Sets Up Smart Manufacturing Line in Nine Weeks

whitePaper | February 4, 2022

Digitalization is an evolving process that took roots several decades ago. The first business computers and data storage units emerged in the 1950s. In the 1960s, companies invested in databases and automated processes to make reservations and plan materials or to gain easier access to schedules/inventories, MRP was born in response to the Toyota Production Systems and Methods. In the 1970s, banking experienced its first digital advancement with the invention of ATMs, which ignited a major digitization trend

whitePaper | April 26, 2022

Perhaps the most visible aspect of Industry 4.0 is the concept of the ‘smart factory’, a term that typically conjures up images of automated factories leveraging AI, big data and robotics to make manufacturing more efficient, innovative and … well, smarter. That’s a simple take on what in reality will be a complex undertaking that will be an evolutionary journey that manufacturers will take over the next decade or so. Consequently, it’s helpful to approach the smart factory concept in terms of what parts of the existing manufacturing process you want to make smarter, and the foundational technologies that will help you achieve that.

whitePaper | May 20, 2022

In today’s Industry 4.0-driven market, companies strive to meet customers’ needs and offer the most competitive and valuable solutions while being efficient and reducing costs. To face this challenge, manufacturers need to leverage the advantages of digital transformation.

whitePaper | July 7, 2022

Change has always been a factor in manufacturing, but traditionally, market conditions have evolved over several months or even years. By contrast, in today’s global economy, incidents both local and thousands of miles away are shifting market demand quickly, impacting the availability of materials, and reshaping supply chain dynamics at breakneck speed. Manufacturers need to adapt to these changes immediately without sacrificing product quality, customer relationships, or valuable employees. And that requires an adaptive manufacturing strategy.

whitePaper | June 1, 2023

This rapid shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs has brought a huge opportunity for automobile manufacturers to scale up their EV production. However, this is posing challenges for automobile manufacturers, as they need to invest heavily in a short time span for EV design, development, manufacturing, selling and servicing infrastructure. There are additional challenges related to battery cost, supply chain complexities and manufacturing infrastructure. Contract manufacturing is becoming an increasingly important strategy for EV manufacturers.

whitePaper | January 9, 2023

Silicone rubber has many applications, from hearing aids to handles and grips on consumer goods. This report provides an overview of 3D printed tooling for silicone part production, including two part injection molds, overmolds, compression molds, and eggshell molds. These methods can be employed for the prototyping of soft silicone products, small-batch production of customer beta units, or production of custom end-use goods. A step-by-step guide is provided for producing a silicone keychain with an encapsulated Apple AirTag, employing mold design best practices from several Formlabs product design customers. We also present information about successful material workflows from Formlabs users, including silicone-resin compatibility and recommended mold releases for both tin and platinum cure silicones.