3YOURMIND Blog
Category: Blog5 Lessons for AM, part 3/3: 5 Guidelines for Resilient Supply Chains
3D printing was able to support the covid response effort for critical, stop-gap production. But after less than one month, conventional manufacturing was already producing almost all of those parts, with the exception of parts that were generally better suited for AM. That illustrates that 3D printing has a critical, but limited role in the supply chain. Those guidelines can be taken to move 3D Printing from an innovation budget into a secure procurement plan as part of a resilient supply chain.
Read ArticleHow to Use 3D Printing to Build More Reactive Supply Chains
The way that the global community has responded to the covid situation has not only been a shock for the larger economy, it also presents an existential challenge to the 3D printing industry. For 3D printing to move out of the innovation department and into the procurement budget, it needs to be part of resilient supply chains. The good news is that the response effort to the medical supply shortages in covid offered some key guidelines to create this ongoing solution. Our first article spoke about how establishing smooth transitions between 3D printing and conventional manufacturing is key. In this article, we will explore the importance of working with qualified parts, how to use stakeholders in a center of excellence model to ensure that information is shared and steps to build fully resilient procurement processes.
Read Article3D Order Management for COVID-19-Response
The 3D Printing Community has quickly risen to offer their capacity for printing additional supplies to slow the spread of the corona virus. But the question remains, how to get 3D printed supplies to hospital locations where they are needed. 3YOURMIND has setup an order management platform to connect hospitals and medical clinics with industrial 3D print producers for efficient production.
Read ArticleLaunch of AM Webinars March 2020
We want to ensure you can still receive the updates we planned for AMUG and Rapid+TCT now that Additive Manufacturing conferences have been postponed due to the COVID-19 virus. We will begin with three webinars showing the presentations that were prepared for AMUG 2020. The highlight is our keynote with Erpro 3D Factory about how they are using software to establish fully digital, serial additive manufacturing. The use of software for automation is timely, as the world looks more closely at digital automation and connection.
Read ArticleIs Serial Additive Manufacturing Taking Off?
Over the past few years, there has been a shift in how engineers approach Additive Manufacturing. Initially, the technology was focused on rapid prototyping, creating parts for testing and design iteration. But in the last five years, engineers across the world have started to focus on suitable applications for end-use goods and reaching the full potential of additive manufacturing. Medicine, aerospace, automotive, logistics, consumer goods - in every industry there are hundreds of potential products and the question is: Which products can be moved to serial additive manufacturing?
Read ArticleThe umati standard influences AM
Additive manufacturing technologies and materials have made significant progress over the past several years - but even the top production houses still handle the majority of their scheduling and quality control using manual processes. This is because of the complexity of the work, the lack of best practices and the development of independent machine data systems. We know from other industries (USB, CDs, paper sizes) once those standards are in place and in use - a whole host of other processes simplify and production costs drop. The same will be true for additive manufacturing machines - the easier it is to exchange and share information, the more efficient they are. Companies across all industries involved in production are requesting a universal machine interface to ensure clear data collection, streamlined communication channels and control of different machine types. Umati enables machine vendors to provide a connectivity interface to easily connect to customer-specific software solutions.
Read ArticleEnd-to-End Management Software in Additive Manufacturing
Since its introduction in 1988, Microsoft Office has reshaped the way we work. Graphic designers, engineers and office managers now have everything they need in a complete software package. What’s the common link between software companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk and Siemens?
Read ArticleWhen To Switch to Additive Manufacturing
The emergence of new technologies makes for exciting times. Granted, additive manufacturing is hardly new, but ‘rapid prototyping’ as it was once known is now such an inadequate term it’s laughable. With recent partnerships like Adidas & Carbon and Erpro & Chanel opening the floodgates of genuine serial production, AM’s role as a profitable technology for mass-produced finished parts and direct-to-market products is irrefutable.
Read ArticleA High-Tech Weld Leads Across Berlin
GEFERTEC, a high-tech outfitter of the Smart Factory and inventor of the new 3DMP metal-printing process, implements 3YOURMIND software. Just 19 kilometers from the Charlottenburg Innovation Center (CHIC) is GEFERTEC’s brand-new Marzahn Application Center. Stephan Kuehr, the tech wizard of the 3YOURMIND team, makes it in 45 minutes. He knows it saves time - short distances in Berlin can actually take longer with a car or public transport.
Read Article5 Problems Preventing 3D Services From Being Competitive
As the additive manufacturing market grows, so does the competition. Discover 5 key challenges that may impact your service bureau's longevity.
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