Emerging manufacturing: Smart and fast, with a culture clash The Chicago Tribune September 16, 2014 By James Janega Modern industrial practices at large manufacturing operations will involve smart devices more often, employ adaptive machining techniques, integrate design processes that improve parts almost as theyre made and will print digital files at factories distributed around the world. Michael F. Molnar, director of the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office housed in the National Institute of Standards and Technology, made the predictions late last week on the periphery of the International Manufacturing Technology Show at McCormick Place. On Saturday, President of The Association for Manufacturing Technology Douglas Woods and co-founder and CEO of Local Motors John Jay Rogers took the newly-completed 3D printed car out for a spin. Most of those advanced manufacturing techniques already exist in more or less limited fashion, Molnar said. Magic happens when you can scale up, he said. The remarks to makers and industrialists came at a G.E. Ventures forum on industrial practices. The event was hosted at the Field Museum - where references to dinosaurs and avoiding extinction abounded - and kicked off a panel discussion that foreshadowed the R&D work to come at the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute being built on Goose Island. The new capabilities also provided the boundaries for a brewing culture clash between manufacturers, concerned about competitive advantage after pouring billions into advanced capabilities, and makers, who are being empowered with digital technology that allows them as never before to build anything they can imagine. Molnar said drivers for change include manufacturing customers who more frequently demand customized parts in smaller batches on tighter deadlines, cost pressures on the industry to make things less expensively and the changing skill sets required to bring manufactured items to market. Tracy said manufacturing constraints - once a limit for the aircraft manufacturer - were fading in the face of new materials and the ability to design, analyze and certify parts made from new processes. The tendency of manufacturing to become an information business led Wegner to foresee a day when software - and not engineers - would design the shape of parts whose characteristics were keyed in as guidelines. But cultures diverge between makers and manufacturers over how to employ the 3D printing, laser engraving and other emerging tools common to both sides of the market, Pinkston said. Manufacturers say We need people with these new skills to make stuff for us, he said. Makers say I want to make my own stuff.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:03:20 +0000
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