Talking Shop
We feel very positive about the future. We’ve built a platform that allows us to scale up very easily, so there’s really no cap on our production capacity.
FEATURING:
TALKING SHOP WITH: Matt Sand — President, 3DEO Does the list of applications for 3D printing in industry continue to grow? Yes, constantly. As acceptance of this technology expands within industry, and people begin to realize the benefits it provides, we’re being approached by companies that want to learn more. We’re being pushed rather than having to pull. And we’re trying to meet this groundswell of interest by providing learning opportunities such as webinars and an e-newsletter. Lead times are slashed and the design process is simplified, which means we can get into production in a matter of weeks rather than months. The traditional process in metalworking often required new tooling and molds, both of which are very costly, and all of that is eliminated when you’re working with additive manufacturing. And we keep costs down by utilizing automation so that producing parts in whatever quantity is a seamless process. This is a fundamentally new paradigm in manufacturing.
Discuss the technology’s role in developing designs for products that can’t be produced otherwise, or would be cost prohibitive. That’s another huge benefit. We have customers who’ve had ideas for new
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14 IMD OCTOBER 2021
parts on the drawing board for years with no way to make them using traditional design and manufacturing methods, but we're able to work with them on their concept and get it into production quickly, helping them to achieve a long-term goal. As an example, a manufacturer of firearms had an idea for a new design that would involve flanges and other features inside the barrel, but there was no way to manufacture it until we teamed up and worked our way through the design process. We were successful, and the company wound up patenting the new part.
