The Future of Engineering and Manufacturing What you need to know about additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to succeed in Industry 4.0
Table of contents Introduction 3 Additive Manufacturing 4 Artificial Intelligence 8 Virtual and Augmented Reality 12 Conclusion 14 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Introduction Industry 4.0 signifies the fourth in a series of industrial revolutions, which are characterized by their ability to transform economies, jobs and even society itself through the introduction of new technologies and processes. ¹ As we look to the future of engineering and manufacturing, the industry is a buzz with predictions of what will come next. From additive manufacturing to artificial intelligence, the technological advances of the 21st century are rapidly changing what it means to work in engineering and manufacturing. In this whitepaper, we take a look at the technologies everyone has their eyes on and discuss what they are, how they re being applied today, their potential, and what you can do now to prepare for the future of engineering and manufacturing. 4 6 7 ¹Deloitte. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here are you ready? 2018. 3 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Happening pe ng Now: Additive dit Manufacturing Additive Manufacturing (AM) is arguably the hottest topic in engineering and manufacturing right now. While AM is already making quite an impact on the industry, many are left wondering what steps they should be taking to prepare for and implement this technology. With even greater promise for the future of AM, it s sure to be an important key to success in Industry 4.0. What is additive manufacturing? 3D printing and AM are often used interchangeably, though AM encompasses the broader technologies used in the industrial application of 3D printing. While 3D printing has been around for over 30 years, it only recently started to become a viable option for manufacturers. Technological advances have increased the availability and affordability of AM. As where the 3D printers of the past were rather slow and unreliable, today s printers are much faster and more accurate, making them a more viable option for production. With increased accuracy, today s machines operate autonomously, without the need of constant operator supervision.¹ These savings on time and money have brought AM to the forefront of the industry. ¹ Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. The rise of 3D printing: The advantages of additive manufacturing over traditional manufacturing. 2017. 4 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Why is AM important in Industry 4.0? Estimated Global Revenues From Am $3 billion 2014 $21 billion 2020 By 2020, it s estimated that global revenues from AM will grow to $21 billion from just over $3 billion in 2014. ¹ With 30% of the 300 largest global brands either using or evaluating additive manufacturing,² it s clear that companies need to be paying attention to AM in Industry 4.0. So what benefits does AM offer over traditional manufacturing techniques? More efficient use of materials Where traditional manufacturing processes can yield between a 12:1 and 25:1 initial material mass to material mass of manufactured component ration, AM averages about a 1.5:1 ratio.³ In wasting less raw materials, companies can cut costs and improve sustainability. Reduced production costs Beyond more efficient use of materials, production costs with AM are reduced significantly by cutting down on machining and tooling investments and minimizing the number of parts that need to be manufactured for an assembly. By enabling engineers to make changes to designs without manufacturers needing to spend money on expensive retooling, production costs can be reduced from 30-90%.⁴ 60% Rapid prototyping of designs submitted for tooling must be modified during production ⁵ As AM does not require special tooling for creating individual components, prototypes can be quickly created to examine the viability of a design. This allows for the creation of multiple iterations throughout the development process, which leads to more refined designs and better product quality.¹ ¹ Wohlers Associates Inc. Wohlers report. 2014 ² Harvard Business Review. 3D Printing is Changing the Way We Think. 2015. ³ International Design Conference. Additive Manufacturing from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective. 2018. ⁴ Sculpteo Blog. 4 ways to reduce cost of production and prototyping with 3D printing. 2018. ⁵ Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. The rise of 3D printing: The advantages of additive manufacturing over traditional manufacturing. 2017. 5 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Today s application of AM Many manufacturers are already using AM and seeing incredible results. Automotive industry A European automotive company is making use of 3D printing for rapid prototyping from digitized designs. Since beginning this practice, they have been able to cut development time for a critical component in the assembly from 20 weeks to just two weeks, simultaneously reducing spend by 92%. Rapid prototyping decreased production from Mass customization Mass customization is the process of delivering wide-market goods and services that are modified to satisfy a specific customer need, also referred to as made or built to order.² By pairing computational design with the flexibility of AM, mass customization becomes possible. On-demand manufacturing The ability to produce short-run manufactured parts so that consumers can get exactly what they need, when they need it is a unique differentiator for AM. With zero lead time and the flexibility provided by 3D printing, manufacturers can reduce the number of machines they have on hand and create even more components.³ 20 weeks Without Rapid prototyping 2 weeks With Rapid prototyping Reduced tool manufacturing by 95% In another division of the company, they were able to reduce tool manufacturing from 36 days to two days. As a result, they were able to reduce tooling costs by 99% and print more than 30 parts with 100% accuracy.6 ¹ GE Additive. A Complete Guide to Rapid Prototyping. ² Investopedia.com ³ Engineering.com. Why On-Demand Could Be the Future of Manufacturing. 2018. ⁴ Harvard Business Review. How Manufacturers Can Get Faster, More Flexible, and Cheaper. 2017. ⁵ Harvard Business Review. How Manufacturers Can Get Faster, More Flexible, and Cheaper. 2017. ⁶ Harvard Business Review. How Manufacturers Can Get Faster, More Flexible, and Cheaper. 2017. 6 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Construction industry AM is also beginning to see success in the construction industry. Using a combination of generative design and the first large-scale 3D printer, the D-Shape, Enrico Dini worked with the Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) to create a concrete footbridge. The final product was a bridge that generated significantly less waste than traditional building methods. ¹ Using similar technology, the Dutch firm MX3D began 3D printing a metal bridge in 2015. Now nearing completion, Gijs van der Velden, CEO of MX3D believes the 12-meter stainless steel bridge uses more than 30% less material. In a world where material scarcity and footprint become bigger issues, a technology like 3D printing comes right on time.² - Gijs van der Velden, CEO of MX3D Today s application of AM In Industry 4.0 and with the rise of the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), it s likely that manufacturing will become increasingly decentralized. Consider the idea of regional AM facilities capable of producing a variety of materials in various shapes and sizes. Such facilities would enable companies to manufacture their products from any location around the world, minimizing their shipping and transporting costs while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.³ To take the idea a step further, open AM facilities would allow companies and consumers alike to improve industrial efficiency. Companies could even more drastically reduce their spending on production by sharing local resources. Consumers could be given the ability to produce their own basic replacement parts for items they ve already purchased. ⁴ AT&T began working to close their skills gaps through their Workplace 2020 initiative. By providing many opportunities to participate in ongoing learning and training focused on reskilling employees, AT&T has made incredible progress, reducing its product-development cycle time by 40% and accelerating time to revenue by 32%.⁴ They currently have 140,000 employees actively engaged in the program. Open manufacturing is a model of socioeconomic manufacturing in which collaborative facilities are utilized by multiple produce in the creation of various products. AM has the potential to completely change the way we make things. With recent developments in technology, along with the benefits companies are already seeing, AM is having the most immediate impact on the engineering and manufacturing industries. For those earlier in the product lifecycle, it is essential to begin considering what adaptations need to be made to better design products for the AM revolution. Marty Richter, AT&T ¹ Engineering.com. Additive Construction: From the 3D printed House to the 3D Printed High-Rise. 2018. ² Engineering.com. Additive Construction: From the 3D printed House to the 3D Printed High-Rise. 2018. ³ Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. The rise of 3D printing: The advantages of additive manufacturing over traditional manufacturing. 2017. ⁴ Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. The rise of 3D printing: The advantages of additive manufacturing over traditional manufacturing. 2017. 7 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
On the Horizon: Artificial Intelligence enc nce While the term artificial intelligence often invokes images of life-like robots and dystopian futures as featured in HBO s Westworld, it can be easy to overlook the fact that artificial intelligence (AI) is already prominent in everyday life. In the world of engineering and manufacturing, discussion of AI often centers around automation and the vulnerability of different jobs. However, AI holds much greater promise for the future of the industry than we could ever imagine. Artificial intelligence is that activity devoted to making machines intelligent, and intelligence is that quality that enables an entity to function appropriately and with foresight in its environment.¹ - Nils J. Nilsson, professor of Engineering (Emeritus) in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University The capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.² Webster s Dictionary defines artificial intelligence as a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers or the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. ² At it s very core, AI is any technology that allows machines to think, particularly in the fields of design, data collection, and analysis. Many of the technologies we use today could be considered AI. Some of the most obvious examples are Apple s Siri and other virtual assistants, as well as the algorithms used by companies such as Facebook to serve up targeted advertising based on user behavior. For engineers, AI often comes in the form of machine learning. Machine learning (ML) is the act of machines processing data and learning independently from that data. As a subset of AI, ML is used in a number of engineering applications, ranging from generative design to various simulation programs, and recognizes patterns in information. As the technology recognizes patterns, it can react accordingly and learns how to apply that new information in the future.3 ¹ Nils J. Nilsson, The Quest for Artificial Intelligence: A History of Ideas and Achievement. 2010. ² Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2018. ³ MIT Technology Review. Deep Learning. 2013. 8 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Why is AI important in Industry 4.0? The major benefits AI provides to Industry 4.0 can be related back to two principles: efficiency and creativity. Efficiency AI brings to Industry 4.0 the ability to significantly increase efficiency through automation and accelerated processing across the product lifecycle. From the analysis of consumer data to predict trends to the simulation of conditions on digital models to the concept of smart factories, AI is already speeding up production through every phase of the product lifecycle. Models created using generative design often are lighter weight and perform as well as, if not better, than their traditionally manufactured counter parts. Additionally, these parts generally require less development time and, with simulation built directly into the design process, show superior efficiency. ¹ Airbus Group Airbus Group has been experimenting with the use of generative design to recreate a partition in their existing aircrafts. When they began this trial, Airbus was seeking to reduce the weight of the partition while still maintaining structural integrity and support the weight of flight attendants during take-off and landing. Creativity Perhaps where AI is most intriguing is in how it can spur innovation and creativity by providing brand new perspective. Using AI, engineers can gain unique perspectives on data that may have taken years for people to process on their own, allowing engineers and designers to iterate and innovative at accelerated speeds. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and consumers are constantly presented with the new, the faster, the better, engineering and manufacturing must be able to keep up with the on-demand culture to remain relevant. Increasing efficiency and innovation with the aid of AI will help companies stay ahead of their competition. Today s application of AI A prime example of how AI is being used today to improve efficiency and creativity is generative design. By inputting the constraints for a model, generative design analyzes data to produce hundreds, if not thousands, of feasible design options. ¹ The International Conference on Design and Technology. Generative Design: What is it? How is it Being used? Why it s a Game Changer! 2017. 9 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
After inputting the necessary constraints, Airbus was able to create a partition that was 45% lighter and required 95% less raw materials to produce. In addition to the materials savings, Airbus estimates that each partition will save 3,180 kg of fuel per year, resulting in a savings on fuel costs and a reduced carbon footprint.¹ Airbus Partition 45% lighter & 95% less raw materials used to produce Having 3-D printers that learn how to create parts with fewer defects and inspect parts as they make them will be a really big deal especially when the products you re making have critical properties such as medical devices or parts for aircraft engines, ² John Hart, Associate Professor, MIT. Predictive maintenance Above Graphic ⁴ Predictive maintenance (PM) analyzes the performance of machines to forecast and plan for future maintenance work. Effective PM reduces the number of maintenance routines needed and increases machine availability levels. It also enables line use to be more efficiently planned by enabling care and maintenance work to be carried out on pre-specified dates.⁵ Factories are also seeing an increased use of AI in their day-to-day operations. Companies like Canvas Analytics provide software that plugs into a plant s operational data to build models that predict yield, quality of product, machine maintenance needs, and consumption.³ These models enable factory managers to make smarter decisions during the production process and decreases downtime due to unforeseen machine maintenance needs. ¹ Airbus.com Newsroom. Pioneering Bionic 3D Printing. 2016. ² MIT News. Revolutionizing everyday products with artificial intelligence. 2018. ³ AEngineering.com. Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0 Taking the plunge. 2017. ⁴ AUTODESK ⁵ Engineering.com. Peering into the Future of Machine Tools with Predictive Maintenance. 2017. 10 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
The future of AI It is most likely that, soon, AI technologies will begin to replace specific functions within engineering and manufacturing jobs to improve efficiency. While many have speculated about the ability of AI to take over and replace workers, the reality is that it more likely to augment the work of humans.¹ For companies in Industry 4.0, it is essential to begin preparing today s workforce for the impending changes to their existing positions. For companies looking to begin adopting strategies, Canvas Analytics CEO, Humera Malik, recommends starting with a digital strategy and focusing on what areas of the product lifecycle would benefit most from improved efficiency. Build a digital strategy first, and then look at how you can apply AI to it. As I said earlier, don t look at AI as the solution to all your problems. AI can solve your problems where you have data and you at least have a business case to prove. Don t look at AI first; look at your business. Where do you want to automate? Where do you already have digitization? ² - Humera Malik, CEO of Canvass Analytics ¹ Stanford University. Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030. 2016. ² Engineering.com. Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0 - Taking the Plunge. 2017 11 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Further Out: Virtual and Augmented Reality These kinds of interactive digital experiences grant users a new perspective not only on their existing environmental, but also on digital renderings. For engineers, AR and VR could provide an avenue to interact with designs before they re ever sent for prototyping. Why are VR and AR important in Industry 4.0? Although it may have the lowest probability of making an impact on engineering and manufacturing in the immediate future, discussions regarding the future of the industry would be remiss to not mention virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR, respectively). Though VR and AR headsets are currently a popular gift idea and novelty used for playing video games, they also have the potential to alter how engineering design, training, and education. What are VR and AR? Most people today are familiar with the concept of VR. By putting on a headset, VR users are fully immersed in a completely different, interactive digital environment. With VR, users feel as if they are completely transported to a different world. In the last few years, AR and VR technology has become increasingly available to consumers. From lower price points to more advanced programming, the use of AR and VR by the consumer population is spurring businesses to examine how the technology might be commercially applied. One of the potential applications is in education technology which will become more probable as the technology becomes more readily available and less expensive. In the future, students may no longer be required to physically attend class; lectures can be virtual and interactive with reality technologies. Some businesses are already using these technologies and they are proving to be cost and time effective. Complimentary to VR is AR. Similar to VR, AR layers a visual digital experience over the existing environment a user is in. This can be done through a headset, glasses, or any other lens used for viewing. 2016 s viral sensation Pokémon Go (an experienced which placed digital renderings of mythical creatures over the view from users smartphone camera) has become the go-to AR example.¹ ¹ Engineering.com. What is Augmented Reality and How Can Engineers and Designers Use it? 2016. ² MachineDesign.com. Does Virtual Reality Have a Future in Engineering? 2016. ³ Engineering.com. What is Augmented Reality and How Can Engineers and Designers Use it? 2016. 12 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
Today s application of VR and AR With today s technology, VR and AR are used in facilities training and education to better equip personnel with the skills to run various machines and processes. They can be used to show guided assembly instructions for manufacturing¹ with the scan of a QR code on a tablet or other device. Additionally, there is room for the application of the technology within the design process. For example, CAD modeling software, including SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk, can use VR and AR to show designers their models in real environments, allowing them to get a feel for the end product.² How you can prepare today This is a case where being aware and well informed is the best approach as innovation speeds up and research continues, this will surely be something to consider soon. Staying up to date with the latest advancements in the technology will make a potential switch from traditional to additive manufacturing faster and easier. The future of VR and AR With the increasing interest in and popularity of these technologies, advancements can be expected. Such advancements could include improved, real-time collaboration with teams in different locations, which would increase efficiency and cut overhead costs. With potential applications like employee training, this technology could help to reduce costs by eliminating the need for on-location training. Complex concepts could be taught to all employees by instructors outside of a central location. Use of VR in engineering and design could result in the next wave of rapid prototyping by allowing designers to identify potential issues prior to manufacturing saving both time and money³ shown from research being done in collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Brigham Young University s (BYU) Department of Mechanical Engineering. ¹ Engineering.com. What is Augmented Reality and How Can Engineers and Designers Use it? 2016. ² MachineDesign.com. Does Virtual Reality Have a Future in Engineering? 2016. 13 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com www.solidprofessor.com ³ PRNewswire.com. Research in 3-D: Lockheed Martin Teams Up with Brigham Young University on Virtual Reality Engineering Grant. 2017.
Conclusion As the inevitable shift to futuristic technologies progresses, more and more applications of AM and its related processes will become commonplace. To stay ahead of this change, it s important to understand what these changes may mean for the industry in general and one s career and business specifically. AM, AI, AR, and VR present great opportunities for advancements in manufacturing, especially with regards to efficiency in production and design and cost-effectiveness. We hope that this whitepaper will have given you some ideas to consider for your own business and spawn a greater interest in this rapidly growing field of manufacturing and engineering as these technologies become more accessible. www.solidprofessor.com 14 Future of Engineering and Manufacturing www.solidprofessor.com
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