Advanced Manufacturing Now

Jill Young of Exsys (San Antonio, FL) describes the company's products and markets in an interview with Bill Koenig, senior editor at Advanced Manufacturing Media. They spoke at SME's Eastec Show in May.

Rod Leek of Vektek LLC talks about his company's line of clamps and workholding products with Senior Editor Bill Koenig. They talked at the Eastec show in West Springfield, MA, held in May.

Dyan Finkhousen, director of open innovation & advanced manufacturing at GE Global Operations, discusses Fuse LLC, an 8-month-old service offering of GeniusLink that involves small batch mfg. Key takeaways: The benefits GE businesses, customers and sponsors find by using Fuse to solve tough technology challenges; the types of problems that are a good fit for Fuse; and how to learn about and participate in a product or technology innovation contest sponsored by Fuse. (GeniusLink is GE Global Operations' crowd-sourcing division.)

Matt Sand, president of 3DEO, and Matt Petros, the company's CEO, discuss 3DEO's additive manufacturing technology and the markets it serves. 3DEO produces low-cost metal parts for customers. 3DEO says its process is "fundamentally different than anything else in additive manufacturing." "We started the company with the idea there has to be a better way to make metal parts with additive manufacturing," Matt Sand says. To learn more about 3DEO listen to the podcast or check out the company's website at http://www.3deo.co/

Gene Granata, Vericut product manager at CGTech, describes Vericut's new additive module. Set to be available publicly at the end of September, it can be used in a hybrid simulation along with subtractive technologies. With this and other technology, CGTech works with customers and tech partners to solve AM challenges, such as accurate laser cladding and material deposition, detecting collisions between the machine and additive part, and finding errors, voids and misplaced material. Mr. Granata explains how people who already own Vericut can acquire the additive capability. "This is a turning point" for additive, where "a lot of people are coming into the fold," he says.

At RAPID + TCT in Pittsburgh, Roger Kelesoglu, director of sales enablement at Stratasys, previews the company's new Continuous-Build 3D Demonstrator. (It's not yet clear when it will be commercially available.) It allows for continuous production of plastic parts--with a cloud-enabled software management control system that enables automation on the front end all the way through the manufacturing process. Last year, the company's big announcement at the show was about size: the Infinite-Build 3D Demonstrator. The Continuous-Build 3D Demonstrator eases tooling and setup costs and lead times, allowing for lower-volume production of parts. This makes mass customization possible. TheContinuous-Build 3D Demonstrator also enables automation on the hardware side. He also discusses the ways the firm's Robotic Composite 3D Printer breaks some boundaries.

Duann Scott, head of business development and strategy for digital manufacturing at Autodesk, details the solutions his firm offers. He also weighs in on which manufacturing industry segments he believes will use AM the most heavily. Mr. Scott outlines the most compelling recent advances in the technology, and he addresses the barriers to more widespread industrial adoption.

Benjamin Fisk, general manager of 3D additive manufacturing for Methods Machine Tools Inc., discusses his company's 3D printing strategy. Fisk talks about the speed in which 3D printing is being adapted among manufacturers as well as his company's partnership with 3D Systems. He was interviewed by Senior Editor Bill Koenig during the RAPID + TCT show in Pittsburgh in May.

Tom O'Reilly, VP, Global Business Development at Rockwell Automation, details how his company's five-year plan to restructure its facility and supplier networks has led to a four- to five-percent annual improvement in productivity: "If you look at how we did/do it, here are some examples: inventory days dropped from 120 to 82. We reduced our CAPEX ... by 30 percent per year. Our delivery within our supply chain went from 80 percent to 96 percent. Our lead times were actually reduced by 50 percent. And then, for customer service, our delivery-to-customer want date went from 82 percent to 98 percent. And with regard to quality, we reduced our PPM by 50 percent."

SLM Solutions Software out of Austria is set to this year begin selling a new package to improve workflow in AM, SLM Solutions' Richard Grylls said At RAPID + TCT in Pittsburgh. "It will help to streamline the entire workflow--from the initial idea from the designer to geting it into the machine in one piece." He also talks about how OEMs can help a customer quality and certify metal parts. Grylls also discusses how selective laser melting is helping to speed up metal AM. And he gives an overview of process monitoring capabilities SLM Solutions is showing at the AM tech show, as well as emerging applications for SLM's machines (serial production of components in aircraft, space and automotive applications, for example). Lastly, he explains why SLM has a monthly user group meeting. Managing things as "a lone wolf" is a bad idea, he warns.