3D printing
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How Would You Start a Manufacturing Business Now?
- November 24, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing
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Every new business needs an idea, or at least an opportunity, to get things rolling. And these days, during the supply chain crisis, there are plenty of opportunities that abound. Rather than trying to come up with a new product and convincing people that they want it, you could become wildly successful by giving people
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What’s Stopping Additive Manufacturing in the Factories?
- February 3, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
I’ve been interested in digital manufacturing and additive manufacturing ever since we tore down and rebuilt an entire factory to take advantage of the latest in digital manufacturing technology back in 2007–08. So I like to keep an eye on the latest trends and developments in the field, especially around measurement, hiring, and, of course,
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How Can You Handle Rush Orders? (Small Batch Sizes)
- September 9, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Innovation
It doesn’t matter how well you plan, all it takes is one bad inventory count or runaway forklift for a customer to have a rush order for a small number of parts, say 250 brackets. It’s something you don’t make that often and you have to retool and set up for that order which makes
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3D Printing Can Solve Oil Production’s Supply Chain Crisis
- June 24, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing
As manufacturers have had to shut down this spring because of the pandemic, oil companies are in a supply chain crisis as a result because their spare parts aren’t going to be coming any time soon. Manufacturers and even suppliers were closed down, which meant that parts couldn’t be shipped, maintenance was delayed, and that
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The Viability of 3D Printing Companies All Converging on One Cause
- April 18, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
One of the most interesting industrial developments during this COVID-19 pandemic is how several different companies have begun 3D printing ventilator masks, valves, and face shields. We first started hearing about companies stepping up and helping with the pandemic fight when Italian company Innova began printing replacement valves for ventilators after the ventilator manufacturer said
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Can 3D Printing Change Your ABC Analysis?
- April 24, 2019
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
Companies that regularly perform an ABC analysis on their products may be able to change how often they cut their products and reduce their inventory if they could embrace 3D printing. It would help them reduce the amount of inventory and raw materials they store, which could make some nonprofitable items profitable ones. Here’s how.
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3D Printing Set to Disrupt the Construction Industry
- June 27, 2018
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing
I always thought there were a few industries that were disruption-proof. I mean, nothing is disruption-proof, and nothing is too big to fail, but there were a couple that, before it happened, seemed like it was too big and entrenched to have anything happen to it. At one point, we thought the news industry was
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How Will 3D Printing Change Manufacturing and Warehousing?
- February 14, 2018
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing
I saw a funny tweet a couple years ago that said “I bought a 3D printer and printed out another 3D printer. Then I took the first one back.” We’ve come a long way from the beginnings of 3D printing, when you could pretty much only print out small plastic objects with a $2,000 “home”