Today’s manufacturers are under pressure to be more flexible, reduce downtime and costs and increase efficiencies.

Artificial intelligence is here, and it is can improve quality in a number of ways. It can prevent bad parts from being made, discover trends, and monitor machine performance.

Much has changed over the years regarding the manufacturing process. Perhaps one of the biggest changes for modern manufacturers is that, today, it’s all about data.

Digitizing an organization’s existing systems, processes, tasks and assets can be a daunting undertaking. There are a myriad of different workflow processes to examine, siloed departments to incorporate and even existing connected device (i.e. IoT) data to consolidate. 

The MD&M East, Atlantic Design & Manufacturing, EastPack, ATX East, PLASTEC East, and Quality Expo came to New York this week.

Modern smart manufacturing brings with it greater efficiency, increased productivity — and new challenges for collecting and analyzing measurement data. How can you achieve absolute precision in both production and reporting?

Fabtech showcased new 3D printing technology as well as quality tools. In the smart manufacturing hub,  companies such as Microsoft, Stratasys, SLM Solutions, Desktop Metal and Memex made the case for data-driven manufacturing and described how companies can get there. As Microsoft said, “AI is ready. Are you?”

It’s time to work toward a smarter factory. One that’s more efficient. Faster. More cost-effective. And enables seamless collaboration between people and machines.

Smart manufacturing is enabling the best decisions in the shortest time based on the most accurate and actual real-time data—whether those decisions are made by people, automated machines or cyber-physical systems.

The convergence of the widespread availability of low-cost sensors, cloud and greater computing power has brought together a multitude of connected devices which can deliver information on manufacturing operations like never before.