RESOURCES

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Jan 14, 2021

Disruptive digital technology will transform every industry in one way or another. The manufacturing sector is absolutely no exception, having spent the last decade bouncing back from being affected by a down economy.Yet despite the coronavirus pandemic throwing a wrench in what was poised to be one...

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Jan 08, 2021

The pandemic is considered a catalyst of change. It has forced many industries worldwide to transform and adapt to various digital solutions. A collection of advanced technologies such as IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more have been widely adopted to support innovation-driven gr...

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Nov 23, 2020

Out of necessity manufacturers are learning to leverage online selling. Digital selling channels recover losses from in-person sales methodologies creating a new channel to serve online customers.

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Aug 21, 2020

The traditional aerospace factory with conservative concepts, repetitive tasks and labor-rich processes is transforming into the factory of the future – using Industry 4.0 technologies in smart, connected, transparent and automated processes that are adaptable to product changes and demand flu...

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Aug 21, 2020

With the advent of technology and the subsequent changes in the business landscape, warehouse digitalization is fast evolving into a sine qua non if businesses wish to remain relevant and competitive. The digital transformation of warehouses can be attained not only through the incorporation of AI, ...

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Aug 21, 2020

The Bank of England and the UK’s top financial regulators define operational resilience as “the ability of firms and the financial system as a whole to prevent, adapt, respond to, recover, and learn from operational disruptions.” IBM takes a more expansive view, defining the term a...

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Aug 20, 2020

In a world where up to 800 million people are chronically undernourished roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted across the entire supply chain every year. In a report by the World Resources Institute (WRI), “The most immediate reasons food leaves the human f...

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Aug 20, 2020

Global manufacturing production is now at 95% of pre-pandemic levels of activity after demonstrating growth for the fourth consecutive week. While the overall increase is slower compared to last week, China and Mexico are continuing to see relatively higher rates of growth, with Mexico becoming the ...

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Aug 20, 2020

A leading plastics global plastics manufacturer has standardized on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) as one of their primary metrics based on its proven value in stabilizing every production machine on their shop floor. An injection molding manufacturer was able to increase OEE performance by 7...

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Aug 20, 2020

MEMS and image sensors are shining stars in the chip industry as technology companies worldwide accelerate innovation in the fight against COVID-19. The tiny devices are behind advances in areas of electronics ranging from thermal imaging and faster point-of-care testing to microfluidics-based polym...

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Aug 20, 2020

There is a saying that “the only constant in life is change.” While change for some industries can be intimidating and unwanted, it is safe to say that the digital landscape for manufacturers is constantly changing, and it is no longer an option to ignore the disruption. The impetus for ...

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Aug 20, 2020

As a consumer, you want to know when your package is going to arrive. But have you considered how crucial delivery status communication is in your own business? Most big consumer-facing brands have upped their game in terms of customer communication in recent years. Amazon sends customers emails wit...

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Aug 19, 2020

An often-overlooked aspect of operations technology (OT) cybersecurity is the risk posed by unassuming sensors. These are the devices utilized across many manufacturing operations to monitor process variables such as temperature, humidity, flow, and pressure. In an era where millions of Industrial I...

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Aug 18, 2020

When it comes to cancer research, detection, and treatment, the medical community always needs support. Small, innovative solutions can make a big difference. That’s precisely how 3D printing is assisting scientists and researchers. It helps them pursue their cause more effectively. Scientists...

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Aug 18, 2020

When running a business, few people have the luxury of simply saying, “Let’s just wait and see what happens.” This rings particularly true for importers and distributors. More often than not, it’s a constant hustle to ensure efficiencies, confirm schedules, monitor shipments,...

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Aug 17, 2020

Purchasing managers indices indicated July manufacturing increases in most key countries with only South Korea and Japan having PMIs still in contraction territory (Chart 1). The Global PMI recovered sharply (Chart 2), reaching 50.3 in July. The manufacturing sector is recovering but the service sec...

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Aug 11, 2020

Due to the customer demand for customization one-of-a-kind manufacturing has never been stronger; there has been a 100% increase in ETO manufacturing over the past fifteen years. Currently more than half of all manufacturers produce non-standardized SKUs and finished goods. These are custom manufact...

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Aug 10, 2020

If you build it, they will come. At least, that was KAR Global LMS Administrator Joseph Cunningham’s hope. He wanted to develop a professional learning culture that would inspire and better serve employees. And, he was about to be proven right.In January 2020, Cunningham and his team soft-laun...

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Aug 06, 2020

In the last two weeks, global manufacturing production has continued to climb, reaching 91% of pre-pandemic rates of activity as of August 2. As reported last month, activity in 2020 (indicated by blue line, below) continues to resemble trends seen in 2019 (see orange line, below). However, not all ...

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Aug 05, 2020

As a researcher who studies the intersection of people and technology at work, Ben Eubanks examines each side of a two-faced coin. On one side is tech—“how we use technology to hire, train and engage the workforce; the other is human—“the trends side of how employers are perf...

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Aug 05, 2020

The dangers of Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) aka Sour Gas in oil and gas production are well known. A highly toxic, corrosive, flammable and explosive gas. H2S is colourless and although characterised by it “rotten egg” smell, at high concentrations can also be odourless. H2S poses an extreme ...

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Aug 05, 2020

Packaging and palletizing involve some of the least ergonomic tasks in the supply chain, accounting for a significant number of repetitive strain and musculoskeletal disorders among workers. Lifting heavy loads and bending to pick up or wrap goods are not just non-ergonomic tasks that carry the risk...

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Aug 05, 2020

With just a click of a button, new implants today can be instantly tested by hundreds of patients at the same time. This is leaps and bounds over traditional methods. Instead of timely and wasteful testing on cadavers, which would only test one device on one specific person’s anatomy, now test...

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Aug 04, 2020

Stefaan Motte, Vice President of Materialise’s software department, discusses our ongoing partnerships with other members of the 3D printing community to standardize machine language and bring the value of printer data to users.We may not pay them attention each day, but every time we plug in ...

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Aug 03, 2020

We’re working with Boom Supersonic, an aerospace company building the world’s fastest civil aircraft, to explore a propulsion system for Overture, their flagship supersonic passenger aircraft. Boom is aiming to usher in a new era of supersonic passenger flight, utilising the latest aeros...

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Aug 01, 2020

In Bristol, UK, huge hangars topped with solar panels buzz with activity. Inside, Rolls-Royce engineers are working on the latest in low-carbon technology, from lightweight engine fan blades to hybrid-electric generators and propulsion for next-generation fighter jets. In recent weeks, a hangar norm...

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Jul 27, 2020

Permanent Magnet synchronous AC Motors are growing in popularity. This 8-page guide provides a detailed look inside a permanent magnet AC motor and how this technology differs from both servo and induction motors.A motor type that is growing in popularity is marketed with several different names, in...

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Jul 24, 2020

The advanced actuation system on Emerson’s new Branson GSX ultrasonic welder dynamically adjusts weld force to enable reliable assembly of plastic parts in product designs considered too small, delicate or difficult to weld before. This white paper outlines the development of the new actuation...

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Jul 23, 2020

Robots now come in many sizes, and in configurations of two to seven axes. They can do simple or complicated work, even surgery, and are easier to integrate than ever into any manufacturing or processing environments, including food zones, clean rooms and warehouses. But what’s most important ...

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Jul 13, 2020

When you combine all of today’s concerns for manufacturers with the economy, the effects of the pandemic and the US-Chine trade tensions, it’s a critical time for your maintenance operations. And you’re the critical piece to helping ensure you can operate efficiently and profitably...

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Jul 13, 2020

The way these new automation solutions have been adapted and adjusted promotes the ease of setting and managing pricing boundaries in context of all variables. Price alignment was designed to alleviate the pain for any manufacturing organization using simple rules or trial-and-error methods to deriv...

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Jul 08, 2020

Nic Temple (pictured left) Vice President of US Sales, Global AGV shared the rationale for autonomous forklifts: any manufacturer operating two or more forklifts currently, must consider the merits of replacing one unit as a critical return-to-work strategy during the pandemic.Fewer than 2% of fork...

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Jul 07, 2020

Inspecting your vehicle is similar to what a pilot does before taking off. The pilot examines the outside of the plane before entering the cockpit where a pre-flight check occurs. The same is true when preparing your vehicle. We provide a platform to easily schedule preventive/scheduled maintenance ...

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Jun 29, 2020

Machine tending is one of those tasks that's ideally suited to collaborative robot-powered automation. Dull, often dirty and sometimes dangerous, it's no surprise that over recent years machine tending has emerged as one of the most popular applications for cobots.And with manufacturers faci...

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Jun 29, 2020

The machine and equipment builder (OEM) market is highly competitive, with expectations of ongoing price/ performance improvements in each generation. Customers are recognizing the need for machines that are connected, flexible, scalable, and smart, to support the ongoing Industry 4.0 revolution tha...

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Jun 25, 2020

The benefits of applying textures to injection molds are well known — they allow companies to curate the aesthetic of a product and avoid expensive post-processing operations. Designers can control how matte or shiny their molded part is and cover imperfections such as flow lines or sink marks...

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Jun 04, 2020

A review of the key elements in supplier management for manufacturers and how Source-to-Pay procurement technology can support the journey towards supply chain resilience and agility in times of crisis. As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts global supply chains, procurement organizations around the worl...

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Jun 03, 2020

Medical device manufacturers face unique challenges when it comes to product development because they’re trying to break into a very heavily regulated market with a lot of oversight. Since medical equipment has a direct impact on health outcomes, medical device manufacturing demands extraordin...

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May 11, 2020

Creative Robotics (CR), a research unit within the University for Art and Design Linz, Austria, study robotics as an interface between the digital and the physical world. CR works with robotic arms and focus their research on new robot applications leading to flexible production and individualizatio...

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May 08, 2020

Ergonomics International’s Evidence-Based Risk Analysis Software Suite utilizes standardized tools which have high validity and reliability. These tools provide management with real-time data to make evidence-based decisions, yet data is simple enough for ergonomic, safety, occupational health...

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May 05, 2020

In my last blog post, I touched upon how the draft EGCS Guidelines now define the PAH monitoring methodology. I also wrote that PAH as a regulatory substance for scrubbers can be difficult to comprehend. So, in this blog post I’d like to clear up some of the PAH mystery. When it comes down to ...

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Apr 28, 2020

Google Search Console is a great tool for content creation. If you’re partnered with an industrial marketing agency, they will likely use the Search Console to inform you about the health of your website and if there are any loading or security or server issues. The longer you use the Search C...

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Apr 28, 2020

As the global market adjusts to the new normal, many industries have had to modify their service offerings. For photo and video production, a service that inherently requires multi-person teams, social distancing and medical sanitation standards have posed substantial challenges. Overcoming these ch...

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Apr 27, 2020

We’ve already witnessed decades of improvement made possible by instrumenting factories, job sites, warehouses, public spaces, transportation systems and more. In its current state, Industrial IoT solutions have led to natural benefits and big wins, especially in Industry 4.0 applications. Tha...

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Apr 24, 2020

Measures to prevent or reduce COVID-19 infection have affected supply chains and disrupted manufacturing operations across the world. How will the global manufacturing industry re-boot operations after the pandemic? According to China’s Activity Index, many of the country’s industrial ma...

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Apr 24, 2020

Today, manufacturers are faced with a new, stark reality that includes supply chain issues, workforce shortages and stringent safety precautions. In the early months of 2020 COVID-19, the disease caused by a novel coronavirus, has brought on cases that are in the millions worldwide and the virus has...

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Apr 24, 2020

These days, consumers demand businesses be green - from green packaging to green solutions to green food - a green company offers sustainable or renewable products or operates in an environmentally-friendly way. Earlier this month, we reported that sourcing on Thomasnet.com for reusable bag material...

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Apr 23, 2020

So you’ve realized that your traditional growth tactics just weren’t working, and you’ve taken steps to get your inbound marketing program off the ground. Great! To refresh, inbound marketing focuses on creating educational content that pulls people toward your industrial website. ...

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Apr 23, 2020

With a shared vision for ongoing sustainability, manufacturers can make a long-term impact by improving the efficiency of equipment and processes, lowering energy and water consumption, increasing the use of renewables, reducing waste, emissions and packaging, as well as using fewer raw materials. T...

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Apr 21, 2020

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 has led to mass quarantines, stay at home orders, and social distancing around the world. Businesses deemed non-essential are being forced to close doors, triggering layoffs. It's a painful time for many people, for many reasons. In these grim times, is it inapp...

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Apr 21, 2020

As part of Qualcomm’s efforts to further support industry IoT applications, the company provided live over-the-air demonstrations of upcoming 5G industrial IoT capabilities such as Time Sensitive Networking, enhanced ultra-reliable low-latency communication and precise indoor positioning. TSN ...

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Apr 20, 2020

Industrial 4.0 or what we otherwise call the digitalization of industries is already here. In fact, four out of five organizations now do recognize the importance of operational network digitalization. The natural progression from mechanization to electricity to automation and computers has made the...

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Apr 20, 2020

Both my grandfather and my father were business insurance brokers, so needless to say, I’ve been around insurance all my life. As a young child, I remember picking my dad’s brain after coming home from a long day at work. I found the insurance business fascinating. He built a business fr...

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Apr 16, 2020

As we have all been moving so quickly handling the many facets of this crisis, I finally took a few moments to reflect on the magnitude of it all. Sitting here in my basement office at my home, I have a few personal observations. First is, quite simply, people helping each other. Neighbors are helpi...

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Apr 16, 2020

China manufacturing has gotten riskier and more difficult. Our China manufacturing lawyers hear this pretty much every single day from our own clients. On the one hand you have rapidly rising harassment of foreigners going on in China. Not a day goes by anymore without a long media story on the grow...

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Apr 16, 2020

Any manufacturing executive will tell you that if you don’t have adequate data on your manufacturing costs, there’s no way to know whether you will hit your revenue targets. If you don’t know how to calculate the cost of production, you also won’t know whether your production...

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Apr 16, 2020

We get a lot of questions from manufacturers around the difference between the edge and the cloud. Edge and cloud computing are often misunderstood to be mutually exclusive but, while they may function in different ways, leveraging one does not preclude the use of the other. In fact, they actually c...

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Apr 15, 2020

We are living the Fourth Industrial Revolution; this is no buzzword anymore. Although executives across the globe have realized the importance of acting in a timely manner, defining the right path for an organization might still be a challenge. Let’s set the stage first. Industry 4.0 is the of...

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Apr 15, 2020

In the midst of the rapid lifestyle changes incurred by COVID-19, consumer behaviors have shifted considerably: grocery and variety stores are experiencing consistent spikes in consumer demand, while other brick-and-mortar retailers are experiencing dwindling sales and a spike in traffic to their ec...

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Apr 13, 2020

Two recent projects demonstrate the potential of digital manufacturing in translating life-saving ideas to real-world products, both at scale and in enough time to make a difference. The first is a ventilator designed by a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota to be easy to use, and, of...

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Apr 10, 2020

Coming up with perfect content marketing ideas for manufacturing companies can often be difficult. But, if you know where to look for inspiration, ideas are actually everywhere. Below are some tactics to help you and your team find success in content marketing for industrial companies. Remember the ...

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Apr 09, 2020

BAE Systems has rallied to support the work of the NHS by supplying vital Personal Protective Equipment to protect medical staff in Preston and around the UK. Employees in the Air sector, who normally produce parts for combat aircraft including Eurofighter Typhoon, and our Submarines business are 3D...

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Apr 08, 2020

For more than 120 years, Thomas has created trusting relationships with thousands of successful job shop owners from coast to coast. Job shops across America form the backbone of the country’s economy. Unfortunately, even though they may have the right skills, equipment, and people, it’s...

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Apr 08, 2020

During the past decade, the biopharmaceutical industry has made a rapid shift toward modular plants and single-use technology. In fact, more than 85% of pre-commercial scale biopharma now relies on SUT – and commercial production is quickly following suit. Leading biopharma OEMs are well aware...

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Apr 08, 2020

The Fourth industrial revolution has unleashed a myriad of opportunities for organisations eager to leverage a new generation of connected Industrial Internet of Things devices and reap the rewards of enhanced data sharing, operational efficiencies, and productivity, says Trevor Daughney, vice presi...

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Apr 07, 2020

It doesn’t matter where on the planet you’ve set-up your business. All across the globe, countries are dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The severity of sanctions, lockdowns, and quarantines vary from country to country. But, one thing every manufacturer, big or small, a...

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Apr 07, 2020

While India Inc. is embarking on complete adoption of Industry 4.0 for its day-to-day regime, its implementation in the country is currently at a nascent stage, but happening at a fast pace. Large companies have been successful in applying digital industrial technologies in their businesses, while S...

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Apr 06, 2020

With the increasing degree of automation in the production lines, the demand for an automated process in quality control is also increased. Another thing important is that data which is optimized with predictive maintenance can pay off, if the machines are able to perform those functions. If the dat...

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Apr 06, 2020

Since the first Industrial Revolution, the human being has understood the potential of applying technology as a means of progress. Steam machinery, assembly lines and computing are some of the advancements that have taken place during the last few centuries, all of them with sights on generating tec...

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Apr 03, 2020

When a machine component fails or operating conditions start to change, the first sign for workers that something is wrong is often an alarm in the HMI. Factors such as how accurate, detectable and informative the alarm is can directly affect how quickly workers see and react to it. That’s why...

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Apr 03, 2020

I have always been interested and somewhat fascinated by machines, especially the ones that are used to build other machines. I have good memories of my visits to an enormous foundry or a ship factory. This dates back 30 years when I was working in a machine shop as a high-school senior. I loved the...

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Apr 03, 2020

Diesel engines have powered medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles for the last 100-plus years. And while electrification is on the rise, diesel will remain the dominant player in commercial vehicle transportation for the next few decades. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with lo...

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Apr 02, 2020

Since the first 3D printing machine was unveiled back in 1984, industrial use was the main focus. However, it was not until early patents expired in 2009 and consumer models came to market that industry discovered several new and innovative ways to use 3D printers. The result? Industries from health...

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Apr 02, 2020

The rise of the Industry 4.0 is reshaping the way machines interact with manufacturing systems. In this context, a machine is no longer just a production engine taking manufacturing orders, it has become an intelligent device to produce value-added services and revenue streams for the product itself...

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Apr 01, 2020

Take the case of Lori and Traci Tapani, co-presidents of Wyoming Machine, a sheet metal fabrication manufacturer. The women inherited the company from their father, who is now retired and enjoys restoring antique Harley Davidson bikes, among other hobbies. Their situation is rich with details they c...

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Apr 01, 2020

COVID-19, a virus that began spreading across the world just 3 months ago in late December 2019, has disrupted life in all the ways that we know it. It has infected hundreds of thousands of people around the world, wedged distance between friends and family, and disrupted supply chains by creating u...

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Mar 31, 2020

Charles H. Duell was the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899. Legend has it that Mr. Duell said Everything that can be invented has been invented! This is a common trope that comes around quite often. Someone says, We’re done here, only for them to be proven wrong as the world keeps movin...

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Mar 31, 2020

IoT, data and AI offer huge opportunities across many industries – but where and how do you create most value for your business? Key to answering this is the ability to turn data generated by IoT industrial assets into actionable insights, providing businesses with the intelligence that inform...

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Mar 26, 2020

Many manufacturers and engineers have volunteered to address the shortage of supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic but some supplies are taking a long time to produce. Invoking the Defense Product Act allows the federal government to direct U.S. manufacturers to ramp up production of emergency...

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Mar 26, 2020

COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, is bringing lives and routines to a standstill as we attempt to slow the worldwide spread of the illness. The scale of this disruption has affected business as well, and manufacturing is no exception. In fact, the coronavirus i...

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Mar 25, 2020

It’s been about a month since the PPR (Pollution Prevention and Response) meeting in London. What, then, is the verdict from a scrubber manufacturer perspective? Or are you more interested in what impact the agreed outcome will have on shipowners? Regardless of the question, the answer is more...

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Mar 24, 2020

Design for Manufacturing is the process of designing parts, components or products for ease of manufacturing with an end goal of making a better product at a lower cost. This is done by simplifying, optimizing and refining the product design. The acronym DFMA Design for Manufacturing and Assembly is...

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Mar 24, 2020

Many companies worry about how their business will fare in bad economic conditions, but sometimes opportune outcomes stem from times of economic uncertainty - especially for manufacturers. With seemingly difficult economic conditions on the horizon, there are plenty of indicators that can seem at od...

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Mar 20, 2020

What’s the best PLM for SolidWorks? There are many choices for SolidWorks design data management, but let’s look at it from your perspective, as a SolidWorks design engineer: Is it easy for you to access, right inside SolidWorks? Is it easy for you to use, with simple but complete capabi...

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Mar 20, 2020

The news these days can be pretty unsettling. So it’s important to take note when there are good things happening–when people step up to do what’s needed and help the greater good. One trend we’ve seen in the last few weeks has been manufacturers shifting production to contri...

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Mar 20, 2020

Our mailbag is filling up with COVID-19 notices of all sorts, but some companies are contributing in unique ways. Most of the correspondence deals with internal company protocols. A company may say that they are all working from home, or “have instituted a stringent safety regime at the factor...

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Mar 18, 2020

A containership showed up at the Port of Los Angeles on March 9. You would think this would be a nonevent at the Port of Los Angeles, except this containership was the first to show up from China in almost 10 days. It was sort of like the Navy coming into an 18th century port, and boy, people were e...

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Mar 17, 2020

A warehouse and manufacturing facility are both at risk of fire, just like any business. However, the risk can be greater depending on the types of products or materials stored as well as the work being completed. Machinery and equipment pose a higher threat and fire damage can be devastating to the...

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Mar 17, 2020

The global economic turbulence and uncertainty incited by the coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses of all shapes and sizes. In the manufacturing sector, organizations have struggled to balance their business and operational needs with the health and safety of their workers, most of whom are ...

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Mar 16, 2020

Smart manufacturing is an extensive term that applies to machinery or tools connected via the internet to help monitor production. The purpose of adopting smart manufacturing is to help manufacturers identify opportunities and weaknesses to improve their manufacturing processes. However, smart manuf...

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Mar 16, 2020

One of the best ways for a manufacturer to assess and reduce risk in its supply chain is to have in place strong legal terms with its suppliers. Yet due to the speed of modern technology and growing complexity of supply chains, the reality of the manufacturing landscape is that legal terms aren&rsqu...

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Mar 13, 2020

Manufacturing plant and office closures have limited productivity for the Q1. While many large companies rely on China for manufacturing, the technology industry has been hit especially hard with production delays of smartphones, laptops, smart speakers and more. If supply chains around the world co...

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Mar 13, 2020

In the field of manufacturing, your product, revenue, and customer satisfaction rely on streamlined and efficient operations to succeed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing holds the second-highest success rate, 48 percent of all industries. If your goal is to increase product...

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Mar 12, 2020

Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things are similar, but not quite the same. In fact, they work together to help manufacturers increase their productivity. Today we will discuss what they have in common, how they are different, and how they collaborate. Both Industry and IoT involve smart technology...

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Mar 12, 2020

Let’s face it: when most people think about social media marketing, they aren’t thinking about industrial B2B companies and manufacturers; they’re thinking about viral ads from companies like Doritos, Old Spice, and Snickers promoting their fun, consumer-facing products. Engaging p...

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Mar 11, 2020

The increased digitization and connectivity of society is driving continued growth of the electronic design automation tools market, valued at $6.81 billion in 2019 and projected to reach $10.23 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.8%. EDA is an integral and growing component in ...

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Mar 11, 2020

The first industrial revolution arrived in Great Britain and lasted from the mid-18th century to 1830. During this period, factories that earlier relied on cent percent manual labor migrated towards the machines. In a gist, the first revolution introduced machine manufacturing to the world. There wa...

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Mar 09, 2020

Companies around the world are using Solid Edge to produce amazing products that push the boundaries of innovation. One of these companies is Kimball International – a design and manufacturing company for furniture products with generations of success. Kimball started as a family business in 1...

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Mar 09, 2020

As computing and networking gear in industrial environments become more sophisticated, so is the disparity between cutting-edge and decades-old equipment. This fact complicates the process of calculating cybersecurity risk. Roughly half of industrial organizations prioritize increasing visibility of...

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Mar 06, 2020

As your manufacturing firm seeks to diversify, improve operational efficiencies and increase market penetration among other goals, embarking on an Industry 4.0 initiative is a likely first step. While adopting new technology that can help you compete globally and achieve sustainable growth can appea...

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Mar 06, 2020

Although we are nearing 40 years since the first recorded 3D printing system, it is still a relatively new manufacturing process compared to traditional techniques that have been around for centuries. As additive manufacturing technology continues to evolve, we see new 3D printing processes, materia...

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Mar 05, 2020

The transportation industry has entered an era of major transformation as vehicles are getting connected, electrified, redefined and more automated. Car connectivity is now considered a requirement from the start. The transition to this intelligent, connected car is already happening as the vehicle ...

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Mar 05, 2020

The PCIAW are proud of everyone in the industry who makes a difference every single day. With International Women’s Day coming up on the 8th of March, there’s no better time to recognise women’s contribution to the manufacturing industry. Carrington Textiles and Pincroft are two co...

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Mar 04, 2020

The food and beverage industry has seen great momentum when it comes to addressing cyber hygiene – the starting point for industrial control system cybersecurity. Where we used to have a lot of conversations about network infrastructure, cybersecurity techniques and strategy are now taking cen...

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Mar 04, 2020

Today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing technologies including artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and the internet of things-often referred to as Industry 4.0 technologies-are poised to reshape the global manufacturing landscape, with important consequences for the traditional role of m...

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Mar 03, 2020

According to Forbes magazine, it is estimated that in the last 25 years, global milk production has increased by 61% average 2% per annum and there would be an increase up to 177 million metric tons by 2025. Despite the advances of plant-based milk and dairy analogs, milk and dairy products producti...

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Mar 03, 2020

Is Tesla a car manufacturer, an energy company or a technology firm? Elon Musk envisioned Tesla Motors as a technology company and independent automaker, aimed at eventually offering electric cars at prices affordable to the average consumer. Tesla Motors shortened its name to Tesla in February 2017...

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Mar 02, 2020

In the age of Industry 4.0, electronics manufacturers face increasing pressures to implement innovative processes and new technologies. They must adapt their manufacturing approach to meet customer requests and reduce time to market. Global competition and the need for new manufacturing flexibility ...

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Mar 02, 2020

The concept of the digital twin is the hot topic of the day, and it can be heard at hundreds of talks, forums, and events where Industry 4.0 is the main subject. Similarly, there are hundreds of definitions and writings that try to explain, and even sell, what a digital twin is or why it should be t...

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Feb 28, 2020

Emerging technologies are reconfiguring global supply chains. Witness the disruptive effects of additive manufacturing, a technology that has allowed companies to bring production from overseas to print customized products in local markets for local consumers. Artificial Intelligence and the predict...

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Feb 28, 2020

The good news is that IoT will offer advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes well beyond machine-to-machine communications. The interconnection of all of these devices will result in increased automation in nearly all fields, leading to increases in efficiency, accuracy, an...

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Feb 27, 2020

HP has released its list of predictions for 3D printing and digital manufacturing in 2020. Informed by extensive interviews with a team of experts, this year’s research identifies top trends that will have a major impact on advancing Industry 4.0 such as the need for more sustainable productio...

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Feb 27, 2020

In today’s increasingly digital world, there are numerous ways for manufacturing companies to reach potential buyers - emails blasts, eBooks, blog posts, social media, and even SMS texts can all be used to connect with target audiences and increase brand awareness. The whole point of inbound m...

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Feb 26, 2020

The way manufacturers boost business is changing – traditionally, brands create products and outsource sales and marketing to distributors and dealers, who would in turn, connect with customers directly. This approach is linear and limits the potential of manufacturers. Today’s customers...

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Feb 26, 2020

In order to stay competitive in the digitalization age of manufacturing, design organizations of complex products must author, analyze, and manage manufacturing process plans more efficiently. They will also need to communicate the plans throughout their organization and extended enterprise more eff...

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Feb 25, 2020

With Industry 4.0 rapidly picking up steam, 2020 is the year for producers to organize innovative headways so as to remain serious in the coming years - and industry forecasts propose the coming years are going to move rapidly. Activities that depend on associated, information driven advancements pr...

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Feb 25, 2020

3D printing is taking the retail industry to new heights. According to Singularity Hub, Forget costly prototypes, traditional textile manufacturing, product recalls, and the like. 3D printing is about to turn the entire retail industry on its head. The technology allows for faster and more efficient...

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Feb 24, 2020

In a new white paper, Julie Fraser from Iyno Advisors explores the topic of Smart Manufacturing in the Semiconductor Industry. Smart manufacturing is the element of Industry 4.0 that uses digital means to ensure continuous improvement. It is a key digital enterprise thread for consistent, high yield...

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Feb 24, 2020

We’re in the midst of industry 4.0 – the fourth industrial revolution that encompasses all sorts of “smart” manufacturing practices and systems. We use artificial intelligence, intelligent devices, cloud solutions, cognitive computing, and all sorts of digital technologies to...

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Feb 24, 2020

Augmented reality (AR) is helping industrial enterprises upskill workers by replacing traditional training and guidance materials with more effective, immersive experiences. Organizations around the world—and particularly those with operations spanning multiple geographies—are quickly be...

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Feb 21, 2020

It isn’t very easy to believe, but 3D printed cars currently exist. Though in prototype form, the innovation and product are out there. As a segue to this technology moving into the mainstream at your local dealership, we see the adoption of printing car parts via additive manufacturing or 3D ...

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Feb 21, 2020

IoT or Internet of Things has created a fervor in the market. You can find its prominence in our daily life. With the changing lifestyle and complex needs of customers, manufacturing companies are now working towards creating smarter products and IoT plays a key role in it. Hence, there is a growing...

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Feb 20, 2020

The implementation of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is bringing benefits to organizations in two key areas: operational improvements and data monetization. A new report from IDG shows that companies understand the value in their IIoT data and have begun to look at how that data can be exp...

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Feb 20, 2020

The real-time data collection and reporting functions of IoT can reduce the more than 430,000 non-fatal occupational injuries in the private manufacturing sector. Companies can outfit heavy machinery with automatic stop guards to cut equipment power when a dangerous situation arises. When sensors de...

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Feb 19, 2020

The dramatic growth in electronics over the last decade has caused a few trends to emerge. Electronics has become personal, driving companies to figure out how they can move from single part numbers in mass production to flexible, custom products manufactured in small lot sizes. With people increasi...

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Feb 19, 2020

What is Industry 4.0 anyway? As Michigan’s Industry 4.0 knowledge center, our job is to bring awareness to the Fourth Industrial Revolution so that companies across the state of Michigan and beyond can become digital leaders. There are many ways to define this transformation, but can you expla...

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Feb 19, 2020

The optimization of manufacturing processes has become a priority for the vast majority of the automotive and aerospace industries. The parts designed, developed, and produced today are becoming more complex, requiring more advanced and extensive inspections with more accurate and reliable measureme...

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Feb 18, 2020

Having a deep understanding of your market is an essential facet of a successful sales strategy. For those looking to do business with Ohio manufacturers, IndustrySelect’s database of 400,000 U.S. manufacturers contains a vast amount of hand-verified data to help users understand their market ...

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Feb 18, 2020

Modernizing an industrial operation to support Industry 4.0 applications can be a remarkably complex challenge. This is especially true where a facility uses legacy fixed Ethernet to connect machines to a central office location. Transition may be easier where a facility has already transitioned to ...

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Feb 17, 2020

The fundamental reason for the sustained and rapid growth of China’s economy over the past 30 years of reform and opening up lies in the establishment of a manufacturing strategy that suits the national conditions, that is, to take advantage of China’s labor force and market advantages, ...

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Feb 17, 2020

Technology has proven it’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to transforming organizations, business models and entire industries. But not all technology is created equal when it comes to driving real change, especially in highly complex and competitive industries like healthcare, reta...

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Feb 13, 2020

Keeping current with good pharma manufacturing practice is well, a good practice. Unless you’re the United States Food and Drug Administration-then it’s the law. The FDA helps safeguard the quality of drug products by monitoring drug manufacturers’ compliance with its Current Good ...

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Feb 13, 2020

Oftentimes, our social media video marketing efforts are weighed down by our own customers for the lack of thoughtful stories that can touch upon them. These are like run-of-the-mill, telling everything that the target viewers are least interested in knowing. And the heavy budgets we utilize to crea...

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Feb 13, 2020

Every brand out there is trying hard to get itself noticed and grab the attention of a potential customer by employing unique SEO tactics. With the rampant use of digital platforms working on seamless integration globally, it has become the need of the hour to get your brand right up there … ...

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Feb 12, 2020

Agriculture is one of South Africa’s key economic contributors yet a large percentage of the sector still runs on traditional practices and processes based on older technologies. With a local population of 58 million and rising, as well as a growing export trade, South Africa’s farming i...

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Feb 12, 2020

Baljeet Nagi, ECEMEA SCM Strategy Leader, provides four important steps for delivering an Industry 4.0 factory and supply chain. Also referred to as the next industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 is synonymous with smart technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, Blockchain and the...

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Feb 11, 2020

As a part of the Industry 4.0 movement, factory engineers are increasingly adopting some form of industrial Ethernet to interconnect the machines and other equipment implementing their production processes. Ethernet has been around in multiple forms for over 40 years. Most of it serves the IT commun...

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Feb 11, 2020

Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, is considered a crucial hub in the middle of China, a place of high importance for the production of automobiles, electronics, optics, and fiber optics. Wuhan and surrounding cities in the Hubei province are currently on a government-imposed quarantine at a scal...

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Feb 10, 2020

Making digitalization work for you requires an understanding of your manufacturing ecosystem. Standards - such as ISA-95 - only guide you on a journey to more deeply comprehend the workings of your unique process for manufacturing your products. A batch manufacturing ecosystem often includes campaig...

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Feb 10, 2020

It’s the food and beverage industry’s job to appeal to consumer tastes by keeping tabs on what’s hot and what’s not. In the 1990s, for instance, fat free or reduced fat was all the rage, evidenced by the variety of products with such descriptions featured in bold typeface on ...

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Feb 07, 2020

Manufacturing is one of the top industries driving the U.S. economy, responsible for 11.39 percent of total output in 2019. As established companies in the industry expand their reach and new companies emerge, the need to establish thought leadership is more important than ever. How can you lead the...

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Feb 06, 2020

For the last few years, analysts have predicted the rise of the connected worker. Turns out the predictions came true, and the connected worker is here. Here’s what you need to know about the connected worker in manufacturing today. The connected worker is any worker whose tasks are monitored ...

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Feb 06, 2020

Current market conditions including labor hiring challenges (extremely low unemployment rates and an increasing national minimum wage) are dramatically changing the operating modes of warehouses and distribution centers. Manufacturing and retail are also impacted.Compounded by increasing same-day cu...

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Feb 06, 2020

Current market conditions including labor hiring challenges (extremely low unemployment rates and an increasing national minimum wage) are dramatically changing the operating modes of warehouses and distribution centers. Manufacturing and retail are also impacted.Compounded by increasing same-day cu...

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Feb 06, 2020

Adidas announced in late 2019 that its Speedfactories-in Ansbach in Germany and Atlanta in the U.S.-which use computerized knitting, robotic cutting, and 3D printing to produce athletic footwear will close next year. Having been heralded as evidence of how robots will lead to wide-scale reshoring of...

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Feb 05, 2020

You’ve then provided your employees with a measurable goal in the form of a question. Your workers may feel empowered to answer with some hands-on suggestions for incremental changes, such as reducing setup steps or combining workstations. This, in turn, could not only reduce lead time but sig...

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Feb 05, 2020

When was the last time you A/B tested your website? Was it last month? Last year? Never? Continuous iteration is important for driving improvements on industrial websites and to ensure your website is meeting your business goals. A/B testing - also known as multivariate testing, iterative testing, o...

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Feb 05, 2020

Fabricators and manufacturers are facing a mixed bag of projections as they look towards 2020 and beyond, with many being impacted by an ongoing and unpredictable trade war, a labor shortage, a new era of protectionism, fluctuating material pricing and a global slowdown. Now is the time for fabricat...

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Feb 04, 2020

Innovation in electronics is enabling rapid growth of all electronics segments such as automotive, consumer, industrial and strategic electronics. This is well reflected in the automotive electronics industry. Today’s car will have more than 50 electronic systems just for monitoring and contro...

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Feb 04, 2020

Even though the manufacturing industry has had a long dominance in the U.S. economy, it’s still relatively a newcomer when it comes to all things B2B marketing. Instead of word-of-mouth referrals and newspaper advertisements, digital platforms have become the most effective way to drive new bu...

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Jan 31, 2020

While many companies outsource their manufacturing overseas, there are many benefits of American manufacturing. Why exactly should you choose U.S. manufacturers? For starters, American manufacturers help keep money in the country rather than abroad. Choosing an American manufacturer creates more dem...

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Jan 31, 2020

According to a new study by AdvisorSmith, Bellingham ranks #5 on the list of midsize cities that have increasingly robust manufacturing sectors. The study analyzed cities using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Among other factors, the s...

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Jan 30, 2020

Mass manufacturing has made modern life possible for people around the globe. The need to quickly manufacture products in high volumes is not going to change any time soon, but the traditional production environment is not suitable for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing of complex products. This is ...

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Jan 30, 2020

Imagine, your warehouse labor costs cut by 70%. Your warehouse operates during the day and night with equal costs. Your inventory counts are updated daily. Believe it or not, this is a reality in today’s warehouses. and their processes are duplicable. The first robots in the supply chain were ...

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Jan 29, 2020

Most manufacturing companies must rely on many supply chain partners to design and deliver products to their customers under budget and ahead of schedule. Dispersed teams must be able to easily access the latest product information anytime and anywhere. Keeping everyone on the same page is critical ...

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Jan 29, 2020

Additive manufacturing technologies have advanced to the point where 3D printing processes and systems have moved outside the laboratory and onto the factory floor. More than 90% of Fortune 500 manufacturing CEOs agree that additive manufacturing will play a pivotal role in their operations in the f...

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Jan 28, 2020

Generally, 2009 to 2019 were 10 golden years for manufacturers worldwide. After the swift recovery from the economic and financial crisis in 2008/09, many manufacturers have been enjoying double-digit order intake growth, increasing revenues and profits for over a decade.

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Jan 28, 2020

46% of SMB’s in the U.S. don’t track their inventory or use manual methods, such as using inefficient Excel spreadsheets. That means by simply adopting an MRP system into your business will put you ahead of nearly half of all U.S. SMB’s. With this much potential to overtake your co...

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Jan 27, 2020

A new year and a new decade have arrived, and of course we’re all wondering what to expect. Making a forecast for a specific industry or an entire economy is always a little dicey, but many of the latest forecasts predict that the U.S. economy will continue to grow in 2020 and 2021, inflationa...

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Jan 27, 2020

Manufacturing performance has a direct correlation with business growth and operational costs. Disruptions in timing, productivity, or quality can result in waste that negatively impacts profitability and brand reputation. Cutting back on waste is a major priority, and augmented reality is helping O...

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Jan 24, 2020

A revitalized manufacturing sector is a key factor in rebuilding the middle class and creating community wealth. Innovations in precision manufacturing and sustainable industries require accessible capital for continued growth and success. With a small business loan for manufacturers, you can harnes...

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Jan 23, 2020

Food manufacturing remains a highly competitive business and it’s only going to be more so. Consumers expect a broader proliferation of food products that meet demanding market segment needs, from plant-based meat analogs to food products and packages designed with senior citizens in mind. Foo...

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Jan 23, 2020

The age of the connected customer is here – and their expectations are firmly rooted around experiences. In fact, 80% of UK consumers say experience is as important as products and services. To keep your customers loyal – and to stand out against the competition – manufacturers mus...

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Jan 22, 2020

Climate change is a topic that's on everyone's mind. You can't turn on the news or take a trip to the grocery store without hearing someone talking about sustainability and the impact that climate change is having on the world around us. Everyone is thinking about what they can do to shr...

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Jan 22, 2020

Smart Factory digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and predictive analytics enabling manufacturers to increase productivity. Also, smart technologies also empowers employees to perform smart operation! In this blog, we captured a few best use cases of artificial in...

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Jan 21, 2020

Automation World has been privileged to have an inside track on the work being done at the Georgia Institute of Technology around the digital transformation of industry. Last year we had the opportunity to take part in a roundtable discussion with Georgia Tech engineering, science, and research expe...

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Jan 21, 2020

Heavy-duty equipment manufacturing is ever evolving, with new technologies and trends continually entering the market. With these new technologies comes the ability for OEMs to increase their productivity as well as provide more offerings for customers. Gary Brooks, CMO at Syncron-a manufacturing te...

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Jan 20, 2020

Around the world, automobile manufacturers are racing to become leaders in autonomous vehicle technology. It is acknowledged that it will be far from easy to move from the advanced driver assistance system implementations we have today to highly sophisticated systems capable of negotiating busy junc...

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Jan 17, 2020

Additive manufacturing has its roots in the 1980s and has gradually matured into a formidable set of technologies. What was once viewed as a technology for building plastic widgets in college dorm rooms is now being used in a variety of industries, including aerospace, defense, mobile/IoT, and medic...

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Jan 17, 2020

3D printing is a technology that has the ability to capture everyone’s imagination, however we need to remember that it is, in a sense, a secondary process and a lot of work comes before you start printing. We all see those fantastic time-lapse 3D printing videos floating around the internet, ...

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Jan 16, 2020

Many small and medium-sized manufacturing companies operate multiple standalone systems: An accounting solution for finance, Add-on third party solutions for inventory purchasing and planning, A separate solution for inventory management, Manual processes and spreadsheets for production planning and...

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Jan 16, 2020

The Senate will pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement sometime in the very near future. When the trade agreement goes into effect, manufacturers of metal goods, particularly those that supply parts to the automotive industry, will see some major changes from the previous North American Free Trade Ag...

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Jan 15, 2020

Technology vendors expect that 2020 will be a big year for manufacturing plants to onboard digital systems. But will it happen? While digital systems – IoT, machine learning, 5G, cloud-based systems – have proven themselves as worthwhile investments, they may not get deployed widely. For...

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Jan 15, 2020

With the potential impact of new technologies such as 3-D printing, manufacturing companies are looking for a unique competitive edge. So, how can manufacturers accurately anticipate how these technologies will affect their businesses and leverage them to create profitable opportunities? The new par...

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Jan 14, 2020

A modern enterprise resource planning solution is essential for any manufacturer moving into the new decade. As doing business of any sort gets more complex, you must have reliable technology to manage your business functions in one centralized system. Manufacturers were some of the earliest adopter...

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Jan 13, 2020

Connecting shop floor operational technology with IT infrastructure is one of the challenges for today’s businesses engaged in the process of digitalization. From machine building to plant visualisation, automation, networking, robotics and data processing, Mitsubishi Electric demonstrated how...

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Jan 13, 2020

Unsurprisingly, there has been a shift in manufacturing business process in practically every American industrial setting. The lean thinking paradigm now includes purchasing and supply chain functions. Price optimization technology for large manufacturing operations costs from $120K - $1.5M per year...

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Jan 13, 2020

In this article, Two Roads to Toolpath Evolution, from the January 2020 issue of Manufacturing Engineering, you will learn how dynamic machining known at Siemens as adaptive milling, produces a radically different cutting path compared to traditional machining. The traditional toolpath follows the d...

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Jan 10, 2020

Additive manufacturing advanced and matured in 2019. We saw more complex applications in the medical space, larger scales in aerospace, and stronger forays into automotive. More OEMs adopted additive or expanded adoption, and in some cases became deeply invested in its success. Material options cont...

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Jan 09, 2020

Starting to measure and improve your business sustainability might feel like a daunting task—what will everyone think about our progress and sustainability initiatives, or lack thereof? What if our report is only a few pages long? Sustainability reporting has moved from a nice-to-have to a res...

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Jan 09, 2020

Inbound marketing drives customers to your business products and services through a coordinated strategy of design, content, social media, and SEO tactics. Most manufacturing and industrial companies may think that inbound marketing is something that would be more suited toward consumer goods and B2...

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Jan 09, 2020

Additive manufacturing holds great potential for production scenarios in the sense of Industry 4.0. This applies not only to economic parameters, but also to constructive factors, since the layer structure in the x-, y-and z- directions enables the production of geometries that are impossible to pro...

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Jan 08, 2020

Price optimization technology for large manufacturing operations costs from $120K - $1.5M per year. For multi-location, global, and publicly traded companies this is an expense easily cost-justified. A small 1% in margin preservation is worth thousands of times the expense of price optimization tech...

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Jan 08, 2020

Manufacturing contributes around 11% to the global economy, and despite contrarian perceptions, the UK manufacturing scene remains robust and growing, with the UK still the 8th largest industrial nation in the world. Despite a minor slow-down at the turn of the year, primarily triggered by the polit...

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Jan 07, 2020

As manufacturing progresses deeper into the digital era, there are more opportunities than ever to turn routine production runs into data that makes a difference. This is largely because of the maturation of big data–a catchall term for a suite of storage, organization, and analysis techniques...

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Jan 07, 2020

Machine vision already makes an important contribution to the manufacturing sector, primarily by providing automated inspection capabilities as part of QC procedures. However, the world of automation is becoming increasingly complex. Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial ...

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Jan 07, 2020

Each organization continually pursues certainty in a significantly changing business world. We can see today new products in the market, others becoming obsolete, new technologies that revolutionize the ways of doing, customer preferences, fashion, laws and regulations, and so on. They push each org...

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Jan 06, 2020

The industrial IoT is taking part in a pivotal role in the transformation of the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers are enforcing IIoT throughout their operations, finally attaining operational intelligence. Here are 4 methods in which IIoT options are influencing the manufacturing sector. In ord...

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Jan 06, 2020

Mining is a highly complex industry. Its operations are intensive, risk-prone and unpredictable. The mining industry needs to overcome several challenges to remain competitive. This blog talks about the typical obstacles the mining industry faces and how a mobile plant maintenance solution can syste...

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Jan 03, 2020

Artificial Intelligence is extensively used, while impending the manufacturing region rapidly, facilitating industrial automation. AI-driven machines are leading an common direction into the future by using yielding a heap of benefits. They offer new opportunities, beautify production efficiency, an...

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Jan 03, 2020

The Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet of Things are transforming manufacturing today, addressing the increasing demand for product customization, and changing customer expectations, especially surrounding the challenges associated with global supply chains and concerns regarding cyberse...

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Jan 02, 2020

2019 was quite a year. China became the first nation in the world to safely and successfully land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon and who could forget the trade war between US and China. 2019 was also the year that scientists came closer to curing diabetes by turning human stem cells into i...

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Jan 02, 2020

In most developing countries, manufacturing and industrial sectors form the backbone of the economy. The availability of relatively cheap raw materials and labor have long been major factors driving production across those regions. More recently, another development promises to impact the future of ...

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Dec 30, 2019

The landscape of American manufacturing has experienced its fair share of ups and downs over the past several hundred years, from the development of the first interchangeable parts in 1801 to the first moving assembly line in 1913, and from the discovery of lean manufacturing principles in the 1930s...

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Dec 30, 2019

Due to their excellent biocompatibility, ceramic materials are recommended as the material of choice, from dental restorations and implants to bone grafting material. Unlike metals, there is no debate around ion release or corrosion and they have long-term stability both in soft and hard tissue.

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Dec 27, 2019

In a recent conversation with Daniel Huamani, Chief Technology Officer at 3D CRIAR, R&D Tax Savers got an interesting view of how additive manufacturing is fostering innovation in Brazil. Having worked at Autodesk for over four years, Huamani has built upon his international project management e...

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Dec 27, 2019

Forget costly prototypes, traditional textile manufacturing, product recalls, and the like. 3D printing is about to turn the entire retail industry on its head. A precise form of additive manufacturing, 3D printing can create a product from almost any material at mass scale, generating large quantit...

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Dec 26, 2019

When a company comes to one of our international manufacturing lawyers for legal help, we invariably ask them about their potential or actual overseas product supplier. We do this because of how critical it is that they choose the right manufacturer for what they will be doing.

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Dec 26, 2019

Back in May, I penned a bit of a rant in the article titled Word of the Day. The crux of that story was that players in AM have liberally adopted the term industrial to describe their printers. It is now so commonplace that industrial has become a meaningless adjective used for printers of all level...

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Dec 24, 2019

The subsequent decade will be wrought with technological change across the manufacturing industry. How painful or pleasurable that is relies upon on what you determine to make investments time and power on today. No producer needs to seem to be in 2020 in hindsight full of feeling sorry about what o...

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Dec 24, 2019

Event profs ideally strategize to align their goals as per the niche market they are targeting. This way, their event planning gets more result-oriented. Booths are also an important ingredient of event strategy. In this article, we will be focusing on booths of manufacturing and machinery industry....

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Dec 23, 2019

Every year, additive manufacturing offers new opportunities, and new amazing projects are unveiled. Thanks to all the companies and researchers believing in the capacities of this game-changing technology, 3D printing once again helps to overcome new challenges in various industries.

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Dec 23, 2019

Die casting is a particularly harsh operation. The process involves forcing molten metal into a mold cavity at high pressure, and is commonly used to make automotive parts such as engine blocks, wheels and engine cradles. The tooling that produces these parts must be durable, and buyers are not like...

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Dec 20, 2019

With all the turmoil created by the tariffs and the various other increasing risks of manufacturing in China our international manufacturing lawyers are being contacted by many companies seeking legal help after all has been lost. These are mostly companies that moved their manufacturing to bad Chin...

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Dec 20, 2019

The essence of manufacturing is to serially produce items that are always within specified tolerances for various engineering and geometric dimensions. Parts are no good if they aren’t within spec, and even more importantly, profits will be higher if higher yields are achieved.

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Dec 19, 2019

When we think of manufacturing, we envision sterilized factories and heartless machines, forever pumping out cheap, unreliable, and tacky products at the lowest possible cost. Maybe this is a fair stereotype for the manufacturing industry in general, but we often forget about the artisans and humble...

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Dec 19, 2019

Desktop Metal, the company committed to making 3D printing accessible to engineers and manufacturers, announces the launch of Fiber, the world’s first desktop 3D printer to fabricate high resolution parts with industrial grade continuous fiber composite materials used in automated fiber placem...

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Dec 18, 2019

As the complexity and applications of additive manufacturing increase, Penn State researchers are digging down to the smallest scales to optimize the technology on a molecular level. There are still a lot of unknowns about how 3D printing actually works, said Adri van Duin, principal investigator of...

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Dec 18, 2019

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I first blogged about Nokia’s Go Allwhere vision and the incredible possibilities of industrial digital transformation. Yet here we are, 12 months later, and everywhere you turn companies have begun converting those possibilities into sma...

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Dec 17, 2019

Rumors have been flying for years that the United States manufacturing industry is dead. And the evidence is everywhere. American-born companies like Maytag and General Motors have moved operations overseas. Factories of all sizes have decreased in number since 1998. Politicians bring it up regularl...

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Dec 17, 2019

At Formnext we were able to test a prototype VR system provided by Aurora Labs to curious visitors. The system involves placing a VR headset on and operating a pair of hand controls. In the demonstration, the VR participant is shown a full-scale virtual replica of Aurora Lab’s flagship 3D prin...

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Dec 16, 2019

Between gearing up for the year-end at work and getting ready for celebrations at home, the holidays can be an especially stressful time for manufacturers. That's why many manufacturers find themselves wishing for the same things this time of year –presents that could make the season, and ...

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Dec 16, 2019

It may sound far-fetched to blend a Buddhist mindset with an IIoT technology but stick with us. The connection will make sense shortly. By definition, a person reaches a Zen mindset when feelings of stress and clutter are replaced by calm and organization. A natural flow replaces forced efforts. If ...

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Dec 11, 2019

Nanotronics is pushing the limits of precision manufacturing with AI powered by NVIDIA Quadro RTX technology. The Brooklyn-based company combines super-resolution images with deep learning in its nSpec line of advanced optical inspection tools. Delivering a wide range of scanning methods and imaging...

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Dec 11, 2019

We've followed New Story's efforts to create affordable 3D-printed homes for a while, including its first prototype model and ambitious plan to build a community in Latin America. That plan has now been put into action and the non-profit has revealed what it calls the world's first 3D-pr...

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Dec 10, 2019

Photonics and electronics has already been converging in the research community for decades. Thanks to fundamental engineers like Richard Soref and large semiconductor manufacturers, silicon photonics manufacturing capacity is nearly ready to scale in order to accommodate new design methodologies. T...

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Dec 10, 2019

Reverse engineering can help you to totally rethink your manufacturing process and help you improve it. However, developing new solutions is not always easy and can be time-consuming. This is exactly where 3D technologies come to the rescue. What exactly is reverse engineering and how can combining ...

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Dec 09, 2019

Within the next five years, 85% of industrial companies are expected to have implemented Industry 4.0 technologies in all key business divisions. The trend is producing practical digital applications that are only now becoming visible. Due to a myriad of challenges, the manufacturing industry has be...

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Dec 09, 2019

Aerospace part manufacturing, including 3D part manufacturing, is highly regulated and in the USA requires certification from the FAA as well as impervious cybersecurity measures for design drawings. Just before this Thanksgiving holiday, Moog Inc. the US$3.0B designer, manufacturer, and integrator ...

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Dec 06, 2019

Metal powders are essential for modern additive manufacturing, as most systems use a powder bed / laser approach for selectively sintering metal powders. This means that the powder should be uniform in size to ensure a consistent sintering process. 6K Additive is able to produce ultra-high quality m...

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Dec 05, 2019

It seems like nearly every product on Earth these days has a zebra barcode with a Universal Product Code on it. Typically, the barcode is found on the packaging or tag of mass-produced goods. However, many finished products have multiple barcoded components within them, including vehicles, appliance...

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Dec 05, 2019

The world is getting warmer. Severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. Climate change pressure is building for governments, businesses and individuals to do something. Manufacturing isn’t exempt from this pressure. Regardless of what laws politicians enact, customers want t...

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Dec 05, 2019

A statement from an author and principal staff software engineer at LinkedIn. A simple quote, sure, but advanced technology is all about making complex processes easier, faster, increasingly accessible and more widely available. In the education sector specifically, we are seeing a plethora of new t...

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Dec 04, 2019

Knowing your market is an indispensable part of discovering and nurturing new sales prospects in manufacturing. For those looking to do business with Oklahoma manufacturers, IndustrySelect’s database of 400,000 U.S. manufacturers is a top resource for both developing and researching sales lead...

article

Dec 04, 2019

In 2020, we will celebrate Materialise’s 30th anniversary. In the past three decades, we’ve seen 3D printing grow from a nascent technology that was struggling to create even basic shapes to a revolutionary technology, capable of transforming entire industries and challenging our traditi...

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Dec 03, 2019

For those looking to do business with manufacturers, it helps to get a handle on this dynamic and ever-changing sector by knowing its key players and latest trends. As we head into 2020, multiple reports point to a continued slowdown in manufacturing. Yet, a number of new plant announcements were al...

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Dec 03, 2019

When you stroll around a large trade show like Formnext, you often see unusual equipment that is not directly related to 3D printing, such as touch-probe QA scanners, injection moulding gear or high-end mechanical components. That’s the impression I had when I first saw the device at the A1 bo...

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Dec 02, 2019

In the spring of this year, Deloitte and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation surveyed more than 600 executives of U.S.-based manufacturing companies about the impact of smart factories on their organizations. Their conclusion: Smart factories promise to be a game changer for A...

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Dec 02, 2019

Keeping your business moving forward without the right tools is next to impossible, and the same is true for your network infrastructure. Are you investing in the right solutions? Finding a new IT services partner for your business can be particularly stressful for manufacturers, simply because so m...

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Nov 15, 2019

As our world becomes more digitalised and connected, we can actually make a virtual copy of it. And such replicas are now being used to improve real world scenarios, from making aircraft production more accurate to preventing oil spills. A digital twin is a virtual replica of a real life entity, suc...

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Nov 15, 2019

A tight labor market and the uncertainty created by tariffs have dampened momentum in manufacturing, a trend that could continue in 2020, according to a new report from Deloitte. But the professional services firm identified some trends that could help manufacturers continue to grow in a slower econ...

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Nov 14, 2019

What does it take to be an effective leader capable of inspiring and nurturing growth – in both company revenue and its own employees? Members of the Weidert Group team recently attended the 9th annual Manufacturing First Expo & Conference, an event focused on the interests and needs of ma...

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Nov 14, 2019

The company, based in Shenzhen, began its 3D printing operations way back in 2008, then located in Shantou. Volume production of industrial 3D printers commenced in 2012. Since then the company has expanded greatly, now operating production centers in both Shanghai and Shenzhen.

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Nov 13, 2019

Walnuts are cool, Shawn Wentzel says with a shrug when asked why he decided to plant 7,000 walnut trees on his property in Lodi, California. Now two years old, the orchard is a growing side business. Surrounded by rolling plains and vineyards, it begins at the back door of his primary source of inco...

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Nov 13, 2019

Hewlett-Packard Co. has 3D-printed more than 10,000 tiny scale models of Volkswagen AG’s upcoming ID.3 electric car to demonstrate the technology for potential use in high-volume production vehicles. The print run was completed in less than a month using HP’s Metal Jet system, which the ...

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Nov 12, 2019

American manufacturing is on the upswing. Hiring activity is at historic highs; reshoring is bringing production back to the U.S., and buyers are spending more on new suppliers than they have in recent years. Business owners continue to be cautious with investments and costs, with good reason. Even ...

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Nov 12, 2019

BASF 3D Printing Solution will be exhibiting an expanded product range and a new brand presence at Formnext 2019. With the introduction of its new Forward AM corporate brand, BASF continues to pursue its goal of driving industrial scalability at the next phase of additive-based manufacturing.

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Nov 11, 2019

Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things, connected enterprise, and smart manufacturing, among others, are all descriptive of applying digital technologies to manufacturing. Often, digitalization is presented as so powerfully good that it just needs to be done, but most are generally skeptical, a...

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Nov 11, 2019

Formula One racing is one of the world’s leading sports competitions. We just returned from the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas where the Mercedes team was named the winner. What makes this sport unique is the fact that the world’s leading car manufacturers and other high-performance co...

article

Nov 11, 2019

It’s a well-documented trend that the rise of digital channels such as webchat, apps, FAQs, etc., has led to a change in the way contact centers handle interactions. The routine, “easy” interactions are now handled by self-service channels. Deflecting these low-value interactions h...

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Nov 08, 2019

I’m looking at a very unusual promotional campaign that leverages 3D printing technology. Diageo, the global distributor of many liquors, owns a brand of bourbon know as Bulleit. I haven’t tried this brand myself, but it is relatively well-known.

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Nov 07, 2019

Multi-tasking machines, ceramic inserts, additive manufacturing and automation help produce a large mix of energy industry parts. The ever-volatile oil and natural gas industry-roiled most recently by September’s drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that temporarily reduced the kingdo...

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Nov 07, 2019

The cosmetic industry might not be the first that springs to mind when thinking of those heavily influenced by technology. However, cosmetics have been and are continuously revolutionised and effected by technology. The use of machinery has led to the rapid mass production of cosmetic products, as w...

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Nov 07, 2019

Manufacturing is in the midst of a growing skills gap. In the next decade, analysts expect 2.2 million jobs in advanced manufacturing to go unfilled for lack of adequately trained labor. Here, we’ve drawn on our experience with leading manufacturers as well as the best recent research to give ...

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Nov 06, 2019

Digital transformation has made its way into the manufacturing industry, but are employees truly prepared for the changes in their daily work life? Industry 4.0 takes over where Industry 3.0 left off. Whereas the third wave brought computerization to the manufacturing floor, we’ve now moved on...

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Nov 06, 2019

United Parcel Services, the multi-billion-dollar Corporation and largest package delivery service for over 200 countries, and tech company Anduril Inc. are creating comprehensive drone strategies. The business initiatives described below will change how we approach delivery and security methods, whi...

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Nov 05, 2019

Changes to the world of modern manufacturing are elevating industry leaders and leaving incumbents behind. Today's smart factory is outfitted with technologies such as 3D printing and Internet of Things - compatible machinery. The systems within these revolutionary operations let companies proce...

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Nov 05, 2019

Is 3D printing a real option for production? How is it being used to make end-use parts today? How will additive manufacturing change the way products are made in the future? Focusing purely on the technology and how it works doesn’t provide a complete picture of where AM is and what it can do...

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Nov 04, 2019

Beginning with the industrial revolution in the 18th century, manufacturing has long been the backbone of the nation’s economy and wealth. But as U.S. industries have modernized and moved into the realm of connected devices that leverage data to make machines more intelligent, industrial manuf...

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Nov 03, 2019

In the world of 3D printed anatomical modeling, the focus is to replicate human bodies digital twin and stay as accurate as possible to what nature’s design is, pathology or healthy. But what if the human body is just one of the countless design possibilities that would work equally well with ...

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Nov 01, 2019

In the manufacturing industry, the equipment required for manufacturing a product or item is very expensive. Which makes them assets to the company. Also, there is fierce competition in the market. Therefore, asset tracking and asset management are very important for a company. Asset tracking and as...

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Nov 01, 2019

Desktop Metal, a company that specializes in metal 3D printing for product development and mass production, has announced it will expand its technology to include the composites community. Desktop Metal was founded in 2015 with a mission to make 3D printing accessible for all engineers, designers an...

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Oct 31, 2019

How many products does your manufacturing organization produce every day? 100? 1,000? If a machine is causing a defect, its output won’t be up to the necessary standards. Left unchecked, this has a massive impact on your scrap rate and, ultimately, your revenue. Luckily, a quality control prog...

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Oct 31, 2019

An outcome culture emphasizes clarity on what to achieve at each stage of business activity. The focus is on the outcome rather than the process. Of course, manufacturers still need processes. But management and staff focus on whether they achieve a series of outcomes. They don’t make adherenc...

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Oct 31, 2019

In a world of ubiquitous connectivity, trusted equipment is the backbone of safe network environments. But as more manufacturers and industries build and deploy smart Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, the security and safety of systems providing essential operations become more important...

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Oct 30, 2019

Agile is the largest 3D Printing Service Bureau in Canada with 28 in-house production printers ranging from Stereolithography, to Laser Sintering, Figure 4 No Contact DLP, NextDent 5100 Dental Printers, MultiJet Printing, ColorJet Printing, Direct Metal Printing, Metal X, Markforged Carbon Fiber Fil...

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Oct 30, 2019

The advancements in 3D printing seem to happen weekly. Not only can this technology print traditional solid and rigid parts and objects, but it can now also fabricate soft and flexible mesh structures for various uses. 3D printing, as innovative as it is, is actually promoting other innovations as i...

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Oct 29, 2019

In a mature automotive industry, continuous process improvement is not dead; there are cost efficiencies that have not yet been exploited. The Internet of Things (IIoT), Big Data, and Industry 4.0 initiatives enable most of the world’s most successful automotive manufacturers and parts produce...

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Oct 29, 2019

Manufacturing fitness, of course, is of primary concern for all companies that make and deliver physical products. The competitive pressure to produce faster, cheaper, and better is relentless. Faster and cheaper is hard enough, but producing better – which is all about quality assurance &ndas...

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Oct 29, 2019

Throughout this year, we have witnessed a number of new partnerships centered around applications, technology, materials, education, and traditional manufacturers investing in 3D printing. Here we take a look at some noteworthy examples of the latest partnerships in this industry.

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Oct 25, 2019

The aerospace giant has selected Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform for a huge new project. The project apparently involves the development of new helicopters and aircraft, but also involves integration.

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Oct 24, 2019

Food and beverage supply chains are the fuel that drives the growth of every food & beverage manufacturer today. An integrated, scalable, secure Warehouse Management System can assist in transforming supply chain efficiency into internal process performance gains while ensuring accuracy, complia...

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Oct 24, 2019

The EZ-DUZ-IT can opener was developed in 1962 and has been in production ever since. Describing the manufacturing life of John J. Steuby is like opening a can of beans – if the can is opened with a manual hand-held can opener. Steuby is 92 years old and has been in the manufacturing business ...

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Oct 24, 2019

For bonding composites, plastics or painted metal, urethane structural adhesives offer benefits such as low exotherm, low odor and high elongation. Despite these advantages, OEMs have often used methyl methacrylate adhesives instead, because MMAs offer a fast rate of cure, which facilitates a part&r...

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Oct 23, 2019

Manufacturing continues to be an ideal proving ground for the Internet of Things, given the industry’s long history with operational efficiency programs like Six Sigma and the wealth of sensor-connected assets at companies disposal that they can use to enable IoT. This convergence is driving a...

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Oct 23, 2019

Additive Manufacturing is constantly bringing new innovations to the manufacturing world. From new materials to cutting-edge technologies, it allows for a faster design process and gives absolutely new production solutions. Combining 3D printing with traditional machining also brings new benefits. W...

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Oct 22, 2019

Smart devices and 3D printing are likely to play an important role in improving dental practice, and they’re likely to become increasingly important in the future. Not only do these technologies play a role when it comes to dental care that’s used in offices, but they’re also begin...

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Oct 22, 2019

The automotive industry is an economic sector that involves designing, construction, supply, and trading of motor vehicles. It provides a mode of transportation in many countries like the use of commercial vehicles and collects huge revenue. The best and high automotive producer countries in the wor...

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Oct 22, 2019

It seems like every photo shown of a business in action these days features a bunch of people in a huddle room, looking productive – just like our own Poly beauty shot below. But the technology that is IN the room really matters most to the people who are joining remotely – the people NO...

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Oct 21, 2019

Plant managers and technicians have their hands full – not only are they responsible for ensuring day-to-day operations are status quo, they are also tasked with helping to increase production and revenue. So when problems come up, as they inevitably do, there’s nothing like knowing you&...

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Oct 21, 2019

We speak with MakerGirl’s Executive Director, Mary Hadley, about the importance of early access to 3D printing. MakerGirl, which recently formed an important partnership with 3D printing mainstay EOS, celebrated its fifth anniversary early this month. Over the last half-decade, the organizatio...

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Oct 18, 2019

A new report from global intelligence firm IntSights, Under the Hood: Cybercriminals Exploit Automotive Industry's Software Features, has highlighted the cyber-threats facing manufacturers in the automotive industry, shining a light on how and why hackers are looking to infiltrate automobile inf...

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Oct 18, 2019

How do you recognize an educational 3D printer? Continuing with our impromptu series on 3D printer types, first with Production, then Industrial, then Consumer, we now land on the category of educational 3D printers.

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Oct 17, 2019

It was Peter Drucker who told us, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. The phrase implies that we can develop a great strategy, but if the company’s culture doesn’t support that strategy, the strategy will fail. Culture will prevail. So, manufacturers need the right culture. They at leas...

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Oct 17, 2019

Constant political upheavals are a common global occurrence. But in recent times, these political upheavals have severely impacted businesses, both in profits and in future confidence. The USA is continuously increasing its tariffs on goods imported from China and the latter is returning the favor w...

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Oct 16, 2019

We received an interesting announcement from a 3D print service that seems to specialize in recycled 3D printing materials. The service, UK-based Lancashire3D, says: It has become the first UK based studio to deliver on the circular production promise in which resources are reused again and again to...

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Oct 16, 2019

While starting your project, you are starting to think about the manufacturing technique you will use. How to choose the most adapted manufacturing technique? Today, we are going to see the differences between injection molding and 3D printing, in order for you to decide which one of these technique...

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Oct 15, 2019

Technology is revolutionizing the way manufacturers run businesses day-to-day in the digital era. CRM systems can leverage the Internet of Things IoT; a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines that have the ability to transfer data over a network with no human inter...

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Oct 15, 2019

Veterans with heart conditions will soon be able to hold a 3D model of their own heart while talking with their doctor about possible treatments, thanks to 3D printing. VA Puget Sound Health Care System doctors, researchers and engineers are working with their counterparts at the University of Washi...

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Oct 14, 2019

This is the first part of what will eventually be a four part series on protecting your molds and/or your tooling from your overseas manufacturer. With so many companies moving their manufacturing from China, this has become a very important topic, for two reasons. First, we are seeing many companie...

article

Oct 14, 2019

There are an increasing number of partnerships in the 3D printing industry, and there’s an interesting reason why. The Matsuura 3D printer is quite interesting as it can produce essentially finished metal parts within the same job run. It can do so by first 3D printing roughly a few millimeter...

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Oct 11, 2019

I’ve just learned of another gotcha in the complex field of metal 3D printing from the folks at BOC. BOC, part of the Linde Group, is one of the world’s largest industrial gas suppliers. Nitrogen and argon are frequently used in metal 3D printers, so they are obviously involved in the te...

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Oct 11, 2019

Medical 3D printing just got easier with the new J750 Digital Anatomy 3D Printer from Stratasys! This printer has been designed to replicate the feel, responsiveness, and biomechanics of human anatomy in medical 3D models! We’re giving surgeons a more realistic training environment in no-risk ...

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Oct 10, 2019

The third PV ModuleTech conference takes place in Penang, Malaysia on 22-23 October 2019. One of the key companies participating in the PV ModuleTech event this year is PV Evolution Labs. PVEL provides extended reliability and performance tests to evaluate PV modules for the downstream market and pr...

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Oct 10, 2019

It is now possible to pull up the design of a guitar on a computer screen and print out its parts on a 3D printer equipped with special metal or plastic inks. The same technological ingenuity is also now being applied with bioinks-printable gels containing supportive biomaterials and/or cells-to pri...

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Oct 09, 2019

The migration from Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions to Visual Configuration Software is happening quickly. Recently G2 named ATLATL Visual the sole leader for Visual Configuration Software in the first-ever report on this rapidly growing and important category. This is of particular relevance b...

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Oct 09, 2019

We had a close look at a pair of powerful delta-style 3D printers from Innovative. Innovatica is yet another 3D printing company from Poland, a country well-known for producing endless streams of new 3D print ventures. The privately-funded company produces one of the most unusual delta-style 3D prin...

article

Oct 09, 2019

To understand where you need to go to optimize your manufacturing, you need to first know where you are. Plant performance benchmarking can play an important role in your Digital Transformation plans. New benchmarking concepts are being developed that, ultimately, will benefit all users of operation...

article

Oct 07, 2019

Global trade and increasing tariffs are major topics of discussion these days - and 3D printing is increasingly a part of that conversation. Trade wars, tariffs, changing regional relationships: there’s a lot going on on the global policy stage.

article

Oct 07, 2019

After all of the time and resources you’ve invested into your digital marketing engine, you wouldn’t just walk away from the progress you’ve made, would you? Common mistakes can derail months and even years of hard work. In many cases, the biggest risk is doing nothing at all - no ...

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Oct 04, 2019

Manufacturing-and the technology that makes it more intelligent-is shaping our future in exciting ways that benefit manufacturers, their employees and customers, and the world at large. Supporting responsible and sustainable manufacturing aligns with Microsoft’s mission to empower every person...

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Oct 04, 2019

On Wednesday, parent company Dassault Systèmes announced the new annual release of its popular CAD platform. Unlike last year’s release, which added several new features and tools, SOLIDWORKS 2020 feels less like a new version and more like a bridge to Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE clou...

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Oct 03, 2019

For instance, Bonnie Meyer, application engineer at Evolve Additive Solutions, discussed the company’s Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process, which combines an existing 2D printing technology with its own proprietary STEP platform.

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Oct 03, 2019

World trade in manufactured goods has almost tripled between 2000 and 2017 - from $4.8 trillion to $12.2 trillion, according to the World Trade Organization. And just looking at the U.S., in 2018, manufacturing accounted for 11.4% of its gross domestic product. This increase in manufacturing contrib...

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Oct 01, 2019

Today Rize announces the first UL GREENGUARD 2904 Certified 3D printer and materials; what does this mean for the 3D printing industry? I spoke with Rize President and CEO Andy Kalambi for his take on the milestone and what it means for the company and for 3D printing; our conversation begins in par...

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Oct 01, 2019

No parent wants to see their child in pain – ever. As the proud father of four incredible daughters, I understand the primal need to protect your children and the heartache that accompanies watching your children when they are hurting and there is nothing you can to help. Often, pain is imposs...

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Sep 30, 2019

Industry 4.0 is the hot new buzzword in manufacturing, but it isn’t always clear what it means and the magnitude of the transformations it can bring. Despite its obvious connection to computational systems, Industry 4.0 is more than simply the digitization of manufacturing. A little less than ...

article

Sep 30, 2019

With the recent drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure, drones are front page news. The new Gerald Butler movie thriller Angel Has Fallen opens up with a jaw-dropping drone attack on the U.S. President, played by Morgan Freeman.

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Sep 27, 2019

Manufacturing is vital to the UK economy. Responsible for 45% of the country’s exports, totalling £275bn, the UK is the ninth largest manufacturing nation in the world. This bellwether industry is increasingly turning to new digital innovations as it looks to boost productivity, with Ind...

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Sep 27, 2019

The UK is renowned as a global innovator. As the world's first industrialised nation;  innovation, creativity, and – to an extent – risk, have all played a part in some of the UK's greatest achievements. But have we reached a tipping point where UK creativity is in danger of bein...

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Sep 26, 2019

The latest materials for 3D Systems Figure 4 system highlight one very important thing for 3D printing: it’s ready for production. Of course that’s not a blanket statement and most 3D printing usage will remain in more developmental applications for quite some time yet.

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Sep 26, 2019

Of the seven basic additive manufacturing processes available, material jetting is the AM technology that is closest to what we use for printing text and images on paper. This is because the printheads that are used for material jetting are very similar to those used for inkjet printing, except inst...

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Sep 25, 2019

MFG Day was established in 2012 to address both the skills gap and misconceptions about modern manufacturing. There is universal agreement this is a valuable and important effort. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs remain unfilled month over month, year...

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Sep 25, 2019

Everything might seem splendid in your product-making business, and as you plod along with your operations, you may even take certain issues you encounter at face value. Perfection isn’t achievable, so why waste resources on trying to chase an impossible goal? If that is a question you’v...

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Sep 25, 2019

There are many people and businesses now using 3D print technology worldwide, and we’ve come to know some of the major 3D printing use cases. But there’s another one that I’ve just realized: food production. We are all familiar with the typically cited key uses of 3D printing.

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Sep 23, 2019

Many manufacturers sell exclusively through third parties such as dealers and distributors. As a result, channel revenue is key to organizational growth. Channel revenue is dependent upon a partners ability to acquire new customers and extend your brand’s promise by delivering quality products...

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Sep 23, 2019

Startups across the 3D printing ecosystem are popping up all over the world at a rapid pace and they are hiring a range of employees, from engineers, sales reps and marketers to executive management. While the 3D printing industry is incredibly attractive for job seekers due to its growth, innovatio...

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Sep 20, 2019

As a plant manager, your list of responsibilities is never ending. Meet production demands and productivity targets. Manage raw material and energy costs while making profitability goals. Quickly adjust to accommodate marketing’s latest product innovation. With rapidly increasing product SKUs ...

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Sep 20, 2019

Minnesota-based Protolabs announced this week the addition of Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis technology to its portfolio of manufacturing and prototyping technologies. Using DLS, the company will be able to tackle new types of orders and customers. To learn more, we spoke to Greg Thompson, P...

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Sep 19, 2019

There are tens of thousands of job shops across the country. As we know - we list many of them on our supplier discovery platform. Chances are, some of those suppliers are producing the very same products you are. So how can you stand out from the crowd when customers are deciding between you and yo...

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Sep 19, 2019

Anisoprint announced a move that could begin an interesting competition. The Russian company is one of the very few that offer a 3D printer, the Composer, that can 3D print in continuous carbon fiber. This is quite different from the much more commoncarbon fiber filament, which is in fact a normal m...

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Sep 18, 2019

As an online 3D printing service, we answer every day to the questions of our customers and we notice that some new customers have some misconceptions about additive manufacturing. If you are new to 3D printing, you might still have some false ideas about this additive manufacturing technique. In th...

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Sep 17, 2019

Global interest in cell and gene therapies is on the rise, and continued growth is expected for the coming years. To discuss the challenges and solutions associated with manufacturing viral vectors at the scales and quality required for these therapeutics to be approved by the regulatory authorities...

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Sep 17, 2019

aise3D announced a brand new 3D printer, the E2. It is a somewhat smaller version as compared to their Pro 2 series, but has similar features and a few new ones. The new features are designed to address the needs of their new market focus: Education.

article

Sep 17, 2019

In recent years, the design firm Gresham Smith has seen the introduction of additive manufacturing into its industrial-sector work. We have several clients that are using additive manufacturing to make production tools, says David Verner, RA, Executive Vice President in the firm’s Industrial m...

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Sep 16, 2019

How can we design better, cheaper, customized and more sustainable products? Like the rest of the world, manufacturing is experiencing an Industry Renaissance-a global transformation in the way we invent, learn, produce and trade. Explore how leaders in the industry are tackling these modern challen...

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Sep 16, 2019

The premise is that somehow 3D printing / additive manufacturing techniques are about to overpower the traditional manufacturing processes of injection molding, casting, stamping, etc. This premise is very far from the truth, and Laird explores several reasons why this is the case.

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Sep 13, 2019

The tide of manufacturers moving to sell directly to consumers has been monumental over the last few years. Gone are the days where manufacturers relied on retailers and resellers to distribute their products. Now anyone can set up a direct to consumer business and sell their products via e-commerce...

article

Sep 13, 2019

Stratasys announced they’ve made a strategic investment in Xaar. Hold on, who is Xaar again? They are an independent company that produces piezoelectric inkjet. Their drop-on-demand technology is used by industry in a variety of ways, and the company says: At Xaar we develop world-leading piez...

article

Sep 13, 2019

The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.” Peter F. Drucker Tweet This! While selling is an art, it solely depends on the fact how much marketing efforts you have put in to make it possible. And when it comes to marketing efforts it will be incomplete unless you leverage modern tech...

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Sep 12, 2019

Key themes communicated include improved perception based on machine learning techniques, learning control policies through model-based reinforcement learning, as well as cognition and reasoning based on learned semantic representations. Applications range from automotive and robotics to building an...

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Sep 12, 2019

Stratasys has launched a new approach for 3D printing fashion by printing directly onto fabric. The announcement was made during New York Fashion Week, where the company unveiled the new process, which leverages Stratasys existing full color 3D printing capabilities.

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Sep 11, 2019

Ultimaker some months ago announced Ultimaker Cloud, a feature available through Ultimaker Cura software. It enables the creation of 3D printer workgroups through a cloud relay system. Previously, Ultimaker Cura could discover 3D printers only if they happened to be on the same network. But the chan...

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Sep 11, 2019

Compliance and quality are the foundations all great food & beverage manufacturers rely on to create and strengthen trust with their distribution networks and customers. How strong they are at traceability is the cornerstone every one of them rely on to meet compliance requirements and keep exce...

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Sep 10, 2019

However, with a regular commute time that consumes a couple of hours each day, I have shifted my focus to podcasts and audiobooks. One of my favorite podcasts is the Inside Sales Enablement series by Scott Santucci and Brian Lambert. In their last episode, they spent time reviewing their thoughts an...

article

Sep 10, 2019

The majority of the time I only had access to two TV channels, three on a good weather day, and I vividly remember when I first saw a color television. At this time, products and services were limited, and buyer choices were almost non-existent. Fast-forward to 2019. Not only do I have access to hun...

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Sep 06, 2019

It’s tradeshow season in the world of 3D printing once again, and perhaps it’s time we provided our opinion on where to see the best 3d print trade shows. Tradeshows are quite an important event to participate in, as an attendee, exhibitor or even a speaker. Fortunately, there are many g...

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Sep 06, 2019

Unexpectedly, I witnessed a curious development while supporting RAPID + TCT 2019’s Executive Strategy Summit. This development represents positive advancement for the AM industry and evidence of the progress that has been made. In the summit’s intimate, one-day assembly of mid- and uppe...

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Sep 05, 2019

A lot goes into the business of contract manufacturing, and a recent visit to Stratasys Direct Manufacturing highlighted some major considerations. As adoption of additive manufacturing continues to pick up, more and more industrial 3D printers are being installed around the world. Whether that&rsqu...

article

Sep 05, 2019

Aerospace and other players in the large-scale manufacturing business bear the load of crushing backlogs and internal pressures to eke out more productivity year over year. As a result, these companies are focused on Smart Factory initiatives to build essential data feedback loops into design, engin...

article

Sep 04, 2019

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, in moldmaking and molding will continue to progress as more players in the industry see results from the early adopters and gain more confidence to add it to their business strategy. Early adopters have already done groundbreaking work, driving additive materi...

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Sep 04, 2019

The verb tense now has to change. In the past, the staff writers of AdditiveManufacturing.Media have described how additive manufacturing will find a place as an accepted production process. Now, it is accurate to say that AM is finding and assuming this place. We have seen this in our reporting in ...

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Sep 03, 2019

London-based AMFG, a provider of work flow software for additive manufacturing, has released a report on the current state of the AM service provider market. Service bureaus are one of the fastest-growing segments of the 3D printing industry and play a pivotal role in the industry’s developmen...

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Sep 03, 2019

Industrial manufacturers, historically, have been slow to improve their bottom lines by leveraging social media, digital advertising, their websites and other digital marketing tools and techniques. We have found that many manufacturers hesitate because they don’t understand how the technology...

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Aug 30, 2019

There is no better feeling on this earth than holding a freshly printed, warm batch of documents in your hands. The vaguely familiar scent is one that most of us can recall, even as we sit behind our desks, miles away from the copy machine. But as beautiful a moment as this can be, there can also be...

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Aug 29, 2019

Additive Industries announced a rather large sale of their MetalFAB1 machine. The Netherlands-based company apparently sold SIX huge MetalFAB1 systems to a single client, one that already owned four units. This means this particular client will own and operate ten MetalFAB1 units and, according to A...

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Aug 29, 2019

Problems for 3D printing companies from Brexit could be significant. Brexit, if you haven’t been paying attention, is the process by which the UK will leave the European Union. Today the EU is a vast region comprising an enormous interconnected economy, largely facilitated by the relaxation of...

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Aug 29, 2019

It’s been about five years since the consumer 3D printing bubble burst in 2014. The industry is now officially focused on, well, industry and there have been numerous developments to indicate that additive manufacturing is becoming well-integrated into the larger $13 trillion manufacturing sec...

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Aug 28, 2019

How do you automate the packaging process in a made-to-order world? Consumer demand for different sizes, shapes and flavors has completely changed the way CPG brand owners and manufacturers produce and package their goods. And for OEMs, this trend means that your packaging equipment needs to perform...

article

Aug 28, 2019

A straightforward contract manufacturing definition is where a maker or designer goes into an arrangement or, if done properly for legal protection, a formal agreement with another company who can manufacture their products, parts, components, or subassemblies, which the maker or designer will use t...

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Aug 27, 2019

Without a doubt, the best manufacturing improvement idea generators are the people doing the work. Be it a manufacturing floor with complex equipment or a simple forklift route from production to a warehouse, employees are a business’s first line of defense against losses and inefficiencies.

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Aug 27, 2019

There’s an upcoming event that may be of interest to Fabbaloo readers. The ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence is holding a one-day workshop in September to join with the public to help make everyone aware of the additive manufacturing standards they’ve been putting together...

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Aug 26, 2019

As metal additive manufacturing continues to see rising adoption, so too does attention paid to the quality of the parts produced. It was only a few days ago we heard about a $1.5M grant awarded to Auburn University for advanced metrology for 3D printed parts, and shortly on the heels of that more m...

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Aug 26, 2019

Using continuous fiber strands can provide significantly increased strength and stiffness to parts, if the fibers are placed in the right direction. That’s why the correct model orientation is important. A general rule is to place the 3D model in such a way that load vectors mostly lay in the ...

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Aug 23, 2019

Lockheed Martin is famous for engineering innovation, dating back to the legendary Skunkworks. Today, the defense contractor is making use of innovative augmented reality technology in their manufacturing process and across entire product lifecycles. Lockheed Martin’s AR project began in the S...

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Aug 22, 2019

3D printing, and accordingly 3D printers, have exploded in popularity. While once these awesome gadgets were relegated to the most hardcore makers, increasingly affordable 3D printers and a slew of resources, from downloadable 3D printable files to 3D printing software, now the masses can enjoy 3D p...

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Aug 22, 2019

Machining a large aerospace part like this from solid can result in up to 90% of the material being scrapped as chips. Building it up with metal 3D printing greatly reduces the machining time and amount of material needed. We buy raw material to make it fly; the less material remains on the ground t...

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Aug 22, 2019

Is anything more important to your manufacturing process than securing materials, managing orders, and payments, and having the right staff to run it all? I don’t think so. Thankfully, these are three specific areas where an ERP can help even the most advanced manufacturer.

article

Aug 21, 2019

This nightmare does not have to be a reality. All you need to know is how to outsource manufacturing and make it work for your business. There are several reasons a manufacturer should consider outsource manufacturing: You need to redistribute resources to free up time; You’re a designer, but ...

article

Aug 21, 2019

With an abundance of raw materials and resources, Africa needs to rapidly find new ways to generate greater value from its manufacturing industry which has been identified as a fundamental driver of economic growth. Looking to disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, bots, the Intern...

article

Aug 21, 2019

Today’s brands face numerous challenges. They need to create a customized, excellent experience for each and every customer worldwide. To do that, they need to create high-quality, on-target content. They need to create that content quickly, effectively, and for audiences who speak multiple la...

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Aug 20, 2019

Lace-up your sneakers and step up to the starting line: you’re ready to reach countless customers in new markets. You’ve secured your spot in the Global Marketplace (whether by default or design). But before you sprint away, take a good look around you. You are not alone in this race. Yo...

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Aug 20, 2019

With foreign buyers fleeing China, many factories in China are getting scared and desperate, and their common remedies for that are to cut corners on quality and to take their foreign buyer’s IP and compete with them. We had this to say about the increase in trademark thefts in China Trademark...

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Aug 20, 2019

How to reduce the cost of manufacturing without affecting the output? How to increase the productivity of the workforce while keeping labor costs at the same level? How to accurately measure the performance of manufacturing and internal supply chain? With labor costs rising and competitors catching ...

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Aug 14, 2019

What character appears in the most films and television programs? Dracula? God? Santa Claus? All of those make the top ten list, but none is the correct answer. Satan (or The Devil) is a character is more than 840 projects – more than any other character. If you limit the list to mortals, the ...

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Aug 14, 2019

This is the third in a series of articles on creating, maintaining, and optimizing great customer experiences in the context of mounting concerns about privacy and increasingly strict regulations governing data processing. We address topics such as consent strategies, the role of trust, the elements...

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Aug 14, 2019

Reducing production costs is essential for any manufacturing business. Thankfully, a production process is a complex aspect with numerous factors at play, which means that it often has a scope of improvement. Once a business has established its processes, achieving repeatability and minimizing costs...

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Aug 13, 2019

From air bags to zippers, manufacturing defects are costly and damaging to business reputation. Manufacturers have long turned to inspectors and image recognition systems to spot inconsistencies in products before they’re shipped - with mixed results. If the quality control status quo were fai...

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Aug 13, 2019

It would be an understatement to call the Portal video game series influential, as it had a huge effect on the game industry and pop culture in general. Even if you have never played a Portal game yourself, you probably know that the cake is a lie. While Portal is a puzzle game with very few charact...

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Aug 13, 2019

Having the right tools is crucial to accomplishing learning objectives, developing in-demand skills for science, technology, engineering, art and math STEAM fields, empowering innovation and building college and career readiness. Additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, is one of those t...

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Aug 12, 2019

With people’s growing environmental consciousness, there has been a move to make 3D printing a much more sustainable and eco-friendly technology. While 3D printing technology already reduces carbon and waste footprint, it can still be further reduced by doing measures.

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Aug 12, 2019

In the course of writing stories for Fabbaloo for many years, I’ve been fortunate to see firsthand the gradual development of 3D printing technology from rudimentary beginnings to today’s worldwide movement. But within that enormous wave of additive manufacturing that still is yet to cre...

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Aug 09, 2019

Tom Lawton, head of manufacturing at BDO, shares his views on the digital transformation journey of UK manufacturers. At BDO, we recently published our Digital Transformation 2019 report, which provided me with further insights into the adoption of digital technologies in UK manufacturing. The good ...

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Aug 08, 2019

The same type of connectivity is poised to reach the factory floor thanks to the IPC-CFX standards. These standards define data structure and communication protocol requirements for traditional and additive manufacturing assets in connected factories. Ultimately, these assets will drive greater inte...

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Aug 08, 2019

Thought leaders in any industry deliver a ton of value to their audience. Manufacturing is no exception. The best of best in your industry established themselves as a successful professional in their area, and they deliver content with the goal of being informative and motivational. Said content can...

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Aug 08, 2019

The problem being solved is that 3D printing is actually extremely complex. I know this for a fact, as I recall the first 3D printer I owned many years ago exposed me to that complexity. While I managed to build the kit machine in about 40 hours in those days assembly meant soldering, wrapping heate...

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Aug 07, 2019

How old do you think 3D scanning could be? It’s a lot older than you might imagine. After reviewing our story on Adrian Bowyer’s proposal for a revolutionary 3D printing concept, Fabbaloo reader Franck Lacan, a Research Fellow in Additive Manufacturing at Cardiff University, pointed out ...