3 Ways Industry 4.0 Will Change Engineering

The most promising emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 are improvements in operational processes, computational workflows, and new design tools that help engineers in manufacturing see the future more clearly than ever before. Previously unimaginable structures can now be created, sometimes from completely new materials, taking AM aka 3D printing beyond mere prototyping to final-part production. Design-engineering tools for AM are more powerful than ever, allowing for part consolidation and product simplification alongside greater internal complexity. The ability to include internal lattices in AM structures is of particular benefit to aerospace and automotive lightweighting initiatives. In healthcare, personalized customization of implants and medical devices is dramatically improving patients’ lives. AM is empowering individual engineers to think far outside the box of what is possible in product design—and entire companies to consider build-where-you-sell scenarios that dramatically change the production and distribution landscape.