach towards building the prototype in 20 days.
(35:00) The three aspects that keep people inspired at FabHeads.
(35:29) The work they did with Avishkar for the Hyperloop competition.
(38:37) The work they’re doing in the Indian defense sector.
(39:49) The advanced cognitive skills and mindset that helped Akshay grow in his career.
(45:00) Akshay’s book recommendations.
(48:08) Akshay’s advice for his just-out-of-college self.
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About The Author
Vishal Kataria is a writer and podcaster who shares lessons he has learned about productivity, learning new skills, and self-improvement.
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