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3D Activation conducts an interview with the IHK Hessen on the connection between Industry 4.0 and 3D printing
Under the title “Industrial Revolution!”, the IHK magazine “Hessian Economy” from March 2015 dealt with the topic of Industry 4.0, ie with the question of how far the Internet could become a fourth industrial revolution (after the steam engine, assembly line and computer) leads or has already led.
The term Industry 4.0, which is now so common, first appeared in public discussion in April 2011, as part of the then Hannover tradefair. Specifically, this concept was shaped by a cooperation between the federal government and industry as part of a future project.
In connection with this complex of topics, the growing importance of 3D printing technology plays a central role in industrial manufacturing processes, the field in which 3D Activation, our 3D printing service provider from Wiesbaden and Thun/Switzerland, has been active since 2011. So it is not surprising that the IHK Hessen took this topic as an opportunity to conduct an interview with 3D Activation.
Rapid prototyping in 2011 still hardly imaginable
When 3D Activation founded its 3D printing service in Hesse and Switzerland almost 5 years ago (i.e. exactly at the time when the term Industry 4.0 was coined), our team initially faced the challenge of showing customers the revolutionary potential of rapid prototyping first approach. Back then, who could have imagined a lamp or a tool made entirely from a (3D) printer, i.e. neither turned nor welded? In 2011, it seemed difficult to imagine that a printer would simply apply molten material layer by layer in three dimensions to a substrate.
How much times have changed since then is shown not least by the fact that 3D Activation GmbH has meanwhile been able to massively expand its customer base. Our Wiesbaden and Swiss 3D printing service now also supplies sectors outside of industry that were previously thought impossible. “There is a huge need to implement fashion and design projects with the help of 3D printing,” reports Strohschein. With the establishment of Industry 4.0, this need will certainly increase considerably.
3D printing project for Marc Cain presented at Fashion Week Berlin
So gave the fashion brand Marc Cain ordered a 3D printed rock from us, which consisted of 1320 moving elements. This impressive 3D printing project was exhibited at the Fashion Week 2014 in Berlin. Research institutions, model builders and artists are now also using rapid prototyping with 3D printers as an alternative to conventional manufacturing processes in order to be able to hold a prototype in their hands quickly and – especially in view of the falling 3D printing prices – at low cost.
“However, there will not be a deserted factory,” emphasizes Strohschein, “because human know-how will also be in demand in the long term, especially for technically demanding projects, data construction and development”.
You can find the whole article here.
If you are interested in the comprehensive possibilities of 3D Activation’s 3D printing service (such as in the field of metal printing), you can find more information on our website.
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