Thought Leadership

Industrial-scale additive manufacturing (Part 1) – the hype and reality.

By Blake Snodgrass

(Listen to podcast, above.)

New technologies are revolutionizing manufacturing, including industrial-scale additive manufacturing, also known as ISAM.

ISAM allows for a myriad of capabilities not feasible with traditional manufacturing methods. Companies can now build complex, customizable products which were once thought impossible. Also, process and efficiency are built into the equation to accentuate the benefits of this new technology.

The manufacturing landscape is reinventing both the parts and the process.

In revisiting our podcast series, “Is Your Company Ready for Industrial-Scale Additive Manufacturing?” Robert Meshel, Director of the Siemens Additive Manufacturing Network initiative, discusses ISAM’s capabilities in detail and offers insight into how a company can prepare for industrial-scale printing.

He outlines how ISAM affects the entire business model, how you think of manufacturing, including what it means to reinvent your processes for complexity and customization. Moreover, he includes information about the materials used in manufacturing and designing products which were inconceivable in the past.

The level of expectation for additive manufacturing is increasing because of the way additive can harness capabilities which redefine your business, its proficiency and level of achievement.

The potential is enormous for ISAM. It’s an investment in the future which will soon be fully integrated with legacy manufacturing processes. Analysts have stated that the industry is currently worth an estimated $7 billion, with continued growth expected at 25 percent in the next five years.

It’s the purest manifestation of Industry 4.0 ― fully digital.

Other topics discussed in the podcast, include:

  • How ISAM differs from what manufacturers are currently doing;
  • The benefits of additive manufacturing and how it will open a new business model, including its multilevel capabilities and possibilities to create lightweight products with complex structures
  • How to partner and collaborate with external entities to leverage their expertise.

The full encore podcast series is available on Soundcloud, Stitcher, and iTunes.

Also, read blog and podcast02 from this encore series.

Click here to read more about additive manufacturing.

This is the first podcast in an encore series of four on “Is Your Company Ready for Industrial-Scale Additive Manufacturing?

About our expert
Robert Meshel is the Director of the Siemens additive manufacturing network, an online collaborative platform designed to accelerate the use of additive manufacturing in the global manufacturing industry. This initiative was born under his previous role, where he re-joined Siemens Digital Industries Software as the director of the strategy for the manufacturing Engineering Software unit. Driven by the passion for innovation in technology and business models, Robert was relentlessly pursuing new strategic opportunities developed within the organization or by partnering with external ambitious startups that are seeking to make a significant impact. Robert originally joined Tecnomatix in 1996, where he served in various technical management capacities, including head of portfolio management, director of product management and business consulting.

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/thought-leadership/2020/02/27/podcast-series-industrial-scale-additive-manufacturing-part-1-the-hype-and-reality/