Wohlers Associates helps organizations take advantage of technologies and strategies that enhance the rapid product development and manufacturing process.
The February 28, 2011 issue of Plastics News explained that the U.S. continues to lead the world in manufacturing output. It is ahead of Germany and Japan, and exceeds China by 40%, which I found surprising. The source of this information is economic futurist Jeff Thredgold. He said that the output per U.S. worker is three times what it was in 1980. The report from Thredgold and Plastics News is…
EuroMold was held December 1-4 in Frankfurt, Germany. Every EuroMold that I’ve attend has not only been worthwhile, it has been filled with planned and impromptu meetings and important discoveries. People from around the world use it to get together, rekindle and strengthen relationships, and conduct business. EuroMold also provides the opportunity to see and better understand the most interesting developments and trends from the recent past. When I started…
CAD solid modeling has been the source of data for most additive manufacturing (AM) parts. I estimate that at least 95% comes from CAD, but it could be closer to 98%. Increasingly, we are seeing more data from medical scanners, primarily CT, and 3D scanning/imaging systems for reverse engineering applications. In the future, video games could become a major source. World of Warcraft players, for example, can have their character…
The CAD industry has been experiencing a rough period. Installations of CAD solid modeling seats declined by 7.9% in 2008, according to our research. Sales were an estimated 190,000 commercial CAD solid modeling seats in 2007 compared to 175,000 last year. This comes after years of solid growth since 2003 when Wohlers Associates began to track CAD sales worldwide. Recent figures show that the industry continues to suffer. Seat sales…
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences led the development of a roadmap for the additive manufacturing (AM) industry in 1998. The effort was supported by many industrial, government, and academic organizations in the U.S. and it led to a report titled The Road to Manufacturing. It served as a useful guide, although I believe it was the work leading up to the document that was of most value. As Dwight…
This week will go down as an important milestone. On Tuesday, January 13 in West Conshohocken (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, a group of more than 70 individuals from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South Africa approved the formation of an official ASTM Committee to create industry standards around additive manufacturing technologies. The need for standards has been argued for at least a decade. Finally, it is happening, and in a spirit of…
Can you believe it? Ninety-one percent of our nation’s manufacturing companies were involved in one or more new lawsuits in 2007, according to Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, a law firm in Houston, Texas. The report, published in the January 2008 issue of Manufacturing Engineering, went on to say that 56% of these companies encountered more than 20 new lawsuits in 2007. A depressing 70% of them spend $1 million or…
I completed a project recently that required me to find many examples of rapid manufacturing. I found more than 50. It would have been difficult to find a dozen two years ago. Rapid manufacturing is the direct production of finished goods using an additive fabrication process. An example is the manufacturing of custom in-the-ear hearing aids that are sold to customers. A broader definition is the indirect production of finished…
On Friday, December 2 at EuroMold 2005 in Frankfurt, Germany, industry experts will share their insights at a conference titled Future Industrial Applications of Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing. The annual conference, now in its seventh year, will include advanced applications from automotive, aerospace, and military, as well as prominent emerging industries including medicine, dentistry, architecture, and jewelry. Individuals from companies such as BMW and Airbus are on the program. Year…
ASTM unites with the Wohlers brand to build on its market influence and access to top AM industry decision-makers worldwide.
Under the leadership of the R&D team, the AM CoE partners plan and conduct coordinated R&D projects, prioritized annually and targeted to expedite...
Provide a comprehensive program that educates and trains the additive manufacturing workforce at all levels, while continually incorporating new advances...
