Robots in the wild. Path to lights-out. War games and advanced manufacturing. Roll your own 3D printer. New metals.

Manufacturers are doers—always building, innovating, and transforming. It’s no surprise that the most-read articles on AMTonline.org this year spotlighted the driving forces of the industry: automation, innovation, and transformation.

With demand for manufactured goods surging after 2020 and high rates of job openings persisting due to a labor shortfall, more manufacturers are turning toward automation – and reversing the post-recessionary trend of declining manufacturing productivity.

With skilled workers in short supply, fewer young people interested in on-site work, boomers retiring, and demand remaining elevated, manufacturers could invest in automation for multiple returns.

The ARM Institute held a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities for automation in aerospace manufacturing. They tackled efficiency and production; economic, technical, and human challenges; management support; workforce development; and more.

At IMTS 2024, Barbara Humpton and Tim Shinbara highlighted how automation, AI, and digital twins empower manufacturers and drive local production, innovation, and sustainability.

Eliminating zombies. Robots and reality. PrintMon: You can't catch them all. Hydrogen fuel cartirdges. "IMTS Unwind: Marking Milestones."

Come on - do more. What to fix first? The future of computing. They can open doors. Do digital twins take smoke breaks?

How an F1 piston is manufactured. Need Prime delivery for manufacturing tech? Lab to fab. Robots aren't afraid of heights. New institute for advanced manufacturing R&D.

Humanoid robots can fly now. Overrated: The cycle of hype. Robotics job postings. Meld goes mil-spec.