Wohlers Associates helps organizations take advantage of technologies and strategies that enhance the rapid product development and manufacturing process.
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…
Form 10-Q, published on November 9, 2004 by Stratasys, states that 3D Systems, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Stratasys, Inc. and Objet Geometries Ltd. in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. It alleges that certain PolyJet products that Stratasys distributes on behalf of Objet infringe 3D Systems’ patent rights. 3D Systems is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction against the sale of the allegedly infringing…
China has moved ahead of Germany as the number three consumer of rapid prototyping machines for the first time in history, according to Wohlers Report 2003. Growth from 2001 to 2002 was a whopping 93%. In a short few years, China has progressed from having little RP capacity to where it’s at today. The country is not only buying RP systems, it’s building and selling them. In fact, 25% of…
Almost before the “ink” was dry on the January 31, 2004 commentary titled Chief Executive is Good for 3D Systems, I received news that 3D Systems and EOS had entered into an agreement that settles all worldwide disputes and litigation between the two companies. This news is big for the RP industry. Very big! In fact, the lingering battle between the two companies has been one of the obstacles to the growth…
Some believe it does not. Indeed, the group of methods and technologies loosely labeled as “rapid tooling” has struggled. Several are on “life-support” while others have all but disappeared. Still others have remained in the R&D phase and may never become commercially available. Not all is dismal, however. Some of the companies that offer direct metal deposition are doing fine. One of the advantages of direct metal is the production…
ASTM unites with the Wohlers brand to build on its market influence and access to top advanced manufacturing 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...
