On every trade show floor featuring additive manufacturing, there’s a growing selection of additive processes for making production parts that stand alongside machines more commonly associated with prototyping. An essential aspect of additive’s transition from prototyping to production is data collection.

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?”

What do Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Trix, British water pipes, and a 1927 Ford Eifel have in common? They have all been digitized using professional handheld 3D scanners.

Advanced manufacturers today are trending towards Industry 4.0—changing the way business runs. More emphasis is placed on access to real-time data from production and quality sources.

Every day additively manufactured (AM) parts are being used in new applications as the industry rapidly matures. As additive parts become more economical for small productions runs and move beyond use solely in tooling and prototyping, the need to nondestructively inspect parts for quality increases as well.

As additive manufacturing gains traction as a means for making production parts, standards need to keep pace, ensuring quality and constancy across industries. Already, ASTM and other standards bodies are leading the effort.

For nearly 85 years, quality professionals have used SPC to monitor, control, and improve their manufacturing processes. Using statistical tools to detect variability before a sub-standard part can be produced—and thus, reduce scrap, downtime, and rework costs—began in the mid-1920s with handwritten control charts. 

Like many others, the word trend has evolved and changed in meaning over time. Some 400 years ago trend meant “to run or bend in a certain direction” and pertained to natural occurrences like rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges. 

Choosing the right inspection system for your application can be a daunting task. For industrial applications three types of inspection systems are generally used. This guide describes these systems, their common applications along with pros and cons.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the hottest and most revolutionary processes to come along in many years. The thought of popping a design into a machine and having a functional part come out the other side was science fiction a generation ago. We are nowhere near the Star Trek replicators, but we are closing that gap.