Pretty much every product we buy comes in some form of casing or package that needs its own set of manufacturing processes. Over the years, these packages and cases require consistent designs, often produced with the fit and geometry of the product in mind. Today, most packaging equipment is automated for efficiency and faster production times. Packaging machines are controlled with CNC machines, which allow users to reduce labor costs.

The electronics industry is one of the largest and most powerful industries in the world, and many of its products — from professional high-tech equipment to consumer electronics — are made with CNC machined parts.

While 3D printing is largely associated with manufacturing and prototyping, it has garnered some attention for its ability to reconstruct, renovate and repair objects as well. This makes it a fairly useful resource for museums, curators and historians looking to reconstruct objects, artifacts and even fossils with the use of printing, scanning and digital models.

In the US alone, the sports goods industry makes about $45 billion dollars annually, requiring the creation of all sorts of gear, fashion and accessories. The worldwide estimates can go as high as $300 billion. As with most manufacturing industries, the worlds of games and sports are waking up to the possibilities additive manufacturing has to offer. Here are some of the most interesting ways 3D printing is impacting athletics across the world:

As we enter a more eco-conscious era of manufacturing, there are tons of concerns that new technologies are possibly taking us backwards. The concerns often levied at 3D printing put its abundant use of plastics and power usage under fire, and sometimes these arguments are valid. However, players within the industry are doing their best to come up with valid solutions that can assuage such grievances. Many designers are looking to new technolgies, materials and alterations within the supply chain to make 3D printing more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Here are just some of the big ways how:

As we enter a more eco-conscious era of manufacturing, there are tons of concerns that new technologies are possibly taking us backwards. The concerns often levied at 3D printing put its abundant use of plastics and power usage under fire, and sometimes these arguments are valid. However, players within the industry are doing their best to come up with valid solutions that can assuage such grievances. Many designers are looking to new technolgies, materials and alterations within the supply chain to make 3D printing more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Here are just some of the big ways how:

CNC milling is one of the most impressive technological advances of this century. Although most people are more familiar with 3D printing as a way to produce precise physical prints, CNC milling has been around for longer and is still widely used today.

With supply chains interrupted and demand for products decreasing, the coronavirus pandemic is hitting the manufacturing industry hard. And because several countries are still months away from controlling their local COVID-19 situation, it could be a while before business gets back to normal.

The manufacturing world has been revolutionized by the emergence of rapid prototyping, an umbrella term for a range of manufacturing techniques that can fabricate prototypes and parts in a quick and cost-effective manner. This space has grown immensely over the past few decades, and as methods like additive manufacturing, CNC machining, injection molding and vacuum casting become more affordable and accessible, rapid prototyping has become an integral part of product development across all industries.

Computer numeric control (CNC) machining is an automated manufacturing method that uses cutting tools to selectively remove material from a stock piece until the desired shape is achieved. It works by converting a digital model of a part into a sequence of computer instructions that control the actions of the machining tools to achieve the desired output. Since it is computer-controlled, CNC machining can deliver superior levels of versatility, efficiency, and precision relative to other common manufacturing methods. This makes it a popular manufacturing choice for a vast range of industries and applications.

The method of producing blanks or parts by pouring liquid metal into a moulding cavity having a shape identical to the shape and size of the part and leaving them to cool down for solidification, is generally called the forming or casting of liquid metal.

Plastic parts are everywhere, and injection molding is the most widely used manufacturing process for making them. It’s easy to see why: in addition to its material versatility, injection molding is a highly cost-effective process for manufacturing in large quantities, with a single mold sometimes used over a million times with no visible loss of quality. For mass production of plastic parts, there are few better alternatives.