The shift towards Industry 4.0 has led to the digital transformation of manufacturing, as manufacturers incorporate digital technologies to enhance their production workflows. With the evolution of additive manufacturing as a viable means of production within this digital transformation, manufacturers are now recognising the benefits of using automation in additive manufacturing as a means of enhancing their operations, and ensuring greater efficiency and a faster time-to-market. Automation, described as the single biggest evolution of 3D printing, will be the next step in the evolution of additive manufacturing. Achieved through a ...

Professor Neil Hopkinson has been deeply involved in additive manufacturing since 1993, have worked and conducted research at the University of Sheffield, Loughborough University, De Montfort University, 3D Systems and the University of Nottingham. In January 2016, Neil was appointed Director of 3D Printing at Xaar -- the world leader in industrial inkjet technology -- in order to help broaden their 3D printing capabilities. Neil is the inventor of High Speed Sintering (HSS) -- a new, highly efficient approach to AM that uses inkjet printheads and infrared heaters to print ...