TCT’s ‘A Day within the Lifetime of…’ sequence has been primarily launched for faculty and college alumni to higher perceive what profession alternatives in additive manufacturing (AM) can be found to them. All through the sequence, TCT will spend time with a bunch of AM professionals to speak what their day-to-day duties are, what sorts of groups they work inside, what they’ve learnt on the job, and the way they obtained to the place they’re at present. On this instalment, Vasia Papadopoulou of additive manufacturing OEM Stratasys explains the function of an Additive Manufacturing Engineer.
Vasia Papadopoulou lives life on her personal phrases and stands by her decisions.
Her brief profession to this point is punctuated by a sequence of choices which have led her to an organization, a metropolis and a rustic that she didn’t count on to reach at.
And in her function as AM Engineer at Stratasys’ Additive Manufacturing Middle in Baden-Baden, Germany, every process is met with an inspiring perspective.
As you’ll be taught, Vasia will not be confronted with many assignments that don’t whet her urge for food, however even on the uncommon event she is, her customary response is among the utmost professionalism.
“I discover one other approach to consider it, I alter my mindset after which it will get that means,” she tells TCT.
She attracts the road on the time it takes for her laptop to course of a very complicated software program process, however Vasia’s strategy to her work is an enlightening one.
A generic job title at most likely the most important additive manufacturing firm on the earth, you’d be forgiven for considering there isn’t an attention-grabbing story to inform about Vasia’s function. You’d be unsuitable – an instance being Vasia thinks she could be the one worker at Stratasys with this job title – however forgiven all the identical.
“After we get the function, we begin to form it from the start,” she says. “We’ve the bottom, after which type it and form it to ourselves and the way we prefer it. My job will not be all over the place, I create it as I prefer it and as I take pleasure in it. I want that extra individuals would perceive that and make their job enjoyable. Put their hobbies into the job.”
Q. What sort of individuals are excellent for a job like yours?
VP: Individuals who prefer to be technical but additionally have nice creativeness. I can’t put any limits right here. Being an additive manufacturing engineer can have the whole lot.
A TYPICAL DAY
So what has Vasia manufactured from the AM Engineer function she began in January 2023?
Employed to primarily oversee high quality management in a Stratasys benchmarking centre, she shortly took it upon herself to help efforts throughout the broader workflow. As a workforce, these working on this facility are supporting clients in bringing their concepts to fruition, serving to with the design of components which may be appropriate for additive manufacturing, and returning pattern prints based mostly on the parameter units they’re working with.
“I like being part of all phases by this workflow,” Vasia says. “From the conceptualisation with the client, the introduction to printing, the operation of the machines, 3D design and in addition high quality management. After which additionally serving to the client implement additive manufacturing to their very own manufacturing.”
It’s spectacular, then, that Vasia even has time to debate her function.
In the present day, as she does day-after-day, she arrived on the facility earlier than 7am. Such is the quantity of benchmarking requests obtained at this centre, a number of prints can be left to run over night time, and Vasia likes to reach as early as attainable in order that she will promptly replace the purchasers of their progress after they go browsing.
“When the individuals get up and begin asking, ‘The place’s my benchmark, how did it go?’ I’ve to ensure that the machine ran and remains to be operating with none points.”
That is prime of the precedence listing for the resident high quality management specialist. Second on that listing is espresso – “It’s a should. With out espresso, the clocks don’t transfer.” – after which she will start to answer these consumer emails. By now, her colleagues have arrived, had their morning espresso and cleared their respective inboxes too. Vasia will subsequently begin a communication and change session with the remainder of the workforce, permitting them to make amends for the progress and standing of prints that had been beneath anyone else’s supervision.
Then, the clock will most likely want some extra encouragement, so one other espresso it’s. Vasia will now start to liaise with colleagues internationally, connecting with clients through the gross sales workforce, and in addition touching base with advertising employees forward of the following commerce present – Vasia is one in every of a number of Stratasys engineers who may assist out with new designs for pattern components. One other group of employees Vasia will make sure that to attach with frequently is the regional technical engineers. This, she sees, is a chance to supply her suggestions as a person of Stratasys machines to the individuals who need to handle any bugs or glitches.
Since Stratasys likes to open its doorways to potential clients, Vasia may additionally discover herself internet hosting excursions of the power every now and then, whereas she is all the time keen to proceed conversations with clients at commerce exhibits like Formnext.
“Most individuals that take part in these exhibits attempt to discover new stuff, ‘What did this competitor do or what’s new concerning supplies?’ What I do is speak to individuals, clients, and see what the wants are within the trade in the meanwhile and check out to determine how additive manufacturing can supply options to these issues.”
Q. Why ought to anyone wish to work within the 3D printing area?
VP: I believe it is the know-how of the longer term. Many firms have realised that. In ten years, I believe that it should be carried out and built-in in each manufacturing [environment]. From this facet, it’s totally significant to get into 3D printing.
THE ROLE BEYOND THE TITLE
“The principle idea, from how I see it, is bringing concepts to life,” Vasia says of her function.
That goes past simply getting a component to come back out of the opposite finish of the printer, however to make steps in direction of the realisation of a enterprise case for additive manufacturing. It’s much less about what’s attainable with 3D printing, and extra about what’s wise to 3D print.
Vasia is one in every of a workforce of 5 on the Additive Manufacturing Middle in Baden-Baden, reporting as much as the Supervisor of your complete facility. Her designated function is to supervise high quality management, ensuring that every benchmark is able to be despatched on to clients.
This is a vital step of the method since additive manufacturing is a comparatively new know-how and, likelihood is, there isn’t a standardised course of for the half requests coming by to the Additive Manufacturing Middle. The method carried out at this facility is the work of Vasia.
“The entire system is one thing that I constructed up,” she tells TCT. “I created the entire course of and the pamphlets that we despatched to the purchasers with details about the printing parameters, together with a high quality management guidelines.”
To make sure these benchmarks may be as informative as attainable to the purchasers, Vasia is in fixed contact with the applying engineering and gross sales division. This course of, Vasia considers, is crucial. However she can also be keen to hold out work that isn’t thought-about important per the phrases of her employment.
One instance is Vasia’s completion of the Buyer Service Engineer coaching for PolyJet know-how that Stratasys presents to employees. It signifies that Vasia can now repair machines as much as a particular degree, calibrating programs and addressing minor issues that shouldn’t require the experience of a chosen upkeep engineer. It has proved a useful skillset to have when working on-site with machines on the Additive Manufacturing Middle and with clients who’re new to 3D printing.
When time opens up, Vasia can also be eager to maintain observe of trade information by the assorted media shops serving the trade, and she’s going to often return to a listing of concepts she has: engaged on the designs of components and printing them to see how they prove.
Q. In case you might give your youthful self some profession recommendation?
VP: Attempt to carry your hobbies into your job as quickly as attainable, and maintain them there, and all the time attempt to attain larger, as a result of something is feasible. I by no means imagined that I might be employed by Stratasys, to be trustworthy. I did this on a whim and right here I’m.
THE PATHWAY
Vasia has all the time had a inventive thoughts, which is what set her on the trail in direction of a job as an additive manufacturing engineer. She doesn’t assume creativity is essential to this sort of job, however it undoubtedly makes it extra enjoyable. The power to have an thought in your head within the morning and a component in your hand by the top of the day by no means wears skinny, and actually, solely serves to maintain the inventive juices flowing.
Communication has all the time been one other of Vasia’s strengths and one once more she will get to utilise often; with colleagues when engaged on the most recent benchmark project, and with clients when articulating the findings.
Vasia takes communication one step additional as a multi-linguist. Her curiosity in languages is a key motive she’s now based mostly in Germany.
Over ten years in the past now, she commenced her research on the Aristotle College of Thessaloniki, selecting up a diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 2019. She then had a few freelance and internship mechanical design and engineering roles in Greece, earlier than discovering work on the Centre for Analysis & Expertise Hellas.
Having accomplished a 3D printing course at college and thru the small world of additive manufacturing in Greece, she was headhunted for a task on the Centre for Analysis & Expertise Hellas, who had been within the strategy of constructing out a 3D printing lab. As a Mechanical Design Engineer, her function right here was to check supplies and parameter units throughout a variety of 3D printing applied sciences as a part of a sequence of analysis efforts.
What adopted was a brief stint at a Greek start-up earlier than the chance at Stratasys offered itself. Whereas progressing steadily in her profession, Vasia had been studying Japanese and German in her spare time. She was not unaware of the job alternatives this might confide in her, however equally, it wasn’t all the time within the plan to maneuver her life to Germany.
Stratasys, although, was searching for anyone similar to Vasia. And Vasia thought, “Perhaps this works for me, let’s attempt it.”