The New Age of Manufacturing

Since the dawn of mankind, humans have always come up with clever ways to build and shape the world around us. From the invention of a crude stone lumber ax to the multi-ton computer-controlled machines we have today, there is certainly quite a history to the tools we have invented over the years. This history continues to flourish, especially in today’s world, where new technologies are beginning to run rampant at a pace like no one has ever seen before. One of the biggest developments in this area recently is found within the area of additive manufacturing, a process in which items are produced by building layers of material on top of one another to create geometries and shapes which are otherwise unable to be created by modern machines. The most common application of this technology is found in today’s 3D printers which are commonly used as teaching tools and for a variety of other uses, however, there are actually quite a few more applications for this technology out there. The biggest and most useful ability of additive manufacturing that comes to my mind is the ability to create complex and unique parts with a process known as laser sintering. Laser sintering is the process of firing a very powerful laser at specific individual points in a bed of metal powder over and over again until a finished part is created. This is incredibly important in terms of complex design as it allows for a whole new array of geometries that were never before possible with the manufacturing methods we have today. As the process does not rely on specific tool paths and restraints of manufacturing, the parts that can be made with sintering can have a wide variety of unique features such as creating integrated cooling paths or even hollow chambers within a solid, closed-off block of metal. With all these new abilities in mind, it is safe to say that we are going to see some very interesting creations come to life very soon and even more following these mentioned creations. Not too long ago, computer-controlled milling machines revolutionized the manufacturing world, but now, it appears like a new contender has stepped up to the plate and has brought so much more to the table than anything before.

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