Additive Manufacturing and Future Opportunities

Additive manufacturing is another name for 3D printing especially when used in manufacturing and is one exciting area of innovation and growth for this technology. Increasingly used in industrial production for multiple sectors, additive manufacturing holds almost limitless potential for transforming existing products and creating new ones.

How does additive manufacturing work?

Because it uses 3D printing and prototyping, additive manufacturing uses 3D printers to builds objects by layering superfine materials, like plastics, polymers, metals, and biomaterials. Designs can be created digitally using specialised software, like Autodesk Fusion 360, and because there’s no need for dyes, moulds, or middlemen, 3D printing is revolutionising manufacturing.

Preparing for the future with additive manufacturing

With new technology comes new educational and workforce opportunities for the professionals of tomorrow. Primary and secondary schools increasingly offer 3D printing workshops to give their students the skills and knowledge they’ll need to compete as additive manufacturing becomes more and more popular. Leaders in higher education, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology, are also including additive technology modules for their students to learn the skills they’ll need to realise this technology’s true potential.

But what about beyond the classroom? New career opportunities in additive manufacturing are already emerging and include exciting new roles at many different levels. Below are just some of the new and developing careers of the future, made possible by additive manufacturing.

Chief Digital Officer

As leaders of their companies and their industries, chief digital officers look for ways new technologies, like 3D printing and prototyping, can create better products and processes for both employees and customers. Future professionals in this role will need to understand how 3D printing works and how to implement it to enhance a company’s business and bottom line.

Digital Manufacturing Engineer

Someone has to transform the chief digital officer’s vision into reality, and that’s exactly what a digital manufacturing engineer does. In this role, professionals design and build new systems to turn ideas into reality, creating more streamlined processes for the company and its customers.

Digital Factory Automation Engineer

Automation naturally complements 3D printing and prototyping, so it makes sense that an organisation has a position dedicated to identifying where automation can outperform existing systems. This person will need to understand the potential that additive manufacturing has for replacing obsolete manufacturing methods and how to most effectively introduce new automated processes into the company.

As more and more companies embrace additive manufacturing, the industry’s future opportunities will continue to grow for both current and future professionals. To get a head start on the careers of tomorrow, students (and adults!) can learn the fundamentals of 3D printing through engaging 3D printing workshops, 3D modelling lessons, and 3D printing online courses. To learn more, contact 3Dinova by clicking here.