Manufacturing Technology Trends Shaping The Industry
Manufacturing has changed drastically in the past decade, and much of this change is due to advancements in technology. Here is a look at a few of the technologies that are having the largest impact.
Government-funded manufacturing hubs: One of the most impressive changes in manufacturing is the renewed awareness of government officials and economists that manufacturing is the real engine behind a robust economy. President Obama has commissioned and funded various manufacturing hubs around the country to focus on advancing the state of the art in manufacturing and many new and promising manufacturing techniques.
The manufacturing hubs are consortiums of private businesses, public officials and university-led researchers all focused on a particular promising manufacturing technology. To date, several manufacturing hubs have been opened, including:
- The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, Ohio
- The Next Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute at North Carolina State University
- The Lightweight and Modern Metals Innovation Institute in Detroit, Michigan
- The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago, Illinois
- The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation which oversees general manufacturing research
These institutes are spread across the country and serve as centers of excellence for manufacturing innovation. In addition, these institutes are helping to increase the respect for manufacturing as an industry and a profession while advancing the underlying technologies.