Additive Manufacturing:

A Sustainable Game-Changer for Manufacturing

A once-niche concept, additive manufacturing (AM) is now making its way into mainstream industrial operations. This method of manufacturing creates parts by adding, layer-by-layer using a 3D printer, often resulting in complex geometries that wouldn’t be possible to create with traditional “subtractive” manufacturing methods.

3D printing has been utilized for prototyping since the 1980s, but recently, advancements in both materials and software have allowed AM to become a viable option for producing functional parts at scale. According to SME, the additive manufacturing market is projected to surpass $70 billion by 2030. It’s current market size is approximately $20 billion.

Increased investment and new technologies in additive manufacturing set the stage for distributed manufacturing, a concept that transfers production from one facility with 3D printers to facilities all over the world with identical 3D printers running the same file and recipe.

Additionally, 3D printing will lend itself toward mass customization. Products will no longer be constrained by the precise, yet difficult-to-change nature of a traditional assembly line. Adapting to change and tweaking design will be much easier to do with 3D printers in comparison to traditional moldmaking.

Unleashing the Power of IoT, 5G, and Big Data

Even before AI becomes the industry standard, we can expect to see the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing begin to gain popularity in manufacturing.

The benefits of 5G connectivity are already being felt. With data becoming a crucial to Industry 4.0, 5G provides lower latency, higher capacity, and increased bandwidth in comparison to standard 4G LTE networks. Worldwide, 94 countries deployed 5G in 2023.

Digital Transformation

Strategy:

In Industry 4.0, 5G implementation will see machine sensors provide info to operators at newfound speeds, advancing predictave maintenance, machine monitoring and more. Accelerating this trend is the low cost and prevalence of sensors. The average price of a sensor is under $.50 per unit.

The rise in AI also dovetails into the increase in manufacturing data collection. The technology already is deployed with Big Data applications through machine vision, root cause analysis and supply chain analysis. With a growing pool of information through advancements in Big Data, IoT, and cloud computing, AI will be sharper and more accurate in its predictions.