The arrival of COVID-19 onto the global manufacturing landscape has changed operations in a number of important ways.
Ultimaker has launched Ultimaker Essentials, a new software solution created to aid companies in overcoming major barriers in the adoption of additive manufacturing. Ultimaker Essentials enables companies to incorporate 3D printing in existing IT infrastructures and allows for distribution and updating of 3D printing software.
In a recent demonstration of the vendor-agnostic Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform (SMIP) from CESMII, project partners first helped managers of North Carolina State University’s water purification plant get off the dime and analyze the data they were collecting with smart instruments.
Until just a few years ago, if a vehicle maker wanted to test the process for making a newly designed composite part at full scale, the company’s R&D engineers would call one of its Tier Ones and ask to schedule a trial run on the composites fabricator’s machines during off hours.
The COVID-19 crisis caught all of us off guard and interrupted global systems in a way not experienced in recent memory.
Imagine hearing the news that manufacturers are producing a proven and safe vaccine for COVID-19 and shipping it your way. It will be music to the world’s ears.
Today, it’s tremendously difficult to get products made. To turn an idea into a tangible object requires a list of difficult-to-obtain resources, including expensive machinery and capital, and a lot of time to program and configure machines.
Most machine shop owners and operators know about metal additive manufacturing (AM). They know it can make shapes they can’t match by machining alone. They also know that 3D printed “builds” require other machines and in-house expertise for post-processing.
The 3D Printing Technology Continues Depositing Large Amounts of High-value Materials in the COVID-19 Pandemic
The economic challenges brought forth by COVID-19 are causing a more intense focus in manufacturing on the need for the kind of alacrity achieved with digital tools and the kind of digital savvy achieved with strong partnerships.
