Additive Manufacturing: Manufacturers looking to adopt the technology

Blog Written by Hutch Hutchison, Director, Technology & Engineering Matching, FuzeHub
A compendium of websites that specialize in providing IT information to enterprises, Tech Target offers a variety of websites on different IT topics. One of them Search Manufacturing ERP has published an article about Additive Manufacturing, with an eye toward manufacturers.  I resonated with the article, as the hype about 3-D Printing, primarily the consumer end of it, has had the dual effect of hype-ing consumer printers, and making manufacturers feel that Doomsday is approaching, where everything will be 3-D Printed.
Here’s the article:  3-D Printing Technology in Manufacturing: Hype vs. Reality
Points that they cover, which I have stressed, in my 6-part series Additive Manufacturing: A New Tool in the toolbox include

• AM is for mass customization, not mass production
• In fact, they point out the extreme: a market of one
• Issues prevent immediate adoption of AM:
  • Quality
  • Materials Limitations
  • Training
  • AM is greatest during the prototype phase of a product development effort.  Avoiding weeks of time and heaps of money to test concept or fit and function is its best use for manufacturers
  • Best investment in AM is at a low-cost printer, to get the corporate culture exposed, and promote experimentation to prototype, tooling and production uses.

To underscore, I urge a careful, methodical, studious approach to AM. Don’t just run out and buy the first cool system that marginally fits into your operation or process. Don’t be fooled by the consumer hype!
So, stay tuned to FUZEHUB, as I will be continuing to write about developments in Additive technology that will benefit all NY manufacturers! I want to help you adopt this new technology productively.
Additive Manufacturing, while considered disruptive, is an opportunity!