Additive manufacturing

The idea, now considered simple and straightforward, by which any object can be built superposing layers of materials (i.e. in an additive way) differs from the traditional manufacturing processes which use material distribution (such as injection molding, casting, rolling, forging, etc.) or material removal (such as drilling, turning, milling, grinding, etc.).

According to ISO/ASTM 52900:2015 standard, Additive Manufacturing (AM) represents

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Augmented Reality

During the last years, researchers and engineers have been using information technology, personal computers, tablets and even smart phones in order to take images out of TV sets and computer screens and integrate them into real life environments. Such technology, the Augmented Reality as it was called, makes the line between real life and computer generated reality disappear and augments

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Internet of Things

"The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enables these things to connect and exchange data, creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, resulting in efficiency improvements, economic benefits, and reduced human exertions" [wikipedia.org].

 

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Industry 4.0 concepts

There is no definition of Industry 4.0 internationally accepted so far.

The concept of Industry 4.0 joins technological achievements from recent years with a vision of future intelligent and automated production systems, in which a real world is connected with a virtual one, ensuring more efficient use of available information. Industry 4.0 brings the physical and virtual worlds together to fundamentally change how products are made.

Industry 4.0 is the fourth industrial revolution. The term "Industry 4.0" originates from a project in the high-tech strategy of the German government. General definition: „Industry 4.0 is a name for

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Additive manufacturing

The idea, now considered simple and straightforward, by which any object can be built superposing layers of materials (i.e. in an additive way) differs from the traditional manufacturing processes which use material distribution (such as injection molding, casting, rolling, forging, etc.) or material removal (such as drilling, turning, milling, grinding, etc.).

According to ISO/ASTM 52900:2015 standard, Additive Manufacturing (AM) represents the “process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative manufacturing methodologies”.

That is to say any 3D object can be created by putting thin layers (2½D) of material one on the top of the other until the object is completely built. How these layers are formed and how layers adhere to each other depends on the process type and material – details being presented in the next section dedicated to AM processes.

Other names by which AM technology is known are: Rapid Prototyping (the initial term used for this group of processes, related to the fact that the first manufactured objects were prototypes, a paradigm switch towards Rapid Manufacturing being made after 2002 when the number of metallic functional parts manufactured raised substantially, but evidently not reaching the mass production level, 3D Printing (usually referring to low-cost systems), Layer-by-layer Manufacturing, Layered Fabrication, Direct Manufacturing, Direct Digital Manufacturing or Solid Freeform Fabrication.

 

Augmented Reality Technologies

Global Digital Manufacturing

4th Industrial Revolution

Virtual Reality Technologies