Automating the AM Process
Automation and Process hardware are likely to become one of the most important revenue segments for AM within the next decade.

Every 3D printer and process hardware manufacturer needs consider the medium and long-term potential for automation of 3D printing. So do manufacturing companies that are adopting advanced manufacturing technologies.

Industrial 3D printers are shifting from standalone systems to becoming the core systems within integrated digital mass production lines.

Prototyping, tooling and single part production are giving way to mass customization. As a result a number of opportunities will emerge in the transformation of the factory of tomorrow.

These include robotic systems to handle and connect different phases of the digital, additive manufacturing process. Automation stations include multiple, automated part testing, material handling, cleaning and finishing stations. The integration of such systems in tomorrow’s lights off factories – will take place within the frameworks of the industrial internet and the IoT.