Another Leap for Digital Manufacturing: 3-D Printers 

3D printing seems as though it is something out of a sci-fi novel. Send some data to the printer and it starts to build three-dimensional objects by layering materials such as plastic, metal and rubber on top of each other to create the design.

This technology has taken off in recent years and according to a recent article in Wired, it’s only 18-24 months from printing circuit boards.

 The technology will surely revolutionize manufacturing and will need some pretty intense processing power to do it.  The article comments, “According to Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, the technology will reinvent more than just maintenance and supply-chain practices. It will reinvent workplace collaboration. Nike, Bass said, could use 3-D printing technology to send prototypes of new sneakers between offices. The West Coast team could print the new design sent over the wires from the East Coast team, mark up their changes, and then send back a modified file, complete with design feedback — all in an afternoon.”           

 You can read about more advances in additive manufacturing in the full article in Wired, “3-D Printers Will Build Circuit Boards ‘In 2 Years’.”