Episode 21: Inside the world's largest 3D printing operation

04/17/19 • 26 min

The 3D printers at Align Technology turn out half a million parts every day—an exceptional scale that makes the company the largest user of 3D printing in the world.

But, as lots of companies have learned, installing a 3D printing capability is only the first step toward digital production. Align’s massive, custom-built additive production line is part of a digital workflow that begins when a patient’s mouth is scanned and incorporates generative design, deep learning, and lots of automation.

In this episode Jon Bruner speaks with Emory Wright, Senior Vice President for Global Operations at Align. Joe Hogan, Align's CEO, is speaking at the Digital Factory Conference on May 7, alongside other CEOs, CTOs, and CIOs who are transforming their businesses through manufacturing. Visit https://www.thedigitalfactory.com to see the program and register.

Visit http://bit.ly/2UoaMjV for full episode notes and links.

The 3D printers at Align Technology turn out half a million parts every day—an exceptional scale that makes the company the largest user of 3D printing in the world.

Visit http://bit.ly/2UoaMjV for full episode notes and links.

Previous Episode

Episode 20: Standard reference peanut butter with Steven Choquette

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, offers a striking catalog of reference materials that includes peanut butter, New Jersey soil, domestic sludge, Lake Michigan fish tissue, and Spam. These materials turn out to illuminate the fascinating process by which measurement standards are defined in terms of fundamental physical constants and then handed down by NIST as artifacts that anyone can use to calibrate a bathroom scale or detect impurities in molybdenum oxide.

In this episode Jon Bruner interviews Steven Choquette, director of NIST's Office of Reference Materials, about the 1,300 materials that NIST's scientists produce and certify, and about the future of the program in biological materials.

Visit http://bit.ly/nistsrm for full episode notes and links. And visit https://www.thedigitalfactory.com to learn more about The Digital Factory Conference, returning to Boston on May 7, 2019. Register to join CEOs, CTOs, and CIOs who are transforming their businesses through manufacturing.

Next Episode

Episode 22: Networked, Decentralized, AI-driven manufacturing with Bram de Zwart

3D Hubs reoriented its business last fall, away from hobbyists and toward the professional market. Now it’s planning to invest heavily in AI-driven automation.

In this episode Jon Bruner speaks with Bram de Zwart, co-founder and CEO of 3D Hubs. Brian Garret, 3D Hubs' other co-founder and Chief Product Officer, is speaking at the Digital Factory Conference on May 7, alongside other CEOs, CTOs, and CIOs who are transforming their businesses through manufacturing. Visit https://www.thedigitalfactory.com to see the program and register.

Visit http://bit.ly/2vzLlSB for full episode notes and links.