WORKFORCE PIPELINE A MONTHLY FEATURE ABOUT TRAINING, EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT w SME Designs 3D Printing Contest for SkillsUSA D
uring the 51st annual SkillsUSA National Leader- ship and Skills Conference this summer, 14 teams of two students each took part in the fi rst ever additive manufacturing contest using the latest 3D printing technol- ogy and software. In all, more than 15,000 students, teachers, education leaders, and representatives from more than 600 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions participated in the event. But the 3D contest, which was designed and piloted by SME, stood out for showcasing exciting new emerging technology and tools. While additive manufacturing is not a brand new technology, it is still developing and it’s certainly more accessible than ever. Printing objects from digital design fi les can trim weeks, if not months off design, prototyping and manufacturing time. It can also help companies avoid costly errors and enhance product quality, and give them new ways to compete on a global scale.
manufacturing is predicted to be worth $3.5 billion, which makes the technology a perfect one for a SkillsUSA contest. In the 3D printing contest, student teams were asked to
use three-dimensional CAD software to design a car model meeting contest specifi cations, including 3D print time, size and material usage. Car models were then printed in ABS material on a Stratasys 3D printer. Teams were tested on their knowledge of 3D printing with a written exam and participated in a one-hour Quick Chal- lenge: designing an iPhone case for a celebrity client. The designs the teams created were unique and emphasized the rapid prototyping ability and customization potential of this technology. The teams’ designs were printed onsite that day for viewing and judging. SME was proud to see four teams—three from high school and one from college—accept their awards because we believe that getting young students excited about new manufacturing technologies such as this is critical to devel- oping the manufacturing workforce of the future.
Path to Becoming a SkillsUSA Contest Students are genuinely interested in digital manufactur- ing, modeling, simulation, 3D printing and scanning. Some of these students also represent populations unfamiliar with SkillsUSA, so it is an opportunity to expand SkillsUSA offer- ings as well as attract a whole new group of students. Even “traditional” technologies and processes are benefi t-
More and more companies are using additive manu- facturing for shorter lead times, mass customization, more complex designs, reduced material waste, and more. Many industry sectors are taking advantage of the benefi ts of ad- ditive manufacturing, like defense, aerospace, medical, and art which result in more jobs using this technology. Additive manufacturing sales are expected to more than quadruple in the next 10 years. By 2017, the global market for additive
132
AdvancedManufacturing.org | October 2015
ing from some of the new technologies and concepts. CNC and precision machining are key processes to automotive and aerospace industries trying to “lightweight” their prod- ucts and those technologies are increasingly being combined with 3D to achieve this goal. SME has actively supported and promoted additive manufacturing since 1992 when the Rapid Prototyping As- sociation became part of SME’s member network. SME has consistently brought together key players and members of
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172