Is Additive Manufacturing Finally Coming of Age?

Is Additive Manufacturing Finally Coming of Age? Design News Webinar, December 2018, Dayton Horvath

Synopsis: For decades, 3D printing has been relegated to rapid prototyping applications. More recently, the technology has become economically viable for select production parts in the aerospace and medical industries. Today, the industry promotes the idea of 3D printing as a viable production technology thanks to drastic technical improvements. Some evangelists even promote distributed manufacturing and the digital twin as concepts on the cusp of reality. Has additive manufacturing finally come of age after all the hype it experienced four years ago? Headlines from recent conferences and press releases all seem to point towards production systems ready to churn out high volume automotive components and sneaker midsoles. This timely webinar will provide a critical and analytical look at recent industry trends, assess current printer production capabilities, and make predictions on which technology categories will be most relevant in coming years. Beyond the printer capabilities, printable materials variety, costs, and expected functional developments will be addressed in order to understand the industry’s impending shift towards a materials-centric paradigm. Lastly, an update on recent trends in design and manufacturing software will ultimately give the final word on the present and near future for production additive capabilities.