Additive manufacturing is driving industry change – how can organisations benefit?
发布时间：2024年6月4日 05:24
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3D printing
The benefits of using additive manufacturing either as a standalone technology or incorporating into existing processes are wide ranging, but the understanding by organisations of how to utilise to best affect may not be as clear.
The benefits of using additive manufacturing either as a standalone technology or incorporating into existing processes are wide ranging, but the understanding by organisations of how to utilise to best affect may not be as clear.
Product development and industrial production processes can be relatively expensive due to high fixed costs, so organisations need to understand how additive manufacturing can be used to benefit their businesses and reduce costs, improve lead time and above all, add value before it can truly be used to its full potential.
Additive manufacturing can provide a new level of efficiency in manufacturing. Because of additive manufacturing, expensive physical storage is changing in favour of digital inventories with on-demand parts. Tools, jigs, fixtures and fittings can be produced on site. Engineers can develop new products faster, with better performance and optimised geometries. Organisations can adapt to change more quickly, decrease lead time and lower costs by inventory, labour and transportation reduction.
Organisations do not even need to manufacture parts in house any longer. Instead, they can use online manufacturing platforms that provide access to quality manufacturers globally, where one simply uploads a design file and receives an instant, competitive quote and, perhaps, even feedback on the suitability of their design. Agile is a buzz word in digital transformation but it is just as important in manufacturing – it allows for creative and quick response.
However, while there are many benefits to this new model, I find there is still a place for a local supplier... sometimes what you want, and need, is that face-to-face conversation and advice. Both online and local models have their place in additive manufacturing, just like additive manufacturing and traditional processes have their place in industry. 3D printing will not replace traditional methods such as machining (milling, drilling etc) and forming (casting, moulding etc) in an engineering environment, but they must work alongside each other and be used according to their respective benefits of cost and time.
Additive manufacturing is a big part of Industry 4.0, which is happening right now, so these are exciting times for engineers and manufacturers.
Want to learn more about additive manufacturing?
Check out the Institution’s recently launched training ‘A guide to additive manufacturing (3D printing)’
Benefits of attendance:
Gain knowledge of properties of materials and traditional manufacturing methods
Learn about the processes and technologies involved in additive manufacturing
Discover how to get started designing and printing your own parts
Combine these skills to gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the additive manufacturing process and utilise them to improve your own product designs at home and in the workplace
For more information or to book, contact training@imeche.org or visit imeche.org/plgadd.
The industrial revolutions
Here’s a whistle stop tour of the four industrial revolutions and what Industry 4.0 has to do with all this.
Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, describes industrial revolution as the appearance of “new technologies and novel ways of perceiving the world [that] trigger a profound change in economic and social structures”.
The first industrial revolution began around the 1760s and was marked by manufacturing transitioning from manual production methods to machines and mechanisation, such as steam and water power. The textile industry dominated then. By the late 19th and early 20th century, science and mass production (mainly steel) began to dominate, leading to the second industrial revolution (think of Henry Ford and the production line). The third revolution was the digital revolution, which began in the middle of last century.
This brings us back to the fourth industrial revolution (also known as Industry 4.0), which I think of as the technological revolution because it sees rapid technological innovation, such as internet of things, artificial intelligence, robotics and of course 3D printing (or additive manufacturing as it is known), that advances communication and connectivity, and transforms manufacturing, industrial practises and the way the world operates.
Meet the trainer and author
Matthew Laskaj
With over 20 years’ experience in the oil & gas, refining and manufacturing industries, Matthew is passionate about promoting and developing skills in engineering and the manufacturing industry. He is also a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Chair of the Institution’s Aberdeen Region Committee.
Additive manufacturing can provide a new level of efficiency in manufacturing. Because of additive manufacturing, expensive physical storage is changing in favour of digital inventories with on-demand parts. Tools, jigs, fixtures and fittings can be produced on site. Engineers can develop new products faster, with better performance and optimised geometries. Organisations can adapt to change more quickly, decrease lead time and lower costs by inventory, labour and transportation reduction.
Organisations do not even need to manufacture parts in house any longer. Instead, they can use online manufacturing platforms that provide access to quality manufacturers globally, where one simply uploads a design file and receives an instant, competitive quote and, perhaps, even feedback on the suitability of their design. Agile is a buzz word in digital transformation but it is just as important in manufacturing – it allows for creative and quick response.
However, while there are many benefits to this new model, I find there is still a place for a local supplier... sometimes what you want, and need, is that face-to-face conversation and advice. Both online and local models have their place in additive manufacturing, just like additive manufacturing and traditional processes have their place in industry. 3D printing will not replace traditional methods such as machining (milling, drilling etc) and forming (casting, moulding etc) in an engineering environment, but they must work alongside each other and be used according to their respective benefits of cost and time.
Additive manufacturing is a big part of Industry 4.0, which is happening right now, so these are exciting times for engineers and manufacturers.
Want to learn more about additive manufacturing?
Check out the Institution’s recently launched training ‘A guide to additive manufacturing (3D printing)’
Benefits of attendance:
Gain knowledge of properties of materials and traditional manufacturing methods
Learn about the processes and technologies involved in additive manufacturing
Discover how to get started designing and printing your own parts
Combine these skills to gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the additive manufacturing process and utilise them to improve your own product designs at home and in the workplace
For more information or to book, contact training@imeche.org or visit imeche.org/plgadd.
The industrial revolutions
Here’s a whistle stop tour of the four industrial revolutions and what Industry 4.0 has to do with all this.
Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, describes industrial revolution as the appearance of “new technologies and novel ways of perceiving the world [that] trigger a profound change in economic and social structures”.
The first industrial revolution began around the 1760s and was marked by manufacturing transitioning from manual production methods to machines and mechanisation, such as steam and water power. The textile industry dominated then. By the late 19th and early 20th century, science and mass production (mainly steel) began to dominate, leading to the second industrial revolution (think of Henry Ford and the production line). The third revolution was the digital revolution, which began in the middle of last century.
This brings us back to the fourth industrial revolution (also known as Industry 4.0), which I think of as the technological revolution because it sees rapid technological innovation, such as internet of things, artificial intelligence, robotics and of course 3D printing (or additive manufacturing as it is known), that advances communication and connectivity, and transforms manufacturing, industrial practises and the way the world operates.
Meet the trainer and author
Matthew Laskaj
With over 20 years’ experience in the oil & gas, refining and manufacturing industries, Matthew is passionate about promoting and developing skills in engineering and the manufacturing industry. He is also a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Chair of the Institution’s Aberdeen Region Committee.
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