Bryan Crutchfield is Vice President and General Manager, North America for Materialise, a global leader in 3D printing.
Efforts by companies and countries around the world to nearshore production and shrink supply chains are picking up steam. I believe the changes will lean heavily on digital manufacturing technologies and the factory of the future, which will not have a single, central location but rather many smaller locations situated close together.
Desires to nearshore and introduce digital manufacturing are not new. In 2015, China launched its Made in China 2025 initiative, a strategy that aimed to develop and consolidate the country’s manufacturing industry into “a world power with the capability of influencing international standards and supply chains,” according to ReVista. The initiative also aimed to make the country an international innovation leader.
In the past few years, the global economy and supply chain have seen many disruptions tied to Covid-19, the Suez Canal blockage, the semi-conductor chip shortage and political tensions. I’ve observed these challenges have sparked efforts in the U.S. to nearshore manufacturing. Consider, for example, the Additive Manufacturing Forward initiative, which was introduced in May 2022 and supported manufacturers’ efforts to integrate 3D printing into their operations, and the Inflation Reduction Act, which was introduced in August 2022 and supported investments in domestic manufacturing.
Unfortunately, we can’t just snap our fingers and nearshore operations or create a fully automated production line all at once. From my perspective helping lead a 3D printing services provider, in order to successfully implement digital manufacturing, human expertise and intervention will play a critical role alongside smart production technologies. I believe this shift will only take place when manufacturers invest in hardware, software and mindware—human expertise—to make it a reality. Let’s look at three examples.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI), which uses data to predict outcomes before they happen and respond accordingly, is becoming an important piece of digital manufacturing by helping to keep production consistent and overseeing manufacturing ecosystems. Many operations are already automated, with robots completing repetitive tasks without human intervention. AI comes into play by continuously learning and improving processes or sounding an alarm when something goes wrong.
It might sound like AI is a miracle solution for manufacturing that will completely take control of operations. However, human expertise remains essential to its success. Humans must determine and provide the best data to guide AI’s work and optimize the automated process AI is to oversee. Otherwise, they risk automating and continuing to run faulty production processes.
3D Printing
3D printing technology can play a part by bringing component manufacturing closer to factories where final products are produced, which can offer environmental benefits, ease in design changes and more stable supply chains. However, a survey of 327 manufacturers in the U.S., Germany and Japan, commissioned by my company, found that lack of expertise and difficulty employing knowledgeable staff are among the top challenges to deploying the technology in their operations.
This observation from the survey is important because digital manufacturing and nearshoring require skilled human intervention. Engineers and designers remain the driving force behind both the operations that keep the manufacturing environment running and the product designs themselves.
Internet Of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes objects with internet connectivity that can exchange data with other objects and the cloud to keep entire systems, such as manufacturing environments, operating synchronously. When all aspects of a manufacturing operation have IoT capabilities, it’s easier to see a holistic view of operations, improving visibility and enhancing data analytics among all aspects of production.
IoT can allow manufacturers to go a step further to include everything from quoting and ordering to production, quality management and shipping. This, like AI, can seem like a complete solution for manufacturing operations. However, this, too, requires human intervention, with experts overseeing the process to ensure all aspects of the manufacturing environment—both traditional and digital—are working together and sharing data in the most efficient way possible.
How Manufacturers Can Address These Challenges
With these technologies comes a clear need for training as manufacturing transitions to Industry 4.0. Many companies, my own included, that offer AI, 3D printing or IoT services in manufacturing provide consultation services and training along with their software and hardware. Manufacturers can work with their chosen providers to understand how their technologies can integrate into the existing production environment so all aspects of the operation can communicate.
Manufacturers can also work with their digital providers to see if they can control aspects of operations remotely and provide ongoing support while the manufacturer works on upskilling employees. This can be an easy solution for manufacturers that want to implement the technology immediately but don’t yet have the expertise.
For 3D printing, in particular, some manufacturers might not be ready to make the leap to in-house production. Manufacturers can consider having their 3D printing provider print components for finished products off-site according to manufacturers’ parameters. This can offer a lower barrier to entry to test the viability of 3D-printed parts without an initial investment to integrate 3D printing into existing operations.
Manufacturing is changing, and while these changes are fueled by advanced hardware and software, they will also require a new set of skills and human expertise to back the technologies. People remain the driving force behind the change, and manufacturers must rise to the occasion and develop the mindware to make sure our workforce is prepared to capitalize on the ever-expanding capabilities of digital manufacturing.
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