Additive Manufacturing
Published on : Thursday 01-10-2020
Six months of lockdown
Total in the early phases, partial now – has impacted industrial output and the rising number of cases is a concern; but given the large population, India has managed to face the pandemic successfully to a large extent. The strict lockdown caused much distress, especially to the weaker sections, but that also facilitated better response, especially on the healthcare front, allowing the various State governments time to ramp up testing as well as hospital beds through a slew of measures. The public distribution system ensured adequate supply of food grains to the poor, preventing a greater tragedy. In retrospect, one can find a lot of faults, but it could have been worse. As something unprecedented in human history, the Covid-19 crisis has defied predictions and six months later, the end is nowhere in sight. The vaccine too is not going to be ready in a hurry, with the government now saying it may become available only in early to mid-2021.
This is the time not to let the guard down. Unfortunately, a certain complacency has set in and many people are seen throwing caution to the winds when it comes to observing the simple and highly effective precaution of wearing the face mask. From bazaars in mofussil towns to the swanky Marine Drive promenade in Mumbai, many people are seen walking in public without the face mask in the misplaced belief that it makes no difference. This is highly dangerous behaviour. The worst may be over, but prevention is still better than cure.
Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is one of the most rapidly growing industry sectors presently. According to a recent report published by Statista Research Department, the worldwide market for 3D printing products and services is anticipated to exceed USD 40 billion by 2024. The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.4 per cent between 2020 and 2024. Largely confined to rapid prototyping and small customised production parts, mainly in plastics so far, additive manufacturing technology has made rapid strides in the last few years riding on breakthrough developments in the field of metal and metal alloys. This edition of Industrial Automation features a lead story on Additive Manufacturing presenting expert views on the sector and how it is slowly but surely changing the way products are manufactured. With metal 3D printing becoming more affordable and increasingly catering to larger volumes, it is a matter of time it will gain in popularity for at least some products if not all, especially where the requirements are not in huge quantities, besides customised applications. The lead story is complemented by several articles from experts that examine all the facets of additive manufacturing.