There are a number of developments shaping the way forward for manufacturing in 2025, together with provide chain resilience, workforce improvement and administration, sustainability, and the adoption of cutting-edge applied sciences like AI, automation, and additive manufacturing. Finally month’s Hexagon Stay in Las Vegas, I spoke with Jason Walker, Basic Manufacturing Observe Lead for Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, about a number of of those developments.
Picture courtesy of Sarah Saunders
Manufacturing Tariffs
We began our dialog by speaking about tariffs—a subject that’s almost inconceivable to keep away from lately. Throughout the occasion, Hexagon shared the outcomes of its “Americas State of Manufacturing 2025 Report,” which surveyed 500 professionals from the manufacturing business. Walker informed me that the U.S.-based respondents did discover tariffs regarding, since they don’t know for certain how their companies will probably be impacted. However, he additionally stated that “the general sentiment continues to be optimistic.”
Jason Walker, VP Basic Manufacturing Observe Lead, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
“Greater than 50% of producers are nonetheless optimistic for his or her futures and their alternatives within the manufacturing area,” he stated.
Walker stated that tariffs being carried out on components and manufacturing coming into the U.S. ought to drive extra of an onshoring initiative, which is an effective factor. However, he additionally famous that “most producers notice as properly that the ramp-up section is for much longer than might be going to be wanted” to resolve any provide chain points ensuing from tariffs. So there are plenty of combined emotions, which is fairly in step with each different dialog I’ve had about tariffs within the manufacturing business.
“I don’t suppose anyone’s sure on what that is going to imply for the business going ahead. There’s no conclusive solutions there,” Walker stated, calling it a “wait and see” state of affairs.
Picture courtesy of Sarah Saunders
Know-how and the Expertise Hole
What does preserve arising as extra of a priority, from bigger OEMs right down to the smaller provide chain producers, is the abilities hole.
“Relating to bridging the abilities hole, producers are realizing that to draw new expertise within the workforce, and new abilities, they should improve the instruments and expertise they use as properly,” Walker stated. “Usually, the business continues to be seen as this boring, soiled, harmful place, with plenty of handbook operations and an absence of expertise adoption. That’s one thing that we’ve heard from our clients, and producers generally: they notice they should improve the varieties of expertise that they’ve, which has a twofold impact.”
The primary on this twofold impact is utilizing new applied sciences to bridge the abilities hole and scale back the burden on the present workforce. As an example, automation can take over a few of the extra tedious handbook duties, so employees can as a substitute concentrate on greater challenges. Secondly, new applied sciences may help optimize how manufacturing operations are run. Walker talked about “tribal data,” which has been constructed up by the expert workforce over a few years and is targeted on the handbook, on a regular basis duties. Bringing in options like AI, automation, and additive manufacturing can streamline operations.
Picture courtesy of Sarah Saunders
I introduced up AEON, the humanoid robotic Hexagon launched on the occasion that’s meant to enhance the workforce, working alongside people to tackle these tedious duties. Walker stated options like that “undoubtedly have a component to play.”
“If we take a look at our conventional applied sciences as properly, and the way we’re enhancing them with the likes of AI expertise, it truly is to cut back the burden on present operations.”
He cited ProPlanAI, a programming software launched final yr by Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. This AI functionality inside CAD/CAM manufacturing software program makes it a lot faster to take a component’s design and make it production-ready. It’s additionally been utilized to Hexagon’s different manufacturing options, corresponding to Metrology Mentor software program, the place it makes machine preparation simpler and “reduces the necessity for CAM and metrology operators to simply sit in entrance of a PC programming components and inspection routines.”
Hexagon’s Additive Manufacturing Suite
I requested how AM matches into Hexagon’s plan to cut back the burden on the workforce, and Walker introduced up the corporate’s Additive Manufacturing Suite, which facilitates the whole AM course of from preliminary quote to supply. Customers can handle the design and every little thing else in a single interface.
“Like I simply talked about for ProPlanAI, the place you’re making ready a component for a machining course of on a CNC machine, likewise with additive, we will see that utility being utilized to make it faster and simpler to generate the applications for 3D printing purposes as properly,” he defined.
Mathieu Perennou, Director World Technique & Enterprise Growth, Additive Manufacturing, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
In a separate dialog, I used to be fortunate sufficient to get a rundown of Hexagon’s AM Suite from Mathieu Perennou, Director of World Technique & Enterprise Growth, Additive Manufacturing.
“When speaking about AM Suite, or our additive manufacturing capabilities, or actually any manufacturing course of, consider the workflow you’re masking,” he stated. “What you begin with is you need to design your product. Then that you must work out the way you’re going to truly manufacture the product, after which you’ll the truth is manufacture it. After which that you must test whether or not your product is assembly the standard necessities. You’re gonna examine the components, and you realize that if the method parameters change, then the fabric you make is totally different. So it’s essential in additive manufacturing, the standard inspection, as a result of there’s nonetheless a relative lack of maturity in additive manufacturing.”
Perennou defined that whereas AM does make good components, our expertise with the expertise is far lower than with standard manufacturing strategies which have been round for a whole bunch of years. However, for many who wish to “fast-track issues,” synthetic intelligence and machine studying then come into play, particularly within the high quality inspection aspect of issues.
“How do you capitalize and leverage the info that you just collect in high quality inspection to be able to assess sooner, faster, and earlier the standard of the components you make? Hexagon has options all alongside that workflow.”
So Hexagon’s AM Suite connects all these totally different items of the workflow. MSC Apex Generative Design, for instance, is the place you may make complicated shapes, inserting materials precisely the place it’s wanted for one thing like a difficult aerospace utility.
“You outline and create the forces, you give a goal, and say, this half wants to have the ability to take that stage of stress,” Perennou defined. “So that you give a stress goal, after which, when you’ve executed that, now that you’ve all of the boundary circumstances and the targets, the software program will mechanically calculate a form that can meet these necessities. You begin the optimization, and it takes the unique design area, and it’ll take away materials, and each form the software program creates, it calculates whether or not it meets your necessities. And ultimately we’ll suggest an final form based mostly on all the factors for the optimization that you just gave.”
Simufact Additive
Identical to its identify recommend, Simufact Additive is the place you’ll be able to go to simulate your print job. Perennou stated that this product takes “the geometry with the orientation, with the helps, plus the method parameters, and say, okay, if I put all of that along with a cloth, am I making a superb half or not?” AM STUDIO is construct preparation software program, and eventually there’s the AI-driven ESPRIT EDGE. Every part is related collectively by Nexus, an agnostic platform that means that you can use third-party options if you’d like.
Alternatives
Although, as Walker stated, AM was as soon as hyped rather a lot, Hexagon sees many real-world purposes for the expertise, particularly in supporting the manufacturing of distinctive one-off components that can be utilized in mass manufacturing, corresponding to jigs and fixtures and different workholding.
“If that you must manufacture a thousand components and also you want a particular workholding for a singular geometry or one thing like that, then additive is the easiest way to realize that in a brief area of time and create that one-off workholding,” he stated.
In late 2024, Hexagon additionally finalized the acquisition of Geomagic software program from 3D Methods, and sees a giant alternative right here to develop its reverse engineering capabilities, like Geomagic’s Design X resolution, for producers centered on additive, and combine this software program into Additive Manufacturing Suite.
“So it’s creating extra of a singular, or holistic, suite of options,” Walker defined.
I requested if Hexagon has any extra acquisitions deliberate, and he says the corporate is “at all times taking a look at extra complementary applied sciences,” although he’s undecided of any “imminently on the radar.” However the firm clearly has groups particularly devoted to these sorts of selections.
“We now have each our product groups engaged on what else we want by way of expertise and capabilities, after which a full M&A workforce who’s centered on going and searching for a few of these,” he stated. “I’ve little question there will probably be extra.”
Walker stated general, Hexagon could be very optimistic in regards to the state of issues.
“The manufacturing business nonetheless has a lot alternative to be enhanced, and turn out to be extra environment friendly and productive by using a few of the superior applied sciences we now have to supply,” he concluded. “We’re actively specializing in how we will improve all of those options with the likes of AI, automation, robotics, et cetera.”
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