IEN: What strides do you see in: MCAD? CAE? Other software? Meso-, micro- and nanotechnology? Product management? Product Lifecycle Management? Collaborative manufacturing?
Wohlers: Additive fabrication technologies for applications such as rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing will benefit from materials containing nanoparticles for improved properties. For example, adding just 5% to a material can improve its strength by up to 40%. Also, nanoparticles can dramatically suppress smoke and carbon dioxide when Nylon 11 burns, according to an expert on the subject from University of Texas at Austin.
IEN: What improvements can users expect in modeling techniques, rapid prototyping, direct materials analysis, structural optimization, durability, predicting material performance, testing equipment, and elsewhere? Supply chain?
Wohlers: Much of the improvement will come from customer applications. The use of 3D printers for concept models, and even refined prototypes, continues to gain appeal and momentum. In 2004, unit sales growth of this class of additive fabrication grew an astounding 90.9%, according to research conducted by Wohlers Associates. Even the smallest organizations are now considering the purchase of a machine. Meanwhile, companies are discovering ways to apply additive processes to the manufacture of finished production parts in quantities of one to several thousand. This approach to manufacturing is allowing companies to introduce new products that before were not feasible due to tooling costs, long lead times, and risk. What I am seeing is really pretty remarkable.