<h2 id="isPasted">Simple Tips for Engineers: Beating Supply Chain Issues</h2>In a helpful video, Francisco Luna from MacroFab shares great tips for engineers and supply chain professionals. Here’s a quick overview of what he talks about:<h3>MacroFab Platform: Making Things Easier</h3>Francisco starts with the MacroFab platform. This 24/7 online tool makes engineering work smoother, especially when dealing with supply chain problems. This platform helps you plan better and avoid delays.<h3>Before Production: Preparing Your BOM</h3>Before starting production, it's crucial to get your Bill of Materials (BOM) right. Francisco suggests double-checking your BOM to prevent future issues. A good BOM means fewer headaches later.<h3>For Supply Chain Pros: Stay Prepared</h3>If you're managing supply chains, Francisco has advice for you too. He emphasizes the need for being proactive – always plan ahead and keep an eye on what's happening in the supply chain.<h3>Common Production Problems: How to Solve Them</h3>Francisco talks about the usual problems engineers face during production. He gives practical solutions to these issues making it easier to handle them if they come up.<h3>Throughout the Product Life: Key Advice</h3>Finally, he gives tips for every stage of making a product. From design to the final product, these tips help engineers stay on top of their game and manage supply chain issues effectively.In short, Francisco's advice is a must-watch for engineers and supply chain pros. Following these tips can make your work smoother and help you tackle those tricky supply chain challenges.

As Francisco Luna explains in this short video, the MacroFab technology platform provides superior visibility and flexibility to solve today's most common supply chain issues.  Find out how you can speed up prototyping with MacroFab's technological platform prototyping and mitigate project risk.


Design Tips for Engineers to Combat the Supply Chain Problem

As the price of raw materials and labour rises, our annual survey of the UK manufacturing industry in association with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imeche.org/" target="_blank">IMechE</a> reveals a new focus on cost: both as a major concern for businesses, and as a potential bottleneck in their adoption of new technologies.Nearly 40% of 102 industry leaders&nbsp;surveyed selected cost as the greatest&nbsp;challenge faced by UK companies when it comes to adopting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-manufacturing-survey-1123&utm_content=wevolver-manufacturing-survey-1123" target="_blank">digital manufacturing</a> techniques, ahead of time, lack of awareness and expertise. In 2022, speed and efficiency were cited as the biggest obstacle to acquiring new business. In 2023, it’s price.Unfortunately, interest in sustainability seems to have collapsed as cost pressures bite – when asked what the most important area of investment would be over the next 12 months, only 18.81% of respondents said sustainability, down from 40% in 2022. Instead, manufacturing firms are prioritising securing new business: 37.62% said they were planning to invest in reaching new markets and market expansion, while 36.63% said they wanted to develop their products and services. <h3>Always right</h3>It might be customer service that makes the biggest difference, though: respondents ranked responsiveness and being the first to answer a customer need&nbsp;as the most important factor for their business to be competitive – that’s where rapid prototyping tools and investment in speedy new manufacturing techniques could bear the most fruit. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzAwNDczMDcwNDUwLTE3MDA0NzMwNzA0NTAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 455px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> The industry as a whole is much more prepared for the adoption of <a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/insight/industry-4-0/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-manufacturing-survey-1123&utm_content=wevolver-manufacturing-survey-1123" target="_blank">Industry 4.0</a> and digital processes than in previous years: 66% of respondents said their businesses were prepared or very prepared, and only 11% said they were unprepared or very unprepared, down from 34% in 2022, and 38% in 2021The level of automation has also increased: last year, 56% of respondents said less than a quarter of their manufacturing services were automated, but only 35% say the same in 2023. Cost pressures may cause that automation to slow down in the short term: 40% said they expect automation to increase only a little or not at all over the next 12 months, but, over a longer timescale, 40% think it will increase a lot over the next five years. <h3>Skills challenge</h3>If that’s going to happen, our respondents believe skills will be paramount. We asked them what UK companies need to do to retain their position in global manufacturing and 70% said a greater focus on and investment in STEM talent in the manufacturing and industrial sector would be key. Second on the list was embracing Industry 4.0 by using big data to create value-added services. And third was more support from government: in the aftermath of Brexit, companies have been asking for greater support to help develop industries in the UK.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzAwNDczMDk1MjQxLTE3MDA0NzMwOTUyNDEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 470px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> But the biggest challenge to adopting new digital manufacturing technologies is now cost, say respondents, followed by time, lack of awareness and expertise. Hopes were high, however. One respondent said it would “improve quality, reduce downtime and enable new techniques”. Another said it would “make production efficiency higher and reduce labour costs,” although there were also concerns about cyber security and how to blend new tech with old.That’s a key challenge for the industry emerging from our latest survey of the UK manufacturing industry. Digital technologies have much promise and companies are aware of the benefits, but, as in previous years, our research has found that not all of them have the skills and expertise to implement and take advantage of the efficiency and sustainability benefits. Now, with rising costs, manufacturers are in survival mode, forced to focus on the bottom line. The need to adapt and adopt new technologies has never been greater.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzAwNDcxNTQxOTQyLUlNZWNoRS1TdXJ2ZXktSW5mb2dyYXBoaWMuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 765px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

If innovation has been the manufacturing buzzword of the past five years, the next five might be marked by a different one: inflation.

Protolabs x IMechE Survey 2023: Cost Pressures Hit Manufacturing's Sustainability Goal

The automotive industry is no stranger to the winds of change. From global production networks that bring parts and components from any corner of the world, vehicles can be produced faster than ever before at the beginning of the 21st century.&nbsp;However, Relativity Space just achieved an incredible milestone with its launch of the first 3D-printed rocket. Their Aeon 1 engine can be printed in mere two months, drastically cutting the time to launch and making frequent launches more affordable. Plus, they&#39;re keeping everything home-grown: based in Long Beach, U.S.&nbsp;Relativity designed and built the Terran 1 rocket exclusively at its PORTAL factory. This launch&#39;s ground-breaking features include additive manufacturing, allowing custom parts and components to be produced on demand and at scale.&nbsp;We are embracing a new era of globalization unique to our generation with design and manufacturing agility never before seen, eliminating traditional supply chain restrictions and enabling greater efficiency.&nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/821220095" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> <h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Small factory with great customization</h2>Finding the balance between cost savings and custom options can be a tricky dance. Large-scale factories need massive production capabilities to cover customers&#39; diverse needs - think stamping machines, casting machines, paint shops and robotic welding cells! But what if you don&#39;t need thousands of cars per day? How do we ensure that producing more economical quantities is just as profitable without sacrificing customer choice? That&#39;s where customization comes in; Real customer-led customization allows for any size order with factory-made components tailored to their wants.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNTA4ODE1NTAzLTE2ODI1MDg4MTU1MDMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 656px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Two 3D printing technologies then emerge as promising - Wire arc metal additive manufacturing (WAAM) and robotic filament winding/ composites 3D printing.&nbsp;WAAM yields low and mid-volume production quickly. The arms use a weldable filament wire, melt it, and deposit the resulting weld beads into layers to create a solid object of a given shape. WAAM can achieve typical deposition rates of about 2-5kg/hour. Thus WAAM serves as a perfect choice to 3Dprint chassis structures.However, it might take longer if the desired demand grows. There are strict manufacturing limitations on the surface finish and permitted overhang angles for WAAM. You can&#39;t print very small parts with WAAM because its minimum resolution is about 2mm. However, the technology works well for printing chassis because our chassis shapes are fairly large and not particularly complex. For chassis structures, surface finish is not very crucial. Other engineering difficulties, like thermal distortion, can be overcome through trial and error.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNTA4ODQ0NTc2LTE2ODI1MDg4NDQ1NzYuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 674px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">WAAM printed chassis-HookeNow we have discovered that robotic filament winding provides a faster solution; With the robot winding resin-wetted fibre filaments (glass fibres, basalt fibres, carbon fibres) into software-defined geometric shapes, one robot can 3Dprint two composite chassis structures per day - meaning 25 robots are required for 50 daily pieces instead of 180!&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNTA4ODczMzQyLTE2ODI1MDg4NzMzNDIuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 576px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">This tech offers an order of magnitude more speed in producing solid objects like chassis with incredible lightweight properties surpassed by none other than metal parts, all at once satisfying any requirement as needed.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNTA4OTM3NDY3LTE2ODI1MDg5Mzc0NjcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 661px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

supply chain

Profiles