MCADCafe Editorial 
Industry Experts
MCADCafe Industry Predictions for 2022 – OqtonJanuary 14th, 2022 by Industry Experts
As users adopt additive manufacturing and are continuously engaging with serial production of parts, we are seeing increased demand and need for autonomous manufacturing solutions – or what we refer to as a Manufacturing Operating System (MOS). A MOS allows users to define the required workflow, and trace it for repeatability, quality assurance, and required certification purposes. Additionally, the technology helps provide accurate estimation for optimizing their task scheduling, monitoring their fleet and material usage, and to prepare their parts smartly to fit the entire expected manufacturing process.  Ben Schrauwen, CEO and co-founder, Oqton Read the rest of MCADCafe Industry Predictions for 2022 – Oqton Sigmetrix: An Update on Mechanical Variation ManagementSeptember 23rd, 2021 by Jeff Rowe
We recently interviewed Ed Walsh, VP of Global Sales at Sigmetrix for an update on the company, its technologies, and the state of the industry. Like our previous discussion, during the interview, he spoke how the company continues to be focused on helping customer design and build better products through mechanical variation management. “Sigmetrix is unique because it’s not just a software company, but also a service and training company that together provide a comprehensive solutions approach for our customers,” Walsh said.
When asked for a little background on himself and Sigmetrix, Walsh said, “Over the past 20+ years in the industry I’ve witnessed a need that customers have conveyed – they want to get the most out of their technology investments with the most efficient use of their resources. This includes things like having solutions that scale to multiple skill levels in an organization. We address this need by having our cornerstone tolerance analysis tool (CETOL 6 Sigma) that is used for advanced applications because it’s very powerful, but also a 1D tool (EZtol), that’s relatively simple to use. We are seeing an increased demand for tools that teach people geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) as they use them by incorporating training solutions in all of our tools. We feel that that education helps establish a use case, or ability to be used, by that whole spectrum of users”. Reflecting on his first job, Walsh said, “I worked for a company that was an OEM to heavy equipment manufacturers, such as John Deere, Caterpillar, Case, and New Holland. Mostly John Deere, but we also built operator enclosures for the other companies. The company I worked for itself had, up until me starting there, really did more contract manufacturing and not much design work. At that time, the engineers were doing design work on giant sheets of vellum and using pencils and manual drafting tools. I was part of the first dedicated team of designers using a very early version of Pro/ENGINEER. We were given a general idea for CAD with functional requirements, but no design parameters”.
MCADCafe Interviews Ed Walsh, VP Global Sales, Sigmetrix “The great part for me was that I had the ability to go out to the pattern maker that was right next to our CAD workstations and say, ‘Hey, I want to make something like this’, and they could mock it up, and I could see how the parts were fitting together and where are they going to fit, and did it make sense from functional and manufacturing standpoints. If we needed something bigger, we could go down to the production line, but it gave me a really good idea of what actually was happening once the design concept left my CAD station. Overall, it was a really good experience for me”. Read the rest of Sigmetrix: An Update on Mechanical Variation Management Boston Micro Fabrication: Mega Results From Producing Micro PartsApril 8th, 2021 by Jeff Rowe
With new and innovative techniques for 3D printing/additive manufacturing continuing to emerge, we recently interviewed John Kawola, CEO of Boston Micro Fabrication, a unique company that specializes in (as its name implies), micro components and machines that produce them. Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) was co-founded in 2016 by Dr. Nick Fang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Dr. Xiaoning He, a serial entrepreneur. BMF manufactures high-precision micro 3D printers. The company’s microArch system uses a 3D printing approach called PμSL (Projection Micro Stereolithography) that leverages light, customizable optics, a high-quality movement platform, and controlled processing technology to produce accurate and precise high-resolution (2μm printing resolution and +/- 10µm tolerance) 3D prints for product development, research and industrial short run production using polymers and composite materials. Today, BMF is the only industrial 3D printing company that can match the quality of high-resolution injection molding and CNC processing. John Kawola, BMF’s CEO, should be familiar to readers of MCADCafe, as we have written about him and some of the companies he’s been associated with over the years. “I’ve actually been in additive manufacturing longer than most people, about 20 years. I was at another MIT startup called Z Corp, which was about 20 years ago. That did very well, and sold the company to 3D Systems. I spent about three years helping Ultimaker build their business in North America, but I was interested in getting back into an early-stage company and saw opportunities with BMF”.
“I wanted to get back into the early stages of an additive manufacturing company, but at the same time, I know that it’s a crowded space. There are lots of companies, and many of them are doing the same thing, whether it’s a desktop 3D printer companies or companies producing very large-scale parts. There’s also several metal companies now, too. What I was really looking for was something that was high value, and a portion of the market that had not been well served in the past. That’s really the whole theme behind our company, and so I was excited to join BMF about a year and a half ago”. Read the rest of Boston Micro Fabrication: Mega Results From Producing Micro Parts Essentium: Bridging the 3D Printing and Manufacturing GapFebruary 19th, 2021 by Jeff Rowe
Since in-person meetings are still not possible, we recently interviewed Blake Teipel, CEO and co-founder of Essentium, an innovative additive manufacturing organization that sets itself apart from the competition in several ways. At its core, Essentium is comprised of builders, designers, and engineers who have experienced the divide between 3D printing and manufacturing and asked the question, “How can we bridge the gap in manufacturing?
Essentially, Essentium was born out of a desire to open new possibilities for builders and designers. It began in 2013 when four friends gathered around a kitchen table and thought about the possibility of what could be. The initial group wanted to create a new paradigm for using additive manufacturing in the industrial world. Simply put, they wanted to change how things are made. Essentium exists to help propel its partners forward by addressing additive manufacturing, at scale, by delivering a supply chain solution that entails machines, materials, and processes. With its High Speed Extrusion (HSE) Platform, FlashFuse plasma technology, and its industrial-grade materials, customers are ensured they will receive a no-compromise solution for their needs.
MCADCafe Interviews Blake Teipel, CEO and Co-Founder, EssentiumWhen asked about some company and technology background, Teipel said, “Essentium is an additive manufacturing solutions company. What that means is that we make very fast 3D printers and we make materials for printing parts, particularly of an industrial variety. We are serving clients in the manufacturing space. You can find Essentium solutions anywhere from planes to trains, to cars, to computers, to shoes, so we’re sort of the stuff behind the stuff in terms of where we fit”. Read the rest of Essentium: Bridging the 3D Printing and Manufacturing Gap Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS Industry PredictionsFebruary 2nd, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
 Gian Paolo, CEO, Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS As we announced at the beginning of 2020, we have initiated the most consequential transformation SOLIDWORKS has ever undertaken with the introduction of the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio. We want to expand from a product-focused organization to a platform-oriented organization. Why? Because the world of design is changing and the pace of innovation is accelerating. In 1870 it took 35 years for one quarter of the U.S. population to adopt the telephone, in 2009 in just five years, a quarter of the U.S. population adopted social networks. Platforms lower the barrier for businesses and individuals to innovate. Platforms enable new paradigms and help build creative communities that are vital to stimulate and foster innovation. Platforms, therefore, can and will transform businesses that want to stay relevant and competitive. Our first prediction for 2021 is that we will see a dramatic acceleration in the adoption of our 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio because the industry is undergoing a retooling to realize full digital continuity from design to manufacturing to support accelerated innovation. Read the rest of Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS Industry Predictions GSC Industry predictionsJanuary 25th, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
 Jeff Setzer Everyone knows what kind of a year 2020 was, which humbles people like myself when asked to make industry predictions for the upcoming year. Even so, we’ve been through enough “forced change” early on, and “new norms” have started to take shape, that I feel there are a few things I can predict for 2021. Working From Home Will Stick. Before the pandemic, many companies were already starting to employ people from their homes; 2020 accelerated that evolution out of necessity. Companies that originally resisted WFH — but were forced to adopt it — found there were many benefits, and are already implementing WFH in their long-term plans. For our industry, that means distributed data access becomes more important, but we are seeing that offline capabilities are also still needed — especially for those workers in remote areas without highly-reliable and speedy Internet access. For those with good Internet access, or occasional access, the ability to do real-time collaboration is a powerful draw that will push the adoption of CAD-friendly tools in that space. All of this will change the nature of human resources and employment opportunities, and physical location will become less important when hiring white collar team members. Planning for XR in 2021 – It’s all about the use caseJanuary 20th, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
The use of Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) or Virtual Reality (VR) (collectively known as Extended Reality (XR)) has started to see a steady rate of growth and adoption throughout manufacturing and engineering industries. The global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated it further, with many workers needing to be able to work remotely.  Author: Katharine Edmonds Many organisations are now looking into ways to try and keep things ‘business as usual’, whilst in different locations. XR devices, and their remote collaboration capabilities offer a solution, enabling workers to continue to collaborate virtually, and in context, with their 3D CAD data with their colleagues, from their separate locations. With remote working set to continue in 2021, is this the year you should consider XR? And how do you start? You’ll still need a device… The AR/VR market has been driven over the last 5 years by a raft of new headsets and mobile devices- many from familiar names like Apple, Facebook, HTC, Google, Microsoft and Samsung- along with dozens of start-ups. Other than an expectation that Apple will release an MR headset sometime in the next 12 -24 months, there is no expected “breakthrough”, or major change to the technologies, just a lot of incremental improvement to what already exists. Read the rest of Planning for XR in 2021 – It’s all about the use case Industry Predictions for 2021 – AltairJanuary 18th, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
 Sam Mahalingam, Chief Technical Officer Digital twins break a new speed barrier: With the convergence of ML and data analytics in the product design cycle, we saw the rise of the digital twin. The next-gen product development lifecycle will bring a vastly expanded set of capabilities together, spanning hardware, data, and sensors, converging simulation, data analytics, and HPC, which will yield a cross-collaborative environment for engineers and designers to work faster and in tandem. Demand for IoT in manufacturing explodes post-pandemic: Advancements in connected machines and data analytics, including leveraging AI and machine learning on the shop floor, are fueling innovation and accelerating smart manufacturing transformation. Expected to reach $400 billion by 2024, the smart manufacturing market encourages the adoption of unmanned, contactless transport machines, while delivering tangible results in production efficiency, product quality, and cost, due to sophisticated and cohesive analytics models for predictive maintenance and warranty management. COMSOL — 2021 Industry PredictionsJanuary 15th, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
 Bjorn Sjodin, COMSOL 2020 brought great challenges to the global R&D community, as well as the community at large, and many of these challenges carry over to 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic forced workplaces to close, and businesses scrambled to make a quick switch to remote work in order to keep the workforce productive. Soon, many companies were set up for remote work and meetings, but for many operations, the switch to working from home was not so smooth. For instance, access to lab space and testing facilities became severely restricted, both in terms of physical access and the amount of time people could spend there. In 2021 and beyond, it is inevitable that R&D organizations will continue to look for ways to make the R&D process “quarantine-proof” as well as more robust with regards to similar crises in the future. What options do we have? One possible solution is to bring lab and test equipment to your home, which is not always convenient — or even possible. Another method is virtual testing by using modeling and simulation (M&S) software. Computer modeling in your home can offer a comfortable and decentralized alternative during pandemic times. It will not replace physical testing altogether, but at a minimum, it allows R&D work to progress despite all of the pandemic’s constraints. M&S can, for instance, help reduce both the number of times you have to go to the lab to run a test and the number of physical tests that you have to perform. AlphaSTAR – 2021 Industry PredictionsJanuary 13th, 2021 by 2021 MCADCafe Predictions
Wow, if we survived 2020, then 2021 will be a piece of cake, maybe, hopefully, fingers crossed, with eyes closed looking upward. In terms of technology, the little engine that could, i.e. Additive Manufacturing, kept climbing the hill. Despite all the difficulties, researchers, printer manufacturers, and end users continued to push the envelope with regard to innovations and applications. Additive Manufacturing and its close friends the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Nano Technology and Automation all made greater steps toward integration. The difference in 2020 was that the breakthroughs and advancements were low key affairs, in which news was shared via online remote webinars and video conference calls. As a community we maintained the momentum but also learned new ways to produce and share results because of the unprecedented constraints that were placed on interaction as a consequence of the pandemic. So what lies ahead? Well let’s all gaze into the Additively Manufactured Crystal Ball and take a peek into what might be in 2021. |
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