When is the right time to adopt additive manufacturing (AM)?
Get answers at AMT’s 2022 MFG Meeting, April 27-30, in Bonita Springs, Florida, when the world’s leading authority on integrating AM with mainstream CNC machines presents “Peeling Back the Layers of Additive & Advanced Manufacturing Adoption.”
Jason Jones, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies. At The MFG Meeting, he shares strategies to evaluate why and when AM adoption makes a solid case for business success. Ask him and other experts questions directly as you network and play golf in sunny Florida.
“Machine shops and smaller manufacturers hear a lot about AM, and it has tremendous promise,” says Jones. “But when you try to implement it practically, often it's not as easy as it sounds. What gets promoted in the media is the collective benefits of AM, not the challenge of specific adoption steps.”
Speaking from firsthand experience, Jones shares a broader perspective on business challenges using the technology and helps you tackle the questions you need to ask before you embark on an AM journey.
One AM Size Does Not Fit All
There are seven different types of AM, each based on a different set of physics and/or chemistry.
“In this respect, AM is one of the broadest manufacturing terms out there,” says Jones. “Each of those seven AM methods provides some elements of the additive promise but not all of them, and I discuss why this is.”
Although Jones thinks that AM will touch most manufacturers in some form over the next decade, it may only be in the sense of needing to adapt or adjust because of it.
Is Now the Right Time?
The question is whether AM is right for your company right now. And the answer is not necessarily.
“If you're going to adopt AM, you need to be clear about your goals for it,” says Jones. “Start with your biggest problems.”
Jones also discusses the importance of having design authority for the parts you make. If a manufacturer does not have design authority and can't change their designs, it will mean that some types of AM approaches will probably not make sense.
Not All or Nothing
Lastly, most people think of AM with an all-or-nothing mentality – printing entire parts with AM. Jones discusses how to broaden this view and looks at AM business in other ways – for example, as part of a hybrid process, another viable option.
“The speakers at each conference are phenomenal.” – Olaf Tessarzyk, CEO, MiQ Partners
AMT’s MFG Meeting brings together manufacturing technology leaders to address key business challenges, identify opportunities, and provide actionable solutions. Speakers cover a wide range of topics, including economics, emerging technology, supply chain, leadership, and politics.
“It's great to hear where the industry is going and how folks in manufacturing are thinking about projections and trends.” – Maxwell Reynolds, CEO, Symbio Robotics
The MFG Meeting takes place April 27-30 in Bonita Springs, Florida. This unique meeting experience provides many opportunities to network with executives from companies that make, sell, service, and support manufacturing technology. We look forward to seeing you there! Register Now.
