If a new 3D printer is on your shopping list for 2017, you may find two recent publications quite interesting. One is an academic paper, the first to comprehensively evaluate bioprinters. The other is a third annual guide to printers that, for the first time, includes industrial technology.
Oerlikon announced today that it will be building a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Plymouth Township, Michigan, USA, dedicated to producing advanced materials for additive manufacturing and high-end surface coatings.
The additive manufacturing revolution is in full stride, flying in aircraft and giving manufacturers a robust tool for design and production
Lean manufacturing principles and automation systems can coexist, although many lean purists contend that lean goals conflict with using automation. Smart applications of automation, however, can result in deployment of systems that are both automated and lean, with flexible manufacturing systems that can be easily reconfigured as factory operations change.
Common misperceptions about lean manufacturing and automation systems lead many manufacturing managers to dismiss the use of automation in a lean setting.
Many industries have been making parts with micron dimensions for some time, but in the last few years, the market for miniaturization has expanded. The demand is not only for small parts, but also for small complex features on larger parts. This is due chiefly to the switch to modules in which the functions of several parts or subsystems are not handled by a single complex unit.
If a study by Deloitte from early this year was on target, 2017 will record a 2% increase in global aerospace and defense revenues and commercial aircraft production is likely to keep rising in the near future.
As the impact of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, on business continues to surge, the need for career development in this rapidly growing industry is also rising.
German auto supplier boosts use of 3D printing
One of the early applications for 3D printing/additive manufacturing (AM) was in the medical industry. As the machines and materials have improved, the use of these technologies expanded into almost every application. In medical, there are unique challenges as patient safety is paramount and government regulation and insurance issues structure what can and will be done.
