“It's hard to fail, but it's worse never to have tried to succeed.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
1. Robots in the Wild
Manufacturing will continue to grow closer to point of use, forcing manufacturing technologies into remote and harsh environments. Robotics and automation will get a front seat to this ride into the wild. While robots have been used in medical procedures for some time now, they may soon play pivotal roles in space exploration or mining. Our imagination seems to be manufacturing’s only limitation, which is quickly disappearing – like tears in rain.
2. Path to Lights-Out
Lights-out manufacturing for high volume is easy. That’s right; I said it. However, most manufacturers are saddled with high-mix, low-volume production needs. Product diversity is essential, as manufacturers face a growing economy and consumer sentiments enamored with custom and bespoke features. Manufacturers interested in implementing lights-out manufacturing for this type of mix must put careful thought into the technologies they select and pay close attention to their return on investment.
3. War Games and Advanced Manufacturing
The Department of Defense’s war-game simulations test defense capabilities, uncover weaknesses in battlefield theory – and address the military’s growing need for manufacturing at the front lines! By fielding 3D printers and bringing manufacturing to the first advanced manufacturing war game at Rock Island Arsenal, the Army aims to enhance their maintenance capabilities, mitigate supply chain disruptions, and empower soldiers to solve maintenance problems efficiently.
4. Roll Your Own 3D Printer
Have you ever considered building your own 3D printer? We discussed the Top 10 3D printers from the previous maker movement on the Tech Trends podcast. Those models were consumer-grade models that were usually assembled by the user. But how about building your own powder bed fusion 3D printer? The Technical University of Munich released an open-source model using freely available software, CAD files, circuit diagrams, and documentation. Sounds like we should plan a weekend build party.
5. New Metals
I predict the future will be ripe with new custom materials. Oh wait, that is the now. The growth of new materials is fueled by tougher and more extreme design conditions. One example is NASA’s GRX-810. This alloy was designed to maintain its strength capabilities at temperatures well over 2,000 F. I am excited for these challenging new materials that require new manufacturing technologies and processes.
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