#AMO2020… the Advanced Manufacturing Olympics
I was blessed this week to be a part of the US Air Force’s Advanced Manufacturing Olympics, a virtual conference/expo where startups and established companies alike could come together and share their products and projects. I write this on the third day of the event and have connected with many fine individuals and upward-trending companies along the way
This article will discuss a few of those stand-outs which I was able to connect with and look more in-depth into. Though this is in no way conclusive of all the techniques and trends which were present at the conference, I hope it does expose some of the great minds at work and the areas in which the industry is progressing.
The Exposition
For each company, I’ll describe their business model and product as well as their progression of the art. I will then present my own analysis regarding how I think they might best leverage their abilities and build according to my vision.
Development of large-scale 3D printing is Branch’s specialty. The real difficulty here is designing materials and methods which are fully capable of printing outdoors, and they seem to be doing a righteous job of it. Proper fusion to the print bed and to other materials in an enclosed, protected space is often the novice additive manufacturer’s first challenge; doing this outdoors and at scale shows an incredible dedication to the art.
Branch experiences design freedom with not just the architecture, but with the methods and materials as their patented product shows.
To take this to its extent, the real applicable principle here is the materials engineering. Chemically designing a material which is optimized for fusion in non-secure environments is, again, no easy task. This kind of expertise would come in handy when designing a system to build structures in orbit (zero-gravity) or for a lunar base (low-gravity).
Wilder falls into the category of robotics which specializes in labor-saving devices in the aerospace industry. Implementing robotics to quicken the pace of installation and construction requires incredible detail which Wilder excels at. They boast excellence in minimizing manufacturing defects, reducing ergonomic injury to workers, and overall cost- and labor-saving improvement. Basically they build robots which build airplanes.
I believe that this expertise will be necessary in an environment where self-maintaining additive manufacturing is implemented, particularly in the area of post-processing. This area of additive manufacturing is currently the most labor-consuming to humans and can really be sourced practically to robots.
This company has one of the most unique systems of additive manufacturing which I witnessed. Their approach avoids the traditional metal printing process of SLS and instead utilizes a hybrid model: deposition modeling using metal materials. This process is unique in the fact that the nozzle is mounted on a multi-axis robotic “arm”. This allows the deposition to access the model from almost any angle. The system also utilizes the same multi-axis approach for post-processing through CNC methods. Finally, as their name dictates, their processes take place on a large print bed which allows them to fabricate enormous projects. They can build on an area up to 6ft x 12ft though in theory this can be expanded even more.
Big Metal Additive is representative of the progress of the industry. They stand at the cutting edge of metal printing, robotic application, post-processing, and process design. If I was tomorrow to put together a team to build a rocket ship in zero-gravity using additive manufacturing as the primary method, the team at Big Metal Additive is probably the first people I’d want to talk to.
As a student of language might infer, this company looks at manufacturing methods retroactively and attempts to determine the cause of any flaws and successes. Retrocausal provides workplace/task analytics so that any system is self-improving. This AI program uses edge systems to process data and provide “and extra pair of trained eyes” to ensure quality.
This AI is best implemented, well, everywhere. This is a system which gets better at learning the more it learns. I would want this kind of AI monitoring all manufacturing processes to identify outliers and provide advice on streamlining operations. The potential is infinite.
When it comes to designing products for the future, Dive is cutting edge. They are dedicated to implementing the latest methods of product design to build revolutionary products with exceptional materials. The small team has experience in areas like prosthetics and health-care related wearables.
Though I’m not sure if they approach product design from an additive viewpoint, their design expertise could give the AMPEL wearables business unit tremendous insight.
Velo 3D is dedicated to improving the additive manufacture of various metals across the board. From design to manufacture, their process places emphasis on flow of liquid and transference of heat in a system, both areas which are both complicated and critical to the future of AM. Like AMPEL, Velo 3D recognizes the need to develop a specialized design process which can make use of the full range of benefits offered by additive manufacturing. They are a thought leader and progress leader of the metal additive manufacturing world.
Like Big Metal Additive, Velo 3D is pushing the technology forward. In Velo 3D’s case, they are pushing the cutting edge of not just manufacturing but design as well. I don’t have much else to say about them because they are doing everything which I would be doing, provided capital and team power. I hope to visit them in Silicon Valley and learn more about the vision.
Veo specializes in computer vision and 3D sensing to develop responsive machinery. With a goal of making “human-robot collaboration safer” by helping the computer define objects and relativity in the real world, they and on the front-line of building a world with this level of interactivity.
This capability could be extremely useful when implemented in additive manufacturing processes both during the print process and during post-processing. Layer-by-layer monitoring can help conserve resources and reduce faulty prints. Detailed computer vision, when couple with a post-processing method like that used by Big Metal Additive, can further automate the post-processing cycle.
Note: outside of additive manufacturing usage, the capabilities pioneered by Veo Robotics are exceptionally useful across the board no matter the industry.
This company was one which got me very excited. Essentially they improve 3D printing hardware by maximizing the sturdiness then designing it into a shock- and weather-proof case (such as the Pelican travel case). This study of such a delicate hardware by making it resistant to conditions and unexpected turbulence.
Taken to its extent, it is not impossible to see this system utilized in lunar or extra-terrestrial colonization. By developing a study “drop-pod” and yeeting it onto the surface with some raw materials, the system could self-duplicate and build a habitat. (I discuss this concept in Additive Manufacturing on the Lunar Surface).
Conclusion
One thing which I’ve noticed unique to the Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing industry is that many professionals and thought-leaders are more concerned with sharing the news about the incredible methods which they’ve discovered, and rightly so, than they ought to be. The bulk of the manufacturing world, I’ve found, is either ignorant or skeptical of the benefits provided by AM, thus students and practitioners of additive manufacturing find themselves having to explain it before interest can be generated in their specific field of improvement. I too find myself struggling to contain my own excitement about the industry as a whole when a friend asks me to speak on AM.
I believe that, though the world does need to know about the infinite possibilities AM has to offer, the industry can advance even more if all these minds can be focused onto progressing and improving their art by working together rather than trying to convince the world that they should also be excited about AM. This is typical of startups needing investment, but I believe that this influence on the media will happen with time.
Rarely have I been encouraged in a few short days as much as I have during the USAF’s Advanced Manufacturing Olympics. Getting to interact with experts and thought-leaders helped develop my own vision and expand my thinking. Hopefully I’ll get to speak with more professionals and keep building the network to push the industry, and humanity, forward.
