RESOURCES

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Sep 10, 2019

Laser Wire Additive Manufacturing has a number of exceptional benefits inherent to its process – which can only be achieved in the design process. LWAM also is not without its limitations – it’s also important to work within these constraints to build a successful part.

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Sep 03, 2019

There is a growing skills gap and talent shortage in the workforce. Environmental sustainability has become imperative for manufacturing customers. Fortunately, advances in technology give us the opportunity to impact our people, society, and planet for good. Manufacturers globally are being disrupt...

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Aug 23, 2019

In Manufacturing, digitization of processes has gained significant momentum in recent years. Output is aggressive, capacity utilization is up and for most manufacturers, performance results and shareholder returns are solid. At the same time, these organizations are operating in an incredibly compet...

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Aug 21, 2019

In practice, of course, things are more complicated. Effective translation necessitates a nuanced understanding of (at least) two languages and cultures, both source and target. It requires an understanding of the original content’s goals. It mandates a fluency in tone and subtext as well as v...

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Aug 21, 2019

Your localization partner is going to do a deep-dive into your business—so start by diving deep into theirs. Are they an industry-leader with 20 years of experience or a relative newcomer? Will they speak Samoan, Uzbek, or Swahili (and all your customers’ languages)? Can they deliver on-...

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Aug 20, 2019

Food, beverage, and other consumer packaged goods manufacturers are keenly aware that problems with quality translate quickly to lower levels of customer satisfaction, higher costs, and shrinking revenues, according to the Boston Consulting Group. What manufacturers need to be mindful of is that the...

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Aug 19, 2019

The transformation starts with optimising existing business processes, but ultimately ambitions will be rooted in winning new business - increasing sales and growing market share. As consumers demand personalised customer experiences and services, this is driving a shift away from production-centric...

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Aug 14, 2019

Content—and how brands use it to interact with buyers at all stages of the engagement journey—has fundamentally reshaped every business’ go-to-market strategy. This shift has been particularly challenging for “top-of-the-funnel” demand generation marketers, most of who ...

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Aug 13, 2019

In 2019, IDC completed a global research study, sponsored by NetApp, to understand the characteristics of the most-mature manufacturing organizations in the way they manage data and digital technologies, and to draw lessons about how manufacturers can expand their use of digital technologies to driv...

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Aug 13, 2019

Pushed by the success of early adopters, OVER 40% OF MANUFACTURERS will have enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives in place by 2021. We thought we had 5-6 years to develop an DX strategy. It turns out we have 1-2 years.

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Aug 09, 2019

The Internet of Things has limitless potential. Beyond operational cost savings and productivity gains, it will be the foundation for innovation - new smart products and services. Manufacturers have a clear vision on harnessing the IoT in areas such as predictive maintenance, IT/OT integration and p...

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Aug 01, 2019

Additive manufacturing has become a critical part of the design, prototyping and production process for engineers and production professionals, so it’s important to better understand its applications, benefits and overall role. This Quick Guide to Additive Manufacturing is designed to answer s...

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Jul 31, 2019

Digitization, automation and transformation are impacting every industry, disrupting skills and creating new jobs. Manufacturing is the vanguard, with new roles appearing as fast as others become obsolete. Manufacturers are reporting growing talent shortages as they struggle to find the right blend ...

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Jul 31, 2019

As industries rapidly evolve, more and more building manufacturers are turning to Business Information Modeling to win bids and ensure that projects are completed with consistency and quality. According to McGraw-Hill Construction surveys of North American companies, BIM is currently used by over 70...

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Jul 25, 2019

The industrial revolution and the Internet of Things is re-shaping what’s possible for the world of manufacturing today. According to industry experts, the IoT in Manufacturing market is expected to grow to 45.3 Billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 29.0% from 2017-2021.

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Jul 25, 2019

However, AR goes beyond gaming and AR masks creation. Besides already existing educational apps e.g., BBC’s Civilisations AR or instructional augmented reality apps e.g., Street View mode in Google Maps overlaying AR walking directions atop the real world; Gatwick’s AR passenger app for ...

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Jul 23, 2019

Today’s manufacturers face a host of challenges related to effectively managing product design and manufacturing data, not just within product development and manufacturing departments, but across the greater manufacturing enterprise. How well manufacturing organizations manage product and pro...

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Jul 22, 2019

Industry 4.0 machines, technology and equipment are revolutionizing manufacturing by digitalizing production processes, quality assurance, maintenance, planning, forecasting, innovation and discovery, time to market, supply chain efficiency, and many other aspects of the manufacturing ecosystem. Dig...

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Jul 22, 2019

If you have some experience with designing and printing 3D models, you know how important it is to repair your 3D file after conversion from CAD to STL. The design may look perfect, but when you start printing it, the build can fail. An error can easily slip the eye, which is why STL editing softwar...

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Jul 19, 2019

The creation of patient-specific anatomical models derived from medical imaging data is reported as early as 1981. These first anatomical models, generated by contouring computed tomography images and milling manufacturing techniques, were low resolution, labor intensive and prohibitively expensive ...

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Jul 17, 2019

As a software vendor, IFS has always focused intently on delivering real and measurable business value to customers. The software and technology itself is designed to facilitate your business and eliminate non-value added work from existing processes. It can let you take on new business processes or...

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Jul 16, 2019

The outlook on how well our economy is doing has foreshadowed parts of our personal lives and the way we do business from year to year. I’m sure you’ve noticed that there has been significant progress happening all across the US. Hopefully, this means you’ve increased production an...

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Jul 15, 2019

If you’re on a B2B revenue team, it’s likely your Marketing and Sales teams are experiencing some angst these days when it comes to understanding how prospects and customers want to interact with your company. On one hand customers seem to want ultra-personalized attention on every chann...

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Jul 11, 2019

Manufacturers not only form a key part in this connected ecosystem, simply by providing devices that work as intended, they also stand to profit from the burgeoning demand for connected devices. Organizations looking to capitalize upon this opportunity often produce and store regionspecific stock ke...

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Jul 10, 2019

The importance of metal additive manufacturing is not about what wild geometries you can dream up. It comes from what manufacturing challenges the technology is well-suited to tackle. Companies that successfully adopt additive manufacturing apply its advantages to the challenges that they uniquely f...

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Jul 10, 2019

Manufacturers are embracing a brave new Industry 4.0 world by embarking on ambitious digital transformation programs. For the most part, such digital transformation initiatives are viewed as an opportunity to make significant improvements to the company bottom line by harnessing technology for optim...

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Jul 10, 2019

The last ten years have been tumultuous for the American manufacturing sector, which had already seen more than its fair share of difficult decades before the Great Recession of 2008. In fact, U.S. manufacturers were fighting an economic downturn before the recession hit, seeing productivity growth ...

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Jul 10, 2019

As a manufacturer, your success with 3D printing and its capability to solve your production challenges are, in part, a function of mindset. Your 3D printing paradigm largely governs how you view the technology and how it can or can’t help. Frankly, any belief that 3D printing is not a manufac...

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Jul 08, 2019

Terabytes of data are collected each day in a typical fab. Smart manufacturing platforms that leverage this big data can bring compelling throughput, quality, and productivity advantages to a manufacturing organization. But should such a solution be built or bought?

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Jul 08, 2019

Decisionmaking is a cognitive process defined by psychologists as the selection of a course of action from multiple alternatives (e.g. what to eat, where to shop). John Dewey, the pragmatic philosopher and psychologist, introduced the first decision process framework for consumer buying in his book ...

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Jul 02, 2019

Despite concerns about recessionary headwinds in 2019, the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to outpace much of the rest of the economy. For example, during the first month of 2019 the Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) rose to 54.9 – well above a reading of 50, indicating continued expa...

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Jul 02, 2019

The U.S. passed a significant milestone in the spring of 2018. For the first time ever, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported more job openings than people available to fill them. While exceptionally low unemployment may seem like a boon to the country, this creates financial headwinds for in...

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Jul 01, 2019

With conventional machining of metal component parts, the interior structures are often taken for granted as solid, leaving little room for doubt about the internal quality. With additive manufacturing, however, the part isn’t affected by welding or machining but rather by the quality of powde...

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Jun 30, 2019

Reflecting the diversity of the Australian automotive manufacturing landscape, businesses are producing a range of products, with a common focus towards 4WDs. Most revenue is coming from sales into aftermarket, with sales to OEMs a minority concern. Businesses are often part of a an integrated suppl...

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Jun 30, 2019

Engineers have traditionally designed a product that the market needs and then figured out how to manufacture it with the most suitable technologies. Sometimes the product would be easy to manufacture and profitable, sometimes difficult to manufacture and profitable and sometimes it would be neither...

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Jun 30, 2019

Wire and Cable operations are some of the most complex operational environments across the manufacturing sector. The philosophy of design for manufacture is fundamental: The integration of product design, process design and demonstrated process efficiencies is vital if the desired profitability is t...

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Jun 28, 2019

While full-color 3D printing has been around for many years, it is now gaining meaningful traction. In part this is because next-generation technologies are entering the market, offering capabilities that improve quality and performance, while at the same time helping to reduce cost.

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Jun 26, 2019

The Internet of Things is changing the way industries handle procurement, processing, distribution of materials, and their final products. The introduction of intelligent sensors, mission-critical communications, and automation into the manufacturing environment ushers in a fourth industrial revolut...

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Jun 26, 2019

Whether by ignorance of the latest best practices, or willful disregard for patient safety, the results of careless practice can often be fatal. The articles in this in-depth focus highlight how regulatory bodies are taking action to raise the industry’s game.

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Jun 25, 2019

Manufacturing employees manage a lot of moving parts on a daily - if not hourly - basis: from crews on the factory floor and quality management standards to equipment, materials and continuously changing conditions. Not to mention, they need to make sure products are manufactured according to strict...

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Jun 25, 2019

Leading a manufacturing company requires awareness of a number of factors, each of which can be changing at any given moment. Government regulation, customer sales and service requirements, supply chain challenges, production and quality techniques, workforce safety demands, energy management, attra...

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Jun 24, 2019

We believe that data-driven marketing shouldn’t be confusing. Every company should know what works for their campaigns in order to make more ROI-driven decisions. At Directive, we not only craft customized campaigns for your unique marketing objectives - we exceed those objectives and truly re...

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Jun 24, 2019

Plastic is one of the most versatile and inexpensive materials available for consumer products and manufacturing industries. This whitepaper contextualizes the fabrication of parts and components using plastic through a variety of technological processes. It will describe briefly the most common Con...

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Jun 23, 2019

Outsourcing highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredient development and manufacturing is reaching an all‐time high thanks to an increased demand of highly‐targeted new drugs with greater efficacy at lower doses and the price of investment to handle internally.

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Jun 21, 2019

Large-format additive manufacturing offers a bigger-picture take on 3D printing. Increasing the build size increases the possibilities for builds: users can create larger parts, removing the constraints of more standard sized build envelopes. 3D printing a large part all at once means less time is s...

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Jun 19, 2019

The convergence of sensing, simulation, algorithms, cloud, and analytics is disrupting the manufacturing value networks, creating a new paradigm. This convergence, led by digital continuity, is poised to drive creative destruction and expansion of traditional business models. The manufacturing commu...

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Jun 19, 2019

Learn how you can activate your frontline to drive business performance in the age of Industry 4.0. See how other industries have successfully transformed their frontline, and how those lessons apply to manufacturing - empowering, networking, engaging. In conclusion, we dive into what top performers...

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Jun 18, 2019

All standard deliveries utilizing the PPG Company delivery service will be free of charge to all serviceable E&I members. Orders placed by noon are delivered the next business day within the standard delivery zone which the local PPG company-operated store network operates and providing goods ar...

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Jun 17, 2019

The current trend of automation and data exchange in physical technologies - known as the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0 - is set to have a vast and lasting impact on the manufacturing industry. No part of your business will be left untouched - from operations and supply chain to rese...

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Jun 16, 2019

The basis for zero-errors manufacturing is sustainable products, adequate processes and educated staff. Nevertheless, in-production quality-control is still needed to eliminate defective products before they reach the next manufacturing step – or even worse, before they reach the customer.

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Jun 15, 2019

In an earlier paper, we established the importance of Design for Manufacturing in todays PCB manufacturing environment. PCBs designed using those techniques typically experience reduced failure rates, cost less to manufacture, and minimize waste during production.

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Jun 13, 2019

Over the past three decades, 3D printing has developed a reputation as an essential manufacturing process for prototype parts. Create a CAD model of your design, send it to your company’s printer, and a 3D replica will be ready in hours.

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Jun 12, 2019

Technological breakthroughs in areas from artificial intelligence to biotechnologies are now heralding a Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the power to reshape almost every sector in every country. Our Industrial Strategy positions the UK to make the most of this global transformation.

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Jun 12, 2019

White Paper: A decade before the American Revolution, Glasgow instrument maker James Watt was assigned with repairing a Newcomen steam engine. He quickly realized the design could be improved by adding an external condenser coil, which greatly increased thermal efficiency. The Watt steam engine soon...

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Jun 11, 2019

The pharmaceuticals industry is undergoing dramatic change. The challenges: Empty product pipelines, pressure on prices, and emerging global markets. Only contract synthesis manufacturers who stand out due to particular skills or a wide range of services and are able to adapt rapidly to changed requ...

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Jun 10, 2019

Getting started with IoT is often described as a major company strategic decision involving executives, suppliers, consultants and requiring large initial investments and expenses – all with the promise that IoT will dramatically improve the company bottom line and make it a competitive star. ...

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Jun 03, 2019

Understanding the customer journey – and your internal team’s journey – is critical in B2B industries like manufacturing and distribution. The B2B journey isn’t identical to the B2C journey, and is much more complicated due to the number of decision makers involved.

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Jun 01, 2019

As the pace of manufacturing continues to accelerate, so does the pressure to adopt Industry 4.0 and smart connected solutions. Tool manufacturers have been working tirelessly to offer the most advanced technology and innovative solutions as assembly plants strive to meet demands and become the fact...

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May 31, 2019

When manufacturing and distribution project teams consider an enterprise technology project, they expect that the journey will be costly, complex and fraught with risk. The resources offered in this eBook provide guidance to help you transform your business systems to modern technology. The informat...

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May 30, 2019

ROI comes in many forms; a technological innovation that elevates throughput efficiency, a safety measure that promotes a less dangerous working environment, or a smart tool that ensures the accurate delivery of a product. This eBook demonstrates the many diverse uses for pressure mapping technology...

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May 29, 2019

Industry 4.0 and other IIoT strategies are important trends to understand. This changing technology has a starting point in the form of the sensor, where information first acquired. This FAQ highlights the objective of I4.0 as well as how to overcome some of the present drawbacks in implementation.

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May 27, 2019

Ontario workers and families depend on a strong and competitive manufacturing sector to drive economic prosperity. Today, the manufacturing industry is transforming worldwide. New technologies are rapidly changing the way companies operate. They are also changing the types of skills workers will nee...

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May 24, 2019

5G is moving fast. Participants across the mobile ecosystem are eager to capture the new revenue streams from 5G business models. Device makers and network equipment manufacturers NEMs are moving full-speed ahead towards commercialization.

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May 24, 2019

Recent developments in the AM industry have created an extraordinary opportunity for material and machine enhancements. This is mostly due to the advent of new players, acquisitions and growth in demand for challenging designs. However, one trend is undeniable. Customers are continuing to come to te...

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May 21, 2019

The world’s leading businesses use 3D printing to speed up product development cycles and cut manufacturing costs. The edge 3D printers give over more costly alternatives for rapid prototyping has been clear for decades. Print a design, evaluate the concept, iterate. For visual validation of y...

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May 21, 2019

Regulators are making even more stringent demands for larger and longer clinical trials that give better proof of efficacy and are more likely to pick up safety signals. With ongoing cost pressures across the business, companies are always on the lookout for strategies and methods that might acceler...

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May 20, 2019

Additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, has helped businesses, educators, health care providers and researchers improve the way they design, manufacture and perform research. 3D printing can make the impossible possible with the ability to manufacture complex parts not achievable with t...

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May 16, 2019

Engineers at semiconductor laser manufacturers need to focus on an application-specific design before coming up with manufacturing equipment requirements, in order to prioritize thin film performance as well as equipment consideration. This paper covers how semiconductor laser manufacturing compares...

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May 13, 2019

Thanks to the rapid growth of the Industrial Internet of Things, Manufacturing Execution Systems are becoming a more important focus of enterprise system technology. Although MES has been available and the technology has continued to evolve and grow for decades, many companies still have no coherent...

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May 13, 2019

Innovations in additive manufacturing developed by XTPL enable ultra-precise printing of nanomaterials. Our technology derives from solving interdisciplinary challenges spanning the fields of solid state physics, inorganic chemistry, nanotechnology, machine learning, mechanics and control electronic...

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May 12, 2019

Today’s manufacturers must manage ever-expanding levels of process sophistication while facing increased pressure from both competitors and customers. Statistical process control software provides the means to monitor and improve process and product quality-or does it?

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May 08, 2019

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital transformation - driven partially by new technological advances, but largely by a massive change in customer expectations. Today, B2B buyers are reluctant to send countless emails back and forth with a sales rep, wait days for a quote, or deal with ...

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May 08, 2019

In the era of the connected customer, delivering a superior, end-to-end customer experience has never been more important, especially for manufacturers. In fact, according to the Customers 2020 report, customer experience has overtaken price and product as the key brand differentiator.

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May 08, 2019

From lightweight, high-strength structures to hyper-realistic prototypes, 3D printing has found its way into a variety of applications. This process of additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming more common in highvolume production of designs with moderately complex geometries.

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May 07, 2019

Are you on a mission to help your company be more efficient? Are you interested in how you can apply smart factory and Industry 4.0 principles? Well the first place to start is investing in a good foundation. No matter where you are on your journey, mobile technology is the essential enabler of mode...

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May 07, 2019

This whitepaper shows you how the cloud can enhance productivity for manufacturers and gives you eight reliable ways to identify true cloud manufacturing software. Your manufacturing firm needs real-time visibility into sales, order management, inventory, purchasing, production and services-and acco...

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May 06, 2019

The operation of welding fume control equipment is affected by various factors including proper use and positioning of the equipment, maintenance of the equipment, and the specific welding procedure and application.

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May 04, 2019

Cost pressures on global manufacturers are enormous. Consolidations and driving toward higher efficiency have created extensive manufacturing operations, but at larger scales, the friction from higher volumes of tools, fixtures, raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished products can slow product...

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May 03, 2019

Advanced Manufacturing for the Seattle-TacomaBellevue, WA MSA. Four of these ownership types - federal, state, and local government and the private sector - together constitute Covered Employment employment covered by the Unemployment Insurance programs of the United States and reported via the Quar...

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May 02, 2019

Also known as 3D printing, additive manufacturing is the process of joining materials to make objects from a 3D model by adding layer by layer from the bottom up. Advances in digital technology have enabled additive manufacturing to revolutionize industrial production by incorporating fast, precise ...

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May 01, 2019

Predictive maintenance is a process that has been implemented by numerous stakeholders in the manufacturing industry such as component manufacturers, plant engineers and system operators. The digitisation of production and IoT Internet of things, are at the forefront of innovation in every industry ...

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Apr 30, 2019

CNC is a subtractive manufacturing technology typically used in industries such as aerospace or automotive engineering and machinery/equipment manufacturing. It is well-suited for low-volume part manufacturing in a variety of materials, including metals and plastics. Accuracy is one of its main adva...

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Apr 30, 2019

Inventory of materials, from in situ ore to finished product, is the most important asset of any mining company. Yet many companies still manage, report, and reconcile their inventory using spreadsheets and other manual processes. This leads to inaccurate information and causes a significant time la...

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Apr 25, 2019

STL is the standard file type for our 3D Printing software. A mesh resolution of 0.01-0.03mm and a ≤0.016mm chord length produce an optimal STL file. To change your mesh resolution, while saving your file to STL, click on options and choose the resolution to coarse or fine. Customize the .stl out...

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Apr 24, 2019

The Health Resources and Services Administration published two announcements in late 2018. The focal point of these announcements surrounds the agency’s plans to heighten oversight of drug manufacturers under the 340B drug pricing program, as well as clarity for the 340B ceiling prices for cov...

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Apr 23, 2019

These 10 critical steps will help them to automate their workflows, improve their day to day operations, control operational and overhead costs, increase machine, material and manpower utilization, improve supplier and customer relationships, and increase profitability.

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Apr 16, 2019

Granted, machining is a subset of a much broader manufacturing industry, but it’s important to recognize that sheet metal fabricating, injection molding, casting, semiconductor fabrication, and all the rest would never have developed without machined parts. Even that new kid on the manufacturi...

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Apr 12, 2019

Smart manufacturing and digital transformation, coupled with edge intelligence, are enabling manufacturers to increase productivity, reduce downtime, and increase product quality. A key factor in the success of this transformation is the deployment of intelligent edge-computing solutions that can br...

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Apr 11, 2019

Today’s food and beverage manufacturers compete in an unpredictable industry that often seems to be driven by varying consumer preferences. There is a clear understanding that consumers want manufacturers to offer healthier options in a variety of ways. In January, Food Dive listed functional ...

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Apr 09, 2019

Anyone responsible for manufacturing operations has to deal with a long and growing list of potential headaches. Workforce shortages, high labor costs, inefficient workflows and more can make improving productivity a finish line that never gets closer. Demands to eliminate inefficiencies are never-e...

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Apr 09, 2019

As global manufacturers face increasing competition, optimizing the efficiency, productivity, and quality levels within their processes or discreet manufacturing facilities is becoming a matter of business survival. Existing factory infrastructure is aged and inefficient, often using multiple separa...

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Mar 26, 2019

Future cities will likely be dominated by automated, connected, electrified, and shared vehicles. Automotive customers are demanding greater vehicle personalization and unique ride experiences. Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing is a revolutionary group of technologies that can help automakers ca...

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Mar 19, 2019

This paper explores a new automated solution that improves on the cumbersome post-printing processes commonly associated with Stereolithography resin removal. This comprehensive solution is anchored by a newly developed detergent chemistry, PG1.2, that provides users with quicker processing times an...

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Mar 18, 2019

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has revolutionized the process of industrial design, prototyping, and production. Applying additive manufacturing technology has made a reality of creating products and components with geometries never before thought possible. To maintain geometric ...

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Mar 13, 2019

How to avoid common manufacturing pitfalls that can cause delay, create cost overruns, and impact quality. Despite their best efforts, even experienced makers run into trouble and need help with the transition from PCB design to manufacture. We see manufacturability issues every day-issues that can ...

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Mar 06, 2019

Design and manufacturing expectations keep escalating. There’s a heightened consumer desire for variety, customization, automation, and technological innovation. Manufacturers across all industries want parts that are more durable, lighter-weight, and cost-efficient. Deadlines are being compre...

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Feb 28, 2019

Selective Laser Sintering technology is at the heart of a growing trend in mass custom manufacturing as well as functional prototyping. The right additive technologies, materials and finishes are transforming manufacturing. Digital-direct thermoplastic manufacturing offers exceptional quality while ...

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Feb 21, 2019

UK manufacturing is at a crossroads and the next few years will determine whether the country can retain its position as a global leader. The result of in-depth research conducted into 300 frms from a cross section of regions and manufacturing sectors, our latest report considers what UK manufacturi...

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Feb 19, 2019

The revolution of 3D printing has been transforming many industries, with recent developments in aerospace, manufacturing, health and even the food industry there isn’t an industry untouched by the technological development of additive manufacturing. It was recently announced that the world&rs...

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Feb 12, 2019

Sheet metal is one of the most versatile materials in the manufacturing industry. It’s made from steel, aluminum, brass, copper, tin, nickel, titanium, or precious metals. It ranges in thickness from wispy leaf through light foil to heavy plate. It takes a variety of forms: plain flat sheets, ...

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Feb 11, 2019

Around the world, original equipment manufacturers have earmarked their supply-chain operations for digital transformation. The reasons for this technological undertaking are clear: manufacturers are on a mission to improve customer service and build stronger, closer links with the end-users of thei...

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Jan 29, 2019

Change is not a word that many people think of when it comes to the manufacturing industry. Words like precise, quality, reliability, efficiency are more commonly associated with manufacturing. But change is happening, and it’s increasing in speed. Manufacturing, as a sector, is changing drama...

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Jan 24, 2019

The technological advancements of the last 100 years have helped society thrive - life expectancy at birth has risen globally from 48 in 1955 to 72 years and GDP per capita grew on average about 1.9% per year since the 1960s. Around the world, a rapidly expanding middle class is fueling consumption....

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Jan 23, 2019

Grasping the opportunities and managing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution require a thriving civil society deeply engaged with the development, use, and governance of emerging technologies. It is, therefore, important to highlight and share more widely the ways in which civil societ...

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Jan 21, 2019

Production in modern economies is organized around supply chains, which involve business processes ranging from product design to customer delivery. The performance of supply chains is driven by the efforts and behaviors of multiple stakeholders, such as manufacturers, logistics service providers, a...

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Jan 21, 2019

With the advent of Industry, 4.0-the transformation of manufacturing by automation and big data-forward-thinking product manufacturers are engaging with a broad spectrum of pioneering technologies to reduce costs, optimize products, speed development cycles, and improve project team efficiency. Thes...

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Jan 21, 2019

The world of product development, manufacturing and production is changing. With Industry 4.0 we’re on the brink of a new dawn of automation and intelligence, with smart, connected products and the smart factories that produce them. Autonomous drones capture progress as a new production cell l...

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Jan 11, 2019

Manufacturing has long been a benchmark of economic vitality. An essential driver of economic growth, the sector accounts for 16% of global GDP today and employs nearly one-quarter of the total global workforce (1.2 billion people). It is projected to grow globally by 4% until 2030.

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Jan 10, 2019

Many companies are piloting Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives in manufacturing, but few have managed to integrate Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at scale to realize significant economic and financial benefits. The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, ...

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Jan 10, 2019

Manufacturing is crucial for global economic growth. However, the manufacturing industry is facing unprecedented challenges that must be addressed by companies and governments if it is to succeed: the need to create hyper-personalized experiences and products, to deliver at a lower cost and higher e...

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Jan 03, 2019

The manufacturing industry is in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution thanks to the rapid development in technology over the past few decades. Powered by innovations in fields such as Robotic Process Automation, Cloud, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and many more next-gen technologie...

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Dec 24, 2018

Innovations in technology have always driven industrial revolutions. The world is witnessing the fourth Industrial Revolution - Industry 4.0. The digital era is making way for a new way of thinking about manufacturing and its operations. Advances in connectivity are at the heart of Industry 4.0. Man...

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Dec 06, 2018

With the widely forecasted and massive growth of industrial and direct manufacturing applications for 3D printing, numerous commercial 3D printer manufacturers are making bold claims about the superior strength of their 3D printed parts. However, a 3D printed part is only as strong as its weakest po...

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Dec 04, 2018

According to the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, the manufacturing industry currently contributes around $100 billion to Australia’s GDP annually, employs around 900,000 Australians, and contributes over 25 per cent of business expenditure on research and development...

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Dec 01, 2018

The rise of new digital industrial technology, known as Industry 4.0, is a transformation that makes it possible to gather and analyse data across machines, enabling faster, more flexible, and more efficient processes to produce higher-quality goods at reduced costs. This manufacturing revolution wi...

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Nov 29, 2018

The path to creating successful connected products is littered with road kill. Many industry-leading manufacturers stumble in getting their discrete products connected and creating meaningful solutions. Without deep insight into all the potential pitfalls of launching connected products for the IoT,...

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Nov 27, 2018

3D printing (3DP) has left behind its status as a niche technology. As a key element of the Industry 4.0 revolution, 3DP is evolving as a practical alternative for both product development and conventional manufacturing. The time for further analysis and pilot projects within your R&D division h...

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Nov 22, 2018

Integrated production, or the smart factory, and the consumer’s desire for customization pose new challenges for today’s furniture industry. Meeting the increasing need for customization while remaining competitive, specifically in high-wage countries, require efficient production capabi...

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Nov 21, 2018

This report contains socio-legal research conducted on the relationship between 3D printing and intellectual property (IP) at the current point in time and in potential future scenarios, through the use of horizon-scanning methods in six countries-China, France, India, Russia, Singapore and the UK -...

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Nov 19, 2018

While manufacturing companies certainly need to explain how their products or services work, 51% of respondents said they always/frequently prioritize their sales/promotional message over the audience’s informational needs while creating content for content marketing purposes. Manufacturers fa...

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Nov 19, 2018

If you head up your company’s manufacturing operations, you are undoubtedly charged with producing better products faster while cutting costs, increasing production uptime, not to mention finding a way to efficiently meet customer demands for customized products, all while supporting your orga...

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Nov 19, 2018

This year, manufacturing will contribute $2.33 trillion to the US economy and drive 11.6 percent of its economic output. However, today’s flow of goods is mostly managed through manual operations and is extremely prone to fraud and error. Many manufacturers use a slow and outdated process for ...

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Nov 16, 2018

While U.S. manufacturing employment has declined over the past 25 years, the future outlook is bright. Taken alone, the U.S. manufacturing sector would be the ninth-largest economy in the world, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. As our research found, manufacturing leaders are ...

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Nov 14, 2018

Since the start of the First Industrial Revolution, manufacturing has been the force pushing industrial and societal transformation forward. Today, we’re in the midst of another industrial revolution, as a new generation of sophisticated technologies is transforming manufacturing into a highly...

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Nov 13, 2018

Knowing what’s happening-or what’s not happening-is critical to your manufacturing organization and to your business. But in addition to visibility, you also need an integrated supply chain so you can communicate situations quickly and efficiently to other supply chain stakeholders, such...

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Nov 11, 2018

Development of comprehensive data policy necessarily involves trade-offs. Cross-border data flows are crucial to the digital economy. The use of data is critical to innovation and technology. However, to engender trust, we need to have appropriate levels of protection in place to ensure privacy, sec...

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Nov 09, 2018

If your design doesn’t work in the real world, it’s a failure - a basic principle that every good designer understands. It’s also the primary reason physical prototyping has traditionally played an important role in the product development process for manufacturers. Prototyping all...

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Nov 01, 2018

With the deafening burst of the consumer/hobbyist 3D printing bubble, some large companies that previously offered a low-cost line of 3D printers targeting this audience wisely abandoned those lines in favor of large, expensive, industrial-class manufacturing 3D printers suitable for additive manufa...

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Nov 01, 2018

The perception and promise of 3D printing are that it offers a digital workflow that is simple, fast and automated; a process where complexity is free. That perception is generally correct up to the moment that parts are removed from the 3D printer. As soon as parts enter the post-processing phase, ...

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Oct 31, 2018

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital transformation - driven partially by new technological advances, but largely by a massive change in customer expectations. Today, B2B buyers are reluctant to send countless emails back and forth with a sales rep, wait days for a quote, or deal with ...

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Oct 30, 2018

In the era of mass production and lean manufacturing, companies are looking for ways to help boost productivity and reduce unit costs while maintaining quality and repeatability. The focus is on continuously improving production techniques, accelerating the various phases within the Product Lifecycl...

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Oct 25, 2018

Faster fashion and in-season flexibility are keywords in providing an attractive offer to consumers and for being successful in the challenging market environment. Only if companies transform from the historical supply focus to a demand focus can they stay relevant for consumers and improve top- and...

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Oct 20, 2018

The primary driving factor for the adoption of 3D printing techniques in the development of products is that 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process. Traditionally, products are constructed using a subtractive process that involves removing material from an object until it creates the desir...

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Oct 18, 2018

The importance of metrology - the science of measurement - to manufacturing industry is largely underestimated, except by engineers. Sir Joseph Whitworth, the 19th Century inventor of early measurement standards, said: “You can only make something well if you can measure it.” To offer a ...

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Oct 17, 2018

For decades, manufacturing businesses have relied on connected machines and the correlating data to help streamline operations. Now, innovative Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are taking machine data to unprecedented new levels - but also introducing a whole new landscape of challenges in data...

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Oct 10, 2018

The United States has long thrived on its ability to manufacture goods and sell them in domestic and global markets. Manufacturing plays a vital role in almost every sector of the U.S. economy, stretching from aerospace to pharmaceuticals and beyond. Advanced manufacturing-which includes both new ma...

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Oct 04, 2018

A tight labor market is paying off for workers in the manufacturing industry. With unemployment, the lowest in years, hovering around 4 percent, the majority of hourly and salary employees across genders have seen increases in the past year in base pay as well as other benefits including bonuses, di...

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Oct 03, 2018

In the end, you need to be rewarding your sales reps with more than just money if you want to keep them motivated and if you want your sales compensation plan to deliver on its promises.

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Oct 03, 2018

The first CRM launch truly changed the way sales were managed. We went from tracking customers on spreadsheets (and even in rolodexes) to tracking them and their attendant opportunities with software. It wasn’t long before reps started to feel the purpose of a CRM was more about preserving the...

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Oct 03, 2018

Let’s explore some of the current processes around pipeline management and forecasting and how they can be improved.

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Sep 27, 2018

Traditional manufacturing methods have relied on surface finishing as a secondary operation. This is particularly true for metals. Processes such as casting, manual milling and lathes, and CNC machining produce a ‘raw’ part that typically needs additional processing to meet specification...

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Sep 26, 2018

This white paper will examine relevant topics for current and future manufacturing stakeholders and provide recommendations for future action. To better understand the roles of manufacturing and future outlook, this white paper will analyze the current state of manufacturing in numbers, societal meg...

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Sep 25, 2018

Learn about the opportunities that Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies could bring to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and its resident companies to enhance competitiveness in the automotive and electronics industries while creating positive social and environmental impact, resulting in a $5...

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Sep 25, 2018

In traditional manufacturing, process qualification refers to tested validation data that ensures a specific manufacturing process can provide a consistent result. For Additive Manufacturing (AM), qualifying the process is essential to create parts that meet specific requirements without adding proh...

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Sep 20, 2018

Smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Digital Transformation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): we are bombarded by new terms and hype that remind us daily of the rapidly changing world for manufacturers. Everyone can find an excuse for ignoring them but, be assured, it is not all hype.

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Sep 20, 2018

Digital continuity underpins our ability to have confidence that when we use a piece of information to make a decision that this information accurately reflects the current state of our collective knowledge. We also understand that if a better version of that information is created that we will be i...

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Sep 20, 2018

Manufacturing equipment is getting smarter. Machines, devices, sensors, RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) tags, robots, and automation controllers are now being connected together with the latest network technologies. Recent breakthroughs enable new levels of collaboration, allowing virtually any...

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Sep 19, 2018

Digitalization will impact the entire business environment. We see many changes already on the consumer side, where Smartphones and Apps have disrupted long-established business ecosystems with unexpected value propositions and cost saving potential. However, even in fully controlled industry ecosys...

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Sep 18, 2018

The world is urbanizing and the Fourth Industrial Revolution is transforming life at an unprecedented rate. Cities must be agile - able to move quickly and easily - to enable their citizens to thrive. Agile Cities: Preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, unpacks the concept of agility and in...

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Sep 17, 2018

Digital revolution is shaping factories around the world. IoT (Internet of Things), 3D Printing, VR (Virtual Reality) and Robots are driving productivity improvements, cost reduction and optimization in manufacturing facilities. However, in the race to be a leader in the digital world, sometimes we ...

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Sep 11, 2018

Early adopters, however, are already taking a leadership role by creating and implementing a talent strategy to train team members on the integration and use of technology throughout the supply chain. To grow and innovate in what is projected to become a nearly $400 billion market by 2025, digital l...

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Sep 09, 2018

Every manufacturing facility must solve problems that negatively affect their production activities whilst finding ways to maximize their capacity. They also have the challenge of competing in a global manufacturing environment by becoming more efficient whilst maintaining quality and reducing costs...

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Sep 08, 2018

Quebec Manufacturers & Exporters (QME) is an association whose mission it is to improve the business environment and to help manufacturers and exporters be more competitive on domestic and international markets by bringing to bear its leadership, expertise, connections and the strengths of its m...

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Sep 07, 2018

Given all the recent hype surrounding 3D printing, it’s easy to forget that the technology isn’t some relative newcomer or unknown bit player. Rather, 3D printing, including metal additive technology, has increasingly become a principal actor on the manufacturing stage, used as a cost-ef...

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Sep 07, 2018

Manufacturing as we know it is changing. Today, many manufacturers find themselves on the cusp of a fundamental transformation driven by the continued convergence of the digital and physical worlds. The pace of this convergence continues to accelerate-exponentially-and is ushering in the next indust...

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Sep 04, 2018

What Ford had no way of foreseeing was that sweeping changes to the auto industry in the 21st century would completely reorder sales drivers. While the auto industry was built on innovation, its continued growth depends on it. Electric cars, car sharing and self-driving cars have meant what’s ...

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Sep 02, 2018

A multinational electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company urgently needed to set up a new production line to test a client’s miniature IoT chipset. The manufacturer was on a tight schedule with strict budgetary requirements that demanded operational costs be kept to a minimum. These req...

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Sep 02, 2018

Conventional manufacturing continues to evolve, embracing smart capabilities involving greater connectivity and flexibility all the way to full-on Industry 4.0 transformations. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, continues to evolve too, as it capitalizes on opportunities traditional ...

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Sep 01, 2018

Falling prices on printer hardware and a plethora of new materials and design tools have catapulted additive manufacturing from a part-time prototyping resource into a full-scale production method. Yet as companies engage in more widespread use of the technology, they are actively trying to formulat...

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Sep 01, 2018

Industry 4.0 has long been a buzzword in the world of manufacturing, rising to prominence in 2011 as part of an initiative to enhance German competitiveness in the global manufacturing market - although it was then Industrie 4.0. What Industry 4.0 prescribed was that manufacturers
make better...

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Sep 01, 2018

Traceability can seem staggeringly complex. Barcode reading stations need to be integrated into complex systems to enable the collection, storage, and analysis of massive amounts of valuable tracking data on a daily basis. Unthinkable quantities of work-in-progress (WIP) parts need to bear markings ...

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Aug 30, 2018

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is rapidly becoming an important method for the fabrication of both prototype and production metal parts. This document examines the need for laser beam characterization to deliver optimum results in LAM and then shows how a new beam monitoring technology, develope...

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Aug 24, 2018

The manufacturing sector is no stranger to change. Over the course of three industrial revolutions, companies have relied on everything from water and steam to electricity and information technology to power their operations, provide services and make products.

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Aug 23, 2018

Your goals are clear: high productivity and worker safety, low cost and materials that can withstand the rigors of a manufacturing environment. Traditional manufacturing has its place but it’s not the only path to strong parts. Additive manufacturing using carbon fiber-filled nylon material 3D...

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Aug 21, 2018

Vacuum forming is a versatile and easy to learn the process. With affordable 3D printed tooling and a wide variety of applications, it could be the perfect fit for your next prototyping project. Vacuum forming with 3D printed molds is a great way to quickly create 3D parts from plastic sheet materia...

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Aug 21, 2018

ARK believes that 3D printing, or more broadly additive manufacturing, is a revolutionary platform technology that will usher in the Third Industrial Revolution. Building objects layer-by-layer-a stark contrast to traditional manufacturing techniques, which either shave material away from a larger b...

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Aug 16, 2018

Given all the recent hype surrounding 3D printing, it’s easy to forget that the technology isn’t some relative newcomer or unknown bit player. Rather, 3D printing, including metal additive technology, has increasingly become a principal actor on the manufacturing stage, used as a cost-ef...

whitepaper

Aug 12, 2018

Manufacturing has been shaped and then reshaped by multiple disruptive waves. A mechanical revolution was the first one to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. It was followed by waves of Industrial Automation and Robots. They took manufacturing to a different level by helping manufacturers mas...

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Aug 12, 2018

While additive manufacturing (AM) has mostly been used as a prototyping tool, in the past five years it has matured as a means of enhancing multiple stages of the product development process, including the production of an end-use parts-a process termed Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM).

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Aug 06, 2018

Values and ethics are not esoteric, relative or fuzzy: they’re practical, accessible and essential. Technologies embody the ethical frameworks and the values of the societies that create them, and as they continue to inform the administrative foundation of governments, shape societies, and aff...

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Aug 01, 2018

In 2011, the Aerospace Industries Association launched a campaign called Second to None. The campaign sought to educate the general public and elected leaders about the importance of the aerospace and defense industries to the U.S. economy and national defense. A second objective was to provide info...

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Aug 01, 2018

While the world is not yet at the stage where doctors can 3D print new organs for patients, the technology has made inroads in the healthcare space, particularly in dentistry and prosthetics. Proponents of additive manufacturing and 3D printing see it expanding into medical devices, prototypes, and ...

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Aug 01, 2018

In fact, Manufacturing Industry, explicitly indicated in the BDVA SRIA vertical markets picture, is one of the most promising sectors for Data-driven solutions and Data-oriented new Business models. During the Data Economy Conference organised in Budapest, IDC presented their perspective about prese...

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Aug 01, 2018

Fast-forward 70 years. While specific job roles and skill sets may have evolved over time, OJT is more important than ever, especially with the rate of changing technology and the changing workforce. The retirement of millions of experienced and knowledgeable workers is creating a situation similar ...

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Aug 01, 2018

Additive manufacturing (AM) describes types of advanced manufacturing that are used to create three-dimensional structures out of plastics, metals, polymers and other materials that can be sprayed through a nozzle or aggregated in a vat. These constructs are added layer by layer in real time based o...

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Aug 01, 2018

This report describes how Additive manufacturing (AM) changes the way products are made and what this means for work. The introduction of AM in the manufacturing industries will impact value chains, business models and specific activities such as product design and prototyping.

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Aug 01, 2018

New digital molding technology from 3D Systems is revolutionizing the direct production of 3D printed plastic parts, and it is doing so at scale. 3D Systems not only invented the tool-less plastic parts manufacturing process, but laboratory testing has confirmed 3D Systems Figure 4 technology offers...

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Aug 01, 2018

As additive manufacturing (AM) enters serial production, new approaches for quality assurance are needed. For this, a range of new process monitoring systems is available. Some solutions are provided by AM system manufacturers for their own systems, whereas others are offered by third parties. This ...

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Jul 31, 2018

United States manufacturing is the largest in the world producing 18.2% of the world’s goods according to the U.S. Manufacturing Statistics & Outlook. However, this leading position is continually threatened by high operating costs, opening a window of advantages to other countries, like C...

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Jul 30, 2018

Robotics Industries Association (RIA), the robotics industry trade group, reported in February 2018 that the robotics industry in North America set new growth records in 2017. Robot shipments in 2017 surpassed all previous records with shipments of approximately 34,000 units representing $1.9 billio...

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Jul 28, 2018

If you’re worried about the strength of a material or a part, don’t use it in an airplane. Sub-zero temperatures, 500-mile-an-hour winds, and shear forces that threaten to tear the plane apart at its weakest points are just some of the otherworldly stresses these multiton beasts face as ...

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Jul 26, 2018

ABI Research ranked these platforms based on their proven innovation/implementation criteria framework. ABI Research analyzed each platform on its innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, and plans to deploy and support transformative technologies, such as augmented reality/mixed reality, digital twins,...

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Jul 23, 2018

Custom ICM solutions are built for you, not auditors, so they typically don’t offer visibility into actions performed over time. Auditors may lack confidence in your homegrown system, especially if they find errors or omissions. In fact, audit risk from errors and overpayments is often the mos...

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Jul 23, 2018

It all ties together. You want your sales reps to behave a certain way and close a certain amount of deals in specific verticals that match your company’s 3- and/or 5-year vision, but the systems you currently have in place to drive this behavior are not working for any number of reasons. Most...

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Jul 23, 2018

You’ve reached a certain point in the evolution of your company and you know it’s time to invest in a CPQ system. But buyer beware: There’s a certain misconception around CPQ systems as being plug-in devices or turnkey-ready overlays of your existing infrastructure, or a simple app...

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Jul 23, 2018

The spreadsheet conundrum... Joe Smith, sales director for Great Start-Up Number 5 Billion and Thirty-One, puts on a blindfold and reaches out blindly for something, ANYTHING, to help him organize his team’s deals and commissions. He’s hopeful. He’s waiting. He knows he’ll co...

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Jul 21, 2018

Modern marketing rhetoric claims that, in order to cut out expensive costs and reduce risks during the design and construction phase of major capital projects, we must ensure that the plant design is completed right first time. If we can eradicate the iterations and reworks in design and form the de...

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Jul 19, 2018

Today’s manufacturing buyers rely on online search engines to research and find potential suppliers. If you are in this industry, you know how hard it can be to compete. The best way to get ahead is easy: Optimize your website to ensure potential prospects see it.

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Jul 18, 2018

Initially, when we think of 3D printing, we imagine a strictly additive process stacking wafer-thin layers one by one. Each layer is either contributing to the end-user part or the support structure to maintain the build integrity throughout the printing process. However, there are many ways to skin...

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Jul 12, 2018

Bringing a product to market is rarely straightforward. Without the right technology or process in place to support each stage of design, development, and production, companies often face significant cost and efficiency challenges. Failing to thoroughly test materials and designs or optimize process...

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Jul 12, 2018

Digital transformation is the integration of digital technologies into all areas of a business resulting in fundamental changes in how an organization operates and delivers increasing value to customers-a difficult task to navigate for many organizations. But digital transformation is not as far out...

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Jul 07, 2018

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is revolutionizing many industries, and manufacturing is no exception. Manufacturers are using IIoT to digitize their overall businesses-finding new ways to engage with customers and optimizing operations. Operational technology (OT) and information technolog...

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Jul 05, 2018

International Data Corp (IDC) research found 3D printer shipments in the U.S. grew by almost 20% in 2015 compared to 2014. Looking ahead, 3D printer shipments in the U.S. are expected to grow by a 16% CAGR through 2020. Shipments in the very low-end, where 3D printers sell for below $1,000, are proj...

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Jul 01, 2018

3D printing is becoming increasingly mainstream, but there has been limited uptake in the food industry to date. This paper considers how the technology can be applied to food manufacture and asks whether it can make the leap from gimmick to game-changer.

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Jul 01, 2018

The Factory of the Future certainly a buzzword but what do people mean when they refer to it? It’s an evolving definition but at its core, the factory of the future refers to the recognition that things are changing dramatically. When we think about the factory of the future, we envisage somet...

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Jun 18, 2018

The last couple of decades have witnessed the emergence of multiple disruptive technologies. They have defined, rather redefined the computing world. 90s saw an explosion in personal computing, thanks to lower cost PCs and an introduction of user-friendly Operating Systems. The next decade saw a pro...

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Jun 18, 2018

The digital revolution is now breaching the walls of manufacturing, with a wave of new data acquisition and processing capabilities. Manufacturers are seeing the opportunities of this digital transformation of the industry (aka Digital Manufacturing).

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Jun 16, 2018

As digitalization continues to upend the manufacturing sector, 3D printing is taking on a new role-not just for fast and cost-effective prototyping-but also as a viable mainstream production technology. Like other industries, manufacturers are rapidly expanding digital connectivity throughout their ...

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Jun 14, 2018

The traditional radial and external rotor motors in the HVAC and commercial air-moving marketplace today present manufacturers with design and manufacturing constraints: the need to accommodate large and heavy motors and stock many motor options to meet different customer specifications.

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Jun 13, 2018

Our client, a global manufacturing giant with annual revenue of around $13 billion from aftermarket services, used an in-house group to set prices and sell spare parts for the bigger machines that it manufactures. One of the client’s key objectives this year was to upgrade its pricing strategy...

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Jun 13, 2018

Manufacturers are now facing unprecedented challenges of complexity and growth while connected technology, often known as Industry 4.0 or Industrial IoT, brings the possibility of building the ‘Digital Factory’: an industrial facility where all products, personnel, raw materials, machine...

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Jun 11, 2018

Total knee replacements (TKR) are very common surgical procedures. Approximately 4.7 million Americans have undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and are living with a TKR. Approximately 600,000 TKR surgeries are performed each year. Despite how common these are, around 20% of people receiving the...

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Jun 09, 2018

Thomas Edison first installed his incandescent light bulb in a New York City factory in 1881. Today, Edison’s filament technology is still used for industrial applications in the form of incandescent halogen lamps, but there are now other options in the world of industrial lighting. High-inten...

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Jun 07, 2018

Materials must be suited to the application in order to have successful results. The properties of any material become increasingly important as a product progresses from concept and functional prototyping to production. However, material properties can only be evaluated when the manufacturing proce...

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Jun 04, 2018

Biologics have experienced steady double-digit growth over the last 15 years and now comprise slightly more than a quarter of all New Molecular Entity (NME) FDA approvals. Similarly, EvaluatePharma’s 2017 report on orphan drugs projects that by 2020, six of the 10 best-selling global drug ther...

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Jun 03, 2018

Each year, healthcare needs and costs grow due to an aging population, the rise in chronic diseases, and more. In fact, global healthcare spending is projected to reach nearly $9 trillion by 20201. To address this, practitioners in the healthcare industry continue to look for innovations that can pr...

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Jun 02, 2018

ADDITIVE manufacturing, popularly known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing technique that builds objects layer by layer using materials such as polymers, metals, and composites. Figure depicts the overall AM process. In the early stages of the 30 years of AM’s deployment, the technology was la...

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Jun 02, 2018

3D printing is advancing into the realm of production, both in terms of work-holding to assist in machining operations and custom enduse parts. While the value of a printer may not seem apparent at first, executing the calculations will tell a different story. In production and manufacturing, produc...

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Jun 01, 2018

For manufacturers, maximizing production speed while maintaining high part quality is critical for success. Jigs and fixtures are used to make manufacturing and assembly processes simpler and more reliable, reducing cycle times and improving worker safety. In this white paper, we will explain basic ...

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Jun 01, 2018

Digital technologies are reshaping the manufacturing landscape. Product-based business models are being disrupted by service-based business models, new skills are needed in a world of smart products, and innovation success depends on the effectiveness of a company’s open ecosystem.

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Jun 01, 2018

Additive manufacturing (AM) has developed way beyond its inception as a mere rapid prototyping technology. It now presents itself as a viable alternative manufacturing process for fully functional parts. However, the non-recurring engineering costs involved to take an AM part from concept to product...

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May 30, 2018

Our annual State of 3D Printing allows for the 3D printing industry to define itself by collecting data. With these findings, you will know what is expected of the future of 3D printing along with knowing the new trends that we saw come into existence during the previous year.

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May 29, 2018

Industry 4.0 has arrived, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. As intelligent, interconnected systems seamlessly support activities along the entire value chain, Industry 4.0 is transforming manufacturing industries across the globe. The opportunities for digital transformatio...

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May 29, 2018

The top two challenges for manufacturers implementing Smart Manufacturing solutions are finding skilled people and figuring out where to begin, according to SME’s Manufacturing in the New Industry 4.0 Era Survey.

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May 23, 2018

For good reason, Fused Deposition Modeling, or FDM, is a top print technology choice. From 3D printing enthusiasts to large scale production facilities, FDM adds value as a reliable, versatile, and cost-effective option that can provide near injection-molded surface quality with the right finishing ...

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May 17, 2018

Additive manufacturing technologies and 3D scanning will massively change our future. As a technology pioneer, Sulzer evaluates additive processes and materials newly available on the market. Suitable processes are optimized by technical specialists, material experts, and process engineers, and test...

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May 17, 2018

Welcome to a new era of 3D printing. Leap beyond the limits of previous technologies and enter a world where 3D printing allows you to move rapidly from thoughts to things, from radical prototyping to final parts manufacturing. A world where you can think and create without limits and propel your bu...

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May 15, 2018

Both high-strength composite 3D printing and metal 3D printing are valuable fabrication methods. Used separately, they address a broad spectrum of manufacturing use cases. Together, they enhance each other and provide clever solutions. In this paper, we’ll discuss several ways you can leverage...

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May 15, 2018

According to a 2016 survey, 62% of manufacturing industry respondents reported their company had activated their crisis communications within the previous year. This white paper will outline strategies to help your business address unfortunate circumstances swiftly and effectively, while aiding effo...

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May 15, 2018

Perhaps the consistent drumbeat of warnings about the skills gap has dulled concern by busy manufacturers focused on daily challenges. Yet, from production errors to downtime, common business pains typically tie directly back to identifying, recruiting and training a strong workforce. To reiterate t...

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May 08, 2018

Metal powder re-use in additive manufacturing (AM) has been investigated using a Renishaw AM250 system and titanium alloy Ti6Al4V ELI (extra low interstitial) powder. The study is a follow-on from the encouraging results obtained in a previous study in which the chemical and physical effects of re-u...

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May 06, 2018

The Manufacturing Enterprise Systems Association has devised a five-layer roadmap to enable manufacturers to adopt smart manufacturing technologies, processes, and practices. Now, manufactures need to put the digital pieces in place to get there.

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May 06, 2018

Utilizing data in manufacturing is becoming an everyday norm, but what are big benefits and how can these propel the workforce forward? Data and connectivity now play a vital role in increasing the efficiency of production lines. In the Annual Manufacturing Report 2018, 91% of manufacturers believe ...

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May 04, 2018

From an industry perspective, the manufacturing landscape is transforming into an intricate web of cyber-physical structures where bottlenecks and production backlogs are no longer challenges but merely parameters in an algorithm.

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May 03, 2018

From the phones in our pockets to the reality of self-driving cars, the consumer economy has started to tap into the power of deep learning's neural networks. This technology is now migrating into advanced manufacturing practices for quality inspection and other judgment-based uses.

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May 02, 2018

Hannover Messe was a vibrant and well-attended tradeshow. The impact of technology and the pursuit of digitization was evident in full. The appetite for new transformative technological approaches was hearty, yet some confusion within the market continues to impact velocity.

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May 01, 2018

Robots. Artificial Intelligence. Complex algorithms that take decisions for you before you even knew they needed to be taken. Machines that talk to each other and take action about the goods they are producing. Vehicles that drive themselves, and alert you to the fact that they are about to break do...

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May 01, 2018

The relentless pressure for companies to create new products, enter new markets, and achieve greater market share while satisfying existing customers, is exacerbated by the onslaught of new technologies and industry trends that threaten disruption. Often, discussions of disruptive concepts such as t...

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Apr 27, 2018

To say that Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) is changing the way things get done in manufacturing is an understatement. Fueled by the rapid rise of smart technologies, manufacturers are bringing together IIoT, connected machines, robots, sensors, smart devices, generalized c...

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Apr 26, 2018

During the last decade, Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has come into its own. Its growth opportunities are increasing exponentially, particularly in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries, where they are successfully integrating the technology into their operations...

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Apr 25, 2018

We are in the early days of a 4th Industrial Revolution, a far-reaching analog-to-digital shift that will completely transform the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry. It will fundamentally change the way we conceive, design, produce, distribute, and consume nearly everything, with enormous i...

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Apr 25, 2018

Each year, healthcare needs and costs grow due to an aging population, the rise in chronic diseases, and more. In fact, global healthcare spending is projected to reach nearly $9 trillion by 2020. To address this, practitioners in the healthcare industry continue to look for innovations that can pro...

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Apr 25, 2018

This report answers these questions for UK manufacturers – providing key data points for companies  considering whether – or more likely, how - to servitize their business model. Researched by The Manufacturer in partnership with Salesforce, Moving Up the Value Chain: UK Manufacturi...

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Apr 25, 2018

3D printing has become a mature technology suitable for the production of visual models, functional prototypes, manufacturing aids, and end-products. On the desk of a product designer, engineer, or manufacturer, a 3D printer is a powerful tool. It enables fast and inexpensive testing of designs, and...

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Apr 24, 2018

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by the unprecedented advances in technology transforming the way individuals and groups across society live, work and interact. New principles, protocols, rules, and policies are needed to accelerate the positive and inclusive impacts of these techno...

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Apr 23, 2018

Many manufacturers are well beyond talking about digital transformation, and some are already gaining the benefits. Find out how manufacturers have made strides by investing in new technologies, and what else the leaders are doing to ensure investments pay off. These include software updates, integr...

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Apr 23, 2018

Historically, the information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT/operations) departments within an industrial manufacturing company could function fairly independently. Operations kept the plant running smoothly, and IT managed business applications from the front office.

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Apr 17, 2018

Factories rely on a number of technology suppliers and partners. When these systems work together, manufacturers can experience significant benefits. Connected assembly tools and controllers are one part of this essential digital ecosystem. Industrial networks use programmable logic controller (PLC)...

whitepaper

Apr 16, 2018

This whitepaper aims to provide a brief introduction to Blockchain, and largely, highlight the potential uses of Blockchain in a manufacturing environment. The implementation details of Blockchain are deliberately omitted in this document.

whitepaper

Apr 15, 2018

Manufacturing in 2050 will look very different from today, and will be virtually unrecognisable from that of 30 years ago. Successful firms will be capable of rapidly adapting their physical and intellectual infrastructures to exploit changes in technology as manufacturing becomes faster, more respo...

whitepaper

Apr 12, 2018

Only machine vision can locate, align, and guide electronic hardware and OLED components with the required precision and speed to help manufacturers meet their production goals. Since 1986, original equipment manufacturers, machine builders, and end-users have looked to Cognex for best-in-class mach...

whitepaper

Apr 11, 2018

Blockchain is essentially a ledger technology that uses cryptography to provide an authoritative record of secure transactions. By doing away with a trusted centralized middleman responsible for the ledger, blockchain allows for a trustless trust. The three primary transformative features are immuta...

whitepaper

Apr 11, 2018

In the early 1980s, the American inventor Charles Hull developed the first additive manufacturing process, which he called stereolithography. He applied for a patent for the principle in 1986. This invention paved the way for additive manufacturing (AM), also known colloquially as 3D printing. Sulze...

whitepaper

Apr 09, 2018

The way most manufacturers see the quality is greatly influenced by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Ph.D., best known as the father of the “plan, do, check, act” cycle. Thinking of manufacturing as a holistic system and applying such an approach to quality often is easier said than done.

whitepaper

Apr 09, 2018

Given the increasing pressure to speed up drug development and make the process more cost-effective, pharmaceutical companies want to ensure that their most promising drug candidates hit the market.

whitepaper

Apr 07, 2018

Developing, launching and sustaining a medical device product line comes with many well-known challenges. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers unique opportunities to address these challenges across the entire product lifecycle, from early conceptualization to field use and post-market surveillance.

whitepaper

Apr 02, 2018

The system architecture for the Industrie 4.0 production plant (I4.0 plant) serves as a model technology solution that assists users in making customized products and provides long-term flexibility at discrete, automated assembly production facilities. The system architecture specifies interfaces an...

whitepaper

Apr 01, 2018

Additive manufacturing is not only useful as a production method for end-use parts, but also as a complement to other manufacturing methods in the machine shop. Industrial 3D printers produce high-strength parts tough enough to withstand manufacturing floor environments, where printed parts are put ...

whitepaper

Apr 01, 2018

Complex systems like enterprises, social networks, biological and physical systems, smart cities, smart homes, and financial systems comprise complex business processes that generate massive amounts of data in real time. This data is usually stored or archived as event logs, and analysis of this dat...

whitepaper

Apr 01, 2018

Most steels belted radial passenger and light truck tires are composed of an inner liner, two polyester reinforced body plies, two steel beads, two bead reinforcing strips, two anti-chafing strips, two steel belts, with belt edge wedges or wrap around gum strips, the sidewalls, and the tread.

whitepaper

Apr 01, 2018

This report explains how digitalization is transforming manufacturing globally, detailing what exactly smart manufacturing or Industry 4.0 is and examining the productivity impacts that digitalized manufacturing promises to deliver. The report examines the small-to medium-sized enterprise (SME) manu...

whitepaper

Apr 01, 2018

Manufacturers are under severe competitive pressures to deliver and support higher quality and more custom products and services faster and at lower costs. To address these challenges, computer-aided engineering (CAE) is being integrated with several innovative data-driven computing technologies-Art...

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Mar 27, 2018

Industry 4.0 is transforming chemical manufacturing. Companies are adapting to the digital world, recognizing the power of “connection” among products, production equipment, and personnel. But transformation entails challenges. Some are specific to organizations, depending on where they ...

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Mar 26, 2018

In the volatile 21st Century business environment, critical decisions must be made more frequently and more quickly than ever before. To do this, managers need immediate access to accurate and up to date information. Anything less than perfect data will add cost or introduce risks – or, more p...

whitepaper

Mar 24, 2018

We want quality food that looks appetizing, tastes good and is safe and nutritious. Healthy eating is an integral part of our modern lifestyle and trends change very quickly! If they also are to stay healthy, manufacturers need smoothly running 24/7 operations, integrated and highly reliable yet sti...

whitepaper

Mar 23, 2018

The approaching Fourth Industrial Revolution, with increasing use of advanced technologies such as 3D printing and robotics, is expected to have a major impact on the manufacturing process globally. The question we address is whether developing countries can harness the digital revolution to boost t...

whitepaper

Mar 22, 2018

Platforms are sets of components that interact in very well defined ways to allow a range of products and services to be produced. The term has been appropriated from the software and manufacturing industries, where systems based on platforms have both supported rapid innovation and formed a basis f...

whitepaper

Mar 20, 2018

The compelling need for most manufacturers to digitalize and automate their operations is now very widely recognized by the leading manufacturers and specialist management consultants interviewed for this study. Ultimately, an ideal digitalized and automated Industry 4.0 world is one in which people...

whitepaper

Mar 20, 2018

Many manufacturers have realized significant cost savings and productivity improvements by integrating high strength additive manufacturing (AM) technology into their business, especially in support of their maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) strategy.

whitepaper

Mar 19, 2018

In this issue, we explore processing equipment within the US food manufacturing space. The industry as a whole remains dynamic and powerful, generating billions of dollars in revenue and economic activity every year. Consumer and business trends in food processing, coupled with industry priorities a...

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Mar 15, 2018

Chemical manufacturers are faced with increasing pressures across multiple dimensions of their enterprise. Heightened regulatory compliance requirements, while put in place for good reasons, create new and complex pressures manufacturers have never faced before. At the same time, the industry strive...

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Mar 14, 2018

Blast Motion developed an innovative approach to maximize athletic potential. Blast designs and produces wearable sports technology to help analyze athlete’s body mechanics for golf, baseball, and softball. Like many OEMs today, Blast Motion needed a product lifecycle management (PLM) solution...

whitepaper

Mar 14, 2018

Electronics and high tech manufacturers, contract manufacturers and Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) companies are under constant pressure to meet demands for innovative assemblies and products while increasing efficiency and quality.

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Mar 14, 2018

Manufacturers across the globe have adopted clear 3D printed prototypes to deliver better products, faster. The use of clear materials in prototyping has changed the way designers approach designs for lights, headlamps, reflectors and packaging items such as bottles, as well as delivered enhanced vi...

whitepaper

Mar 12, 2018

3D printing has turned into a helpful and possibly a transformative Innovation in a medicinal sector. As the use of this technology has increased, the effectiveness, performance, and availability of accessible materials have also expanded in the development of new products. This has been a boon for ...

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Mar 12, 2018

PolyJet printing is one of the most common Additive Manufacturing printing types used in industry and in labs. PolyJet printing layers are jetted liquid photopolymers that are instantly UV cured to create 3D models that can be handled immediately.

whitepaper

Mar 09, 2018

Manufacturing agility is increasingly important in today’s world of wildly fluctuating demand, short product cycles and constant change. Successful manufacturers don’t just grudgingly react to change, however, they embrace change as an opportunity.

whitepaper

Mar 08, 2018

While automation and its drivers are among the most discussed topics in the business world, few organizations are focused on where to begin, how to make the best use of machine intelligence and where to apply it in their business. A first step is to understand which processes are, and aren’t, ...

whitepaper

Mar 06, 2018

We talked to manufacturers from the automotive, metal forming, food and beverage, and aerospace industries about their process of selecting an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and gathered their responses. When you’re making a decision as big as which ERP to select and implement, you ...

whitepaper

Mar 01, 2018

While manufacturers possess vast amounts of valuable data, hardly any of it is being analyzed. With a well-developed analytics strategy, manufacturers can tap into this value, converting data into actionable insight to improve decision-making. This white paper examines how analytics can increase ope...

whitepaper

Feb 28, 2018

Salesforce Research surveyed 291 customer service professionals in the manufacturing industry worldwide to discover how elevated customer expectations are changing the game. This report highlights 10 of the biggest customer service shifts that manufacturers are facing today.

whitepaper

Feb 28, 2018

A new toolmaking technology is driving up quality and productivity in the production of injection molded parts. Water plays a critical but underappreciated role in the plastic injection molding process. Without it, the technology would not be able to achieve the remarkable levels of quality, product...

whitepaper

Feb 26, 2018

More than 95% of point-of-care professionals expect to see an expansion of POC manufacturing enabled by additive manufacturing, commonly called 3D printing. While healthcare providers operate in an evolving environment influenced by policy, regulations, and changing technology, 3D has shown promise ...

whitepaper

Feb 20, 2018

Manufacturers are under constant pressure to minimize downtime, improve quality, and respond faster to individual customer requirements, all while lowering costs. PTC’s newly released ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps provide the solution.

whitepaper

Feb 16, 2018

Western economies have faced an onslaught of negative developments in their domestic manufacturing bases over the past 40 years. With the rise of Industry 4.0, the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, manufacturers now have new opportunities to undergo a digit...

whitepaper

Feb 16, 2018

3D printed cars, airplane components, and medical devices get the lion’s share of industry headlines. But global manufacturers like MAHLE, a leading automotive parts supplier, have found the technology offers tremendous value beyond those on the front page. For one of its latest developments, ...

whitepaper

Feb 16, 2018

This year’s Annual Report will highlight collaborations as we focus on our goal of being a bridge for collaborations involving industry, students and faculty. For this academic year, we selected Managing Smart Manufacturing as our theme. You will read about the work done by our students, the c...

whitepaper

Feb 15, 2018

Faced with stagnating wages for most Americans, business, civic, and political leaders across the United States are rediscovering manufacturing as a source of good jobs and lasting economic growth. In an era of unrivaled global competition, however, revitalizing the U.S. manufacturing sector will re...

whitepaper

Feb 13, 2018

Injection molding - the process of injecting plastic material into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity - is best used to mass-produce highly accurate, and often complex, three-dimensional end-use parts and products. However, the development of molds for this p...

whitepaper

Feb 13, 2018

3D printing has moved beyond prototyping. The current state of 3D printing systems, materials, and parts-on-demand providers makes 3D printing jigs and fixtures and other manufacturing applications practical and accessible to manufacturers. Mainstream manufacturers are wise to seize on the economic ...

whitepaper

Feb 11, 2018

In the water industry, a strong market demand exists for small, high-pressure pump systems. However, the casting of impellers for such small pumps in the required quality is difficult or impossible because of their low wall thickness and their unfavorable ratio of impeller diameter to channel height...

whitepaper

Feb 11, 2018

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has advanced from spewing toner on a white sheet of paper to building layers of plastic until an object is formed; to now using specialized printers to print a body part, airplane engine parts, or a 500-square-foot barracks room for soldiers, all in...

whitepaper

Feb 06, 2018

The IIRA is the result of an exercise by multiple industrial stakeholders from energy, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and public sectors under the IIC to achieve broad consensus in a driving device and product interoperability and deploying large industrial control systems.

whitepaper

Feb 05, 2018

Manufacturing is experiencing a customer-focused revolution. On the global side, this means manufacturers are ramping up innovation in an effort to develop and produce more sophisticated offerings than smaller rivals. High-margin growth is the ultimate end game.

whitepaper

Feb 05, 2018

But now, manufacturers must understand, interact with, and develop closer relationships to their end customers to deliver truly exceptional customer experiences. This new landscape is shifting business models to put customers at the center of every experience.

whitepaper

Feb 04, 2018

A new competitive landscape has emerged in the manufacturing sector that is being referred to as Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing. This term describes the emerging trend in the industrial space to create an intelligent network of connected things and people to create a smarter, more efficient and...

whitepaper

Feb 03, 2018

Maintenance is a strategic concern when developing and manufacturing a product - and for good reason. In fact, a third of all maintenance activities are carried out too frequently - and, according to IBM, nearly half are ineffective. For machine operators and factory managers, preventative maintenan...

whitepaper

Feb 02, 2018

Experts have estimated that less than 5% of the steps and time taken in producing a product actually create customer value. Lean thinking is a method that redesigns processes to optimize the entire product flow (the value stream), rather than singly optimizing each department that a product passes t...

whitepaper

Feb 01, 2018

In this part of our food industry Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) guides series, we share the best practice methods for taking maximum control of your financial responsibilities within food manufacturing. The guide will explain how your company can achieve a competitive edge by Improving your bud...

whitepaper

Feb 01, 2018

The goal for medical device manufacturers that use EO sterilization to minimize patient exposure to EO residues and (and EO derivatives) from their devices and ensure that the levels of residual EO, ethylene chlorohydrin (ECH), and ethylene glycol (EG) pose the least amount of risk possible to the p...

whitepaper

Feb 01, 2018

The increasing convergence and affordability of digital, biological and physical technologies will dramatically affect how the Arab world produces, consumes, trades and moves, and it may challenge how we relate to one another and even what it means to be human. The Digital Arab World White Paper exp...

whitepaper

Feb 01, 2018

Continuous 3D printing is a newer approach to DLP printing in which the build plate moves constantly in the Z direction - allowing light to cure photosensitive polymers without interruption to produce a final part. In this paper, you will learn more about these technical considerations for continuou...

whitepaper

Jan 31, 2018

Businesses in the U.S. spend more than $170 USB per year on occupational injury and illness related costs that eat away at corporate earnings. In Manufacturing, the risk of severe injury or illness is higher than most other industry sectors, making a proactive and holistic approach to health and saf...

whitepaper

Jan 26, 2018

Modern manufacturing execution systems (MES) can deliver the flexibility to enable manufacturers to define the solutions that meet their strategic needs. MES is what you make it: Define the MES functions needed, use standards, consider modularity, and integrate controls with MES and MES with enterpr...

whitepaper

Jan 25, 2018

A combination of powerful forces – both technological and macro trends – are altering where and how goods are made and shifting labour demand. Jobs will be displaced by automation across global production value chains, but there will also be pockets of job creation within the wider manuf...

whitepaper

Jan 24, 2018

This is an exciting and challenging time to be in manufacturing. Innovations in technology are affecting how you do business from the shop floor to the supply chain to the customer – everything seems to move faster than ever. The challenge often comes when older technology meets new: adopting ...

whitepaper

Jan 23, 2018

Architects don’t build without modeling. They create “blueprints,” produce renderings, and build 3D models. But while these planning tools may resemble the actual building in shape, there is no resemblance in size or materials. As a result, except in the case of manufactured or mod...

whitepaper

Jan 21, 2018

The Third Industrial Revolution is defined by electronics and IT, automated production, and advanced globalization. It has changed how individuals interact with each other, commerce, and whole communities. However, the changes we are beginning to see, and where we are heading as a result of the Four...

whitepaper

Jan 19, 2018

Production is the beating heart of commerce. But it is a double-edged sword, supplying necessities and amenities for humanity while depleting the global commons that sustain life on earth. This collaborative effort demonstrates how to harness the technological progress of the Fourth Industrial Revol...

whitepaper

Jan 18, 2018

The digital mission in manufacturing is to create experience ecosystems that transform the focus from designing, selling, and servicing complex products to one where the product becomes the platform through which new digital products and services are delivered.

whitepaper

Jan 18, 2018

NetSuite Advanced Manufacturing delivers a single integrated cloud solution that replaces the disconnected systems that are used by manufacturers today. It offers comprehensive functionality and is specifically designed to help manufacturers of all sizes reduce operating costs, increase revenue and ...

whitepaper

Jan 17, 2018

After a decade of stagnated productivity, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to create up to $3.7 trillion in value by 2025. Technologies such as the internet of things, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and additive manufacturing are already helping to generate net productivity ...

whitepaper

Jan 17, 2018

Many manufacturers indicate they have a more positive outlook about the economy for 2018 than in 2017. The growing U.S. and global economies, rising energy and commodity prices, and improved business and consumer confidence support this positive outlook. While optimism is high, planning for potentia...

whitepaper

Jan 16, 2018

The aircraft industry is experiencing growth on the back of strong travel demand. To keep pace, aircraft companies are increasing production - which puts pressure on the industry’s supply chain. To sell more airplanes, aircraft companies depend on suppliers like our client, an aerostructures m...

whitepaper

Jan 15, 2018

The purpose of this White Paper is to clarify the role that collaborative robots - or cobots - play in what has now become known as Industry 4.0. After reviewing the concepts Industry 4.0 and cobot, we will examine the suitability of cobots for use in Industry 4.0 environments and the role they play...

whitepaper

Jan 15, 2018

Performing a cleaning validation during the initial phase of a device’s lifecycle aids manufacturers in complying with current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) and quality system (QS) regulation as set forth by FDA for medical device manufacturers. The data gathered during cleaning validati...

whitepaper

Jan 15, 2018

The rise of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, will revolutionize global commerce. Companies will begin to shift away from standardized products, produced in massive factories, thousands of miles away from the point-of-sale. Retailers and consumers will likely take a bigger role &nda...

whitepaper

Jan 11, 2018

Temperature problems are well known in the high-tech industry. Everyone knows of cases where overheated products stopping working and in the best case scenario, resume their function, but only after an extensive period of cooling down. In past years, electronics cooling was very much about cooling c...

whitepaper

Jan 09, 2018

Manufacturing companies contributed $2.17 trillion to the U.S. economy according to the most recent annual data. Manufacturers, of which 98.6 percent qualify as small businesses, have become more agile, more productive and leaner in recent years. These advances have reduced both times to market and ...

whitepaper

Jan 08, 2018

The future of manufacturing is in technology. It’s obvious that the next generation of manufacturing champions will come from companies that leverage technology to drive innovation. However, only 10 percent of companies around the world describe themselves as fully digital – a small frac...

whitepaper

Jan 08, 2018

A lot of positive hype has built up around Industry 4.0 over the last few years, creating awareness of the topic within many companies and contributing significantly to the rejuvenation of good old industry in the public mind. In its aftermath, industry leaders remain optimistic overall, but a degre...

whitepaper

Jan 04, 2018

Industry 4.0 is the current stage of the industrial revolution. It represents the use of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), automation, sensor technology, and other innovative solutions to streamline the production and distribution. Industry 4.0 brings in the concept of the smart factory.

whitepaper

Jan 02, 2018

Before selecting a manufacturing execution system (MES) for a complex process, the company must take time to carefully describe their data flow needs both in current terms and in future scale-up scenarios. This is a matter of understanding the number of materials and sub-materials processed that nee...

whitepaper

Jan 01, 2018

If you are involved in Metal 3D Printing, it is important to take into account that the type of recoater you use will influence the production process. What kinds of recoaters exist and which potential issues are related to them? And more importantly: how can you prevent or counter these problems fr...

whitepaper

Jan 01, 2018

Custom ear molds provide a highly secure and comfortable fit for applications like hearing aids, musician in-ear monitors, high-end earphones, and hearing protection-but manufacturing customized pieces can be a challenge. With digital scanning technology and software, collecting and modifying the or...

whitepaper

Dec 18, 2017

Standards are essential to accelerating the widespread commercialization of new technologies in the global manufacturing industry. In recent years, government and private-sector partners have made significant investments in strengthening the competitiveness of manufacturing.

whitepaper

Dec 16, 2017

Today's competitive manufacturing arena demands lower cost, more product variants, shorter product introductions, and better compliance to industry standards and regulations. This has led many manufacturing companies to move beyond the old paper-based processes, and start implementing new stream...

whitepaper

Dec 15, 2017

There can be no turning back. Manufacturing processes are becoming increasingly digital. As this trend unfolds, many companies often struggle to determine what they should be doing to drive and deliver real value both operationally and strategically. Indeed, digital solutions may promise significant...

whitepaper

Dec 12, 2017

This article discusses the challenges created by new suppliers from low-cost countries specifically for German automakers. These new competitors are increasingly reducing their deficiencies in skills, supplier structure and costs. Therefore, strategic responses conceivable for German automakers are ...

whitepaper

Dec 08, 2017

The purpose of this white paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the SLS printing process, its applications and the elements needed to successfully implement it in the wider production cycle. We hope that this paper provides a useful reference and inspires new avenues of innovation, whether...

whitepaper

Dec 08, 2017

The speed of application development and application change is increasing and with it, the demand of Rolls Royce like quality. Companies look to build new capabilities with high expectations being placed on the IT department. Although the IT industry has taken huge leaps in technology innovation, th...

whitepaper

Dec 07, 2017

Bhavyabhanu Electronics Private Limited (BEPL) is a fully owned subsidiary of Astra Microwave Products Limited (AMPL). AMPL has 25 years experience in design & production of RF/Microwave Products and has established BEPL for providing reliable, high-volume production of electronic sub-assemblies...

whitepaper

Dec 04, 2017

New types of data means new improvements for your business. Industry 4.0 combines intelligent sensors, analytics, and artificial intelligence to let you optimize your operations in real time. What would you do with less unplanned downtime?

whitepaper

Dec 01, 2017

We all know that shipbuilding is a cyclical industry. The volatile nature of the markets for its raw materials and finished products makes shipbuilding a particularly challenging business. In a cycle where there is pressure on capacity and fewer new-builds, shipyards must become more efficient at sh...

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Nov 30, 2017

Modern technology has changed the ways customers perceive products and services in manufacturing. In a customer-centric market, customers are developing requirements for more agile service and better, sustained product quality. Their expectations have changed along with their buying habits, which ha...

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Nov 29, 2017

Are you taking advantage of best practice labeling and coding for your company? With packaging demands and trends constantly evolving, it’s never been more important for Australian food & beverage manufacturers to stay alert and ahead of the game.

whitepaper

Nov 28, 2017

To be the authors of change rather than victims of it, manufacturers must innovate. The notion that the only constant in life changes dates back to ancient Greece, but in the 21st-century change seems to have accelerated. Business changes range from a global recession and the promise of global marke...

whitepaper

Nov 23, 2017

In the last decade, few industries have been impacted by rapid advancements in technology quite like manufacturing. Manufacturers have been faced with an evolve-or-die ultimatum as customers expect faster rates of innovation. A lower cost of entry has introduced a seemingly endless flow of new compe...

whitepaper

Nov 21, 2017

3D Printing is more than just prototyping. Today, 3D Printing offers transformative advantages at every phase of creation, from initial concept design to production of final products and all steps in between. Today’s competitive environment makes choosing the right 3D printers for every phase ...

whitepaper

Nov 19, 2017

Despite this colossal market opportunity, most of today’s industrial-class 3D printers are suitable only for prototyping and tooling and must be situated in additive manufacturing labs due to their size, expense, special facility and equipment requirements and complex pre- and post-processing ...

whitepaper

Nov 14, 2017

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) takes advantage of the latest software and hardware capabilities to increase productivity. It stands to reason that greenfield manufacturing plants might be planned with native IIoT technologies. After all, today’s factory automation systems can incorpo...

whitepaper

Nov 14, 2017

Manufacturers around the globe are undergoing a profound transformation. External market shifts and technological changes are reshaping the competitive landscape for manufacturing firms, ushering in a new era of growth, change, and economic opportunity. We surveyed over 300 global executives to anal...

whitepaper

Nov 11, 2017

The shipbuilding industry is no stranger to harnessing new techniques and technology to enhance its processes. In fact, shipbuilders have been doing just that for thousands of years. The latest game-changer is laser scanning with 3D modeling, which is helping shipyards deliver projects more efficien...

whitepaper

Nov 06, 2017

Lean production removes bottlenecks and reduces non-value-adding wastes, getting your product faster to customers. This whitepaper explains what lean is and how it works, but more importantly, goes through how to overcome the black packaging hole by using integration software to find and quantify pa...

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Nov 06, 2017

Industry 4.0 offers an unprecedented opportunity for transformational success, but companies must have plant floor software that is ready for that journey. The fact that Industry 4.0 is already predicted means companies can prepare themselves now.

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Nov 06, 2017

The company Achleitner was founded in 1932 and has developed from a skilled blacksmith’s shop to a commercial middle-sized company. The company is still a family business. An important step to realizing such projects is a close and healthy cooperation with our customers, the vehicle suppliers,...

whitepaper

Nov 06, 2017

If you head up your company’s manufacturing operations, you are undoubtedly charged with producing better products faster while cutting costs, increasing production uptime, not to mention finding a way to efficiently meet customer demands for customized products, all while supporting your orga...

whitepaper

Nov 06, 2017

Manufacturing companies contributed $2.17 trillion to the U.S. economy according to the most recent annual data. Manufacturers, of which 98.6 percent qualify as small businesses, have become more agile, more productive and leaner in recent years.

whitepaper

Nov 05, 2017

Ultra and JustFood have been working closely together with a couple food manufacturing companies. One to note is a global snack food company, one of the world’s largest producers of salted snack products in addition to branded, private-label packaged snacks.

whitepaper

Nov 03, 2017

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), not only dramatically reduces lead times, but can also provide significant cost savings through reduced material consumption, improved performance and added efficiencies. 3D printing processes are easy to implement and offer a wide variety of m...

whitepaper

Nov 01, 2017

The grim reality is that German and American workers now produce more in four days than UK workers in five. Different sectors, industries and of course individual companies may well buck these trends, but the underlying truth is that the British economy needs to find a path – probably multiple...

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Nov 01, 2017

Manufacturers recognize the disruptive potential of blockchain to streamline complex supply chain operations, simplify trade finance and spur the transition to customized manufacturing made possible by 3-D printing. Yet, most manufacturers are not moving aggressively to prepare for the transformativ...

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Oct 28, 2017

Significant advances in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, commonly known as 3D printing, over the past decade have transformed the ways in which products are designed, developed, manufactured and distributed. 3D printing’s ability and advantages over traditional manufacturing open plen...

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Oct 27, 2017

The IoT represents a scenario in which every object or thing is embedded with a sensor and is capable of automatically communicating its state with other objects and automated systems within the environment. Each object represents a node in a virtual network, continuously transmitting a large volume...

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Oct 26, 2017

Industry 4.0 is the vision of future manufacturing that allows not only lower cost, higher quality, and faster processing - but all of that with personalized products. It´s a marketplace where smart products and smart equipment interact autonomously for dynamic optimization on the fly. For mos...

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Oct 26, 2017

We have a 168-year history of strategic, long-term thinking that has helped ensure the Freudenberg Group’s success. But frankly, the pace of global change we are experiencing today is unprecedented, and it keeps getting faster.

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Oct 25, 2017

Manufacturing has evolved substantially since the Industrial Revolution. And it continues to advance today with innovations from the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, with the infusion and integration of IoT-enabled sensors and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), smart manufacturing is completel...

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Oct 20, 2017

A semiconductor wafer undergoes a wide range of processes before it is transformed from a bare silicon wafer to one populated with millions of transistor circuits. Such processes include Physical or Chemical Vapor Deposition, (PVD, CVD), Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP), Plasma Etch, Rapid Th...

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Oct 17, 2017

Technological innovations have changed industrial manufacturing since the 1900s. And while this is nothing new, for the past years, digitalization has been widely discussed by companies and governments as the new transformation of manufacturing as we know it. More recently, the term Industry 4.0 or ...

whitepaper

Oct 17, 2017

Manufacturing is in the midst of profound change as companies large and small work to digitize product development and better connect to an integrated supply chain to drive Industry 4.0 and Factory of the Future initiatives. Thanks to this era of digital transformation, there’s never been more...

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Oct 16, 2017

Configure-price-quote (CPQ) technology performs two overarching critical missions for manufacturing companies and their customers. The first mission of CPQ is to Get the Right Product. This means, in a high-level sense, that the sales rep and the customer are of a single mind in terms of a product b...

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Oct 13, 2017

C-suite executives tend to delegate manufacturing strategy to the manufacturing experts and IT strategy to the technology experts. Historically, that was a good strategy. Now, with the emergence of new technologies that collectively comprise what’s known as smart manufacturing or Industrie 4.0...

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Oct 11, 2017

To expand the chemical capabilities of 3D printed structures generated from commercial thermoplastic printers, we have produced and printed polymer filaments that contain inorganic nanoparticles. TiO2 was dispersed into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and extruded into filaments with 1.75 ...

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Oct 11, 2017

In an era which is being referred to as Industry 4.0, government departments are increasing their digital footprints and adapting their technology and engagement environments to remain competitive and relevant. As information and assets owned or used by the organization become another node in the ne...

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Oct 09, 2017

Manufacturing education is in crisis. The evidence is striking and undeniable: Despite a consistently high United States unemployment rate for several years - ranging between 8% and 10% from February 2009 through March 20121  - as many as 600,000 manufacturing jobs have gone unfilled because of...

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Oct 08, 2017

Additive manufacturing offers the possibility of a highly flexible production at acceptable costs for a low number of pieces. As it is already used for the production of moulds for injection moulding, the usability for the production of forging tools will be investigated here.

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Oct 08, 2017

A MES migration project represents a big endeavor for any organization as it involves a significant amount of time, cost, risk and it involves many stakeholders within the company. It’s critical for the success of the migration project to get commitment and engagement of the different affected...

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Oct 06, 2017

To succeed in the digital age, organizations will need to continuously learn new habits, acquire new skills, and effectively lead to massive organizational transformations. The challenges for manufacturers can often seem overwhelming, yet the potential benefits and rewards of these new smarter ways ...

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Oct 05, 2017

The world of additive manufacturing is at a crucial point. There have been breakthroughs in printing larger parts. More metals are being developed for use in 3D printers. An additive is becoming part of the game plan of many different manufacturers.

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Oct 03, 2017

Competition in business is inevitable. But, believe it or not, it can actually benefit your company in the long run. Healthy competition in the manufacturing industry eliminates complacency and encourages innovation, which can quickly gain consumers attention. But, competition also can mean losing c...

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Oct 02, 2017

There are dozens of types of manufacturing environments, from individual ingredient for sale to another manufacturer to branded product for the store shelves at a retailer. Depending on where you sit in the supply chain, your requirements for manufacturing, packaging, and ingredient traceability may...

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Oct 01, 2017

Combination products are therapeutics that combine two or more products (drug/device, biologics/device, biologics/drugs, or drug/device/biologics), regulated and sold as a single unit. Examples of combination products include drug-coated implantable devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in m...

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Oct 01, 2017

To many, metal 3-D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), is way out there on the someday horizon. In reality, however, it’s already in use in multiple industries, providing a highly favorable effect on the bottom lines of those that have already embraced it. Metal 3-D AM takes what used to...

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Oct 01, 2017

Digital forces are affecting operations within nearly every industry, presenting manufacturers with a renewed opportunity to drive efficiency throughout every link in the supply chain-from strategic research and development, agile factory operations and ongoing maintenance capabilities.

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Sep 30, 2017

Additive manufacturing (AM) is making inroads into the automotive industry. Historically, AM was used primarily to produce prototype parts and models. Today, AM is also used to make tooling for assembly lines or to produce vehicle parts. One of the advantages of AM is conquering complexity. Additive...

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Sep 24, 2017

The greater the integration and visibility within a supply chain, the fewer delays there are in time-to-market, the greater the production quality and the more effective supplier collaboration becomes.

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Sep 24, 2017

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, was developed in the 1980’s as a process used to make three-dimensional objects. Additive manufacturing creates parts from the ground up by fusing together layers of material. Its counterpart, subtractive manufacturing, begins with material an...