Revolutionary mass manufacturing 3D printing system on its way
The third industrial revolution may soon be upon us. Project Ara has received a ton of media attention over the last several months, as Google sets out to change the way smart phones are made and sold. The bigger story within the story is the fact that 3D Systems will be using an entirely new mass manufacturing system, which will rely almost solely on 3D printing. 3D Systems may be about to single-handedly revolutionise the manufacturing industry, by integrating a new system, capable of mass production, via additive manufacturing. We all know that traditional 3D printers, even the large scale quarter million dollar machines, are painstakingly slow. Up until now, unless you are mass producing only a few hundred small products, 3D printers are better left for rapid prototyping. There are tremendous benefits to 3D printing, mainly the fact that each print a machine makes can be totally different than its last. All the while, there is no need to change out equipment, teach production line employees new techniques, or reprogram the movements of robotic arms. If manufacturers could just overcome the problem of speed, the entire industry would be turned upside down. This is where 3D Systems is about to step up to the plate. They are working on a highly sophisticated, mass manufacturing system, which relies on high speed 3D printers. Such a system is so productive that it will be used in the manufacturing of millions or even billions of Google Project Ara smartphone modules. So how has 3D systems been able to overcome the downfalls of additive manufacturing? According to the company, their latest technique removes the “reciprocating platform,” used by most 3D printers today. Current 3D printers work in a way which allows the build platform and print head to move in tandem. Because of […]