The Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team is a group of technical experts who work closely with the Additive Manufacturing Community. The DDM Technical Working group meets monthly and is responsible for the execution of the Digital Manufacturing Challenge that is targeted to high school and university students as well as the Additive Manufacturing Webinar series. The DDM group is chaired by Carl Dekker and the Secretary is Peter Ried. The DDM group is always looking for engaged individuals to provide their expertise and knowledge surrounding 3D printing/additive manufacturing.

Digital Manufacturing Challenge Overview/Introduction

Digital Manufacturing includes additive, subtractive, and forming processes embracing a considerable variety of materials and processes suitable for creating a wide range of 3D models, prototypes, mock-ups, tooling, end-use parts, assemblies and systems/subsystems. Leveraging digital manufacturing tools while employing Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) enable the optimization of form, fit, and feature/function integration like never before.

Part of Industry 4.0, digital manufacturing is also a powerful tool simultaneously enabling globalization and localization of the means of production in both basic and in advanced, highly refined ways. Globalization of manufacturing supply chains brings forth opportunities that normally rely on economic, political and climate stability. However, when stability is challenged, we see disruptions of many kinds.

Localization of manufacturing supply chains isn’t immune to such disruptions, but when distributed, can be more robust, agile – able to act, react, and adapt to change more quickly and precisely. Whether global or local we have all heard of and experienced disruption in many ways – dramatic and subtle, costly and inconvenient, sometimes catastrophic, sometimes life threatening, even deadly.

With the 2024 Digital Manufacturing Challenge we wish to encourage, empower, and embolden students to envision and explore a wide range of domains and technical competencies to go beyond the classroom or laboratory and showcase their technical and commercial talents by demonstrating new and creative ways digital manufacturing can add value not just to the supply chain but to everyone’s lives.

Full Challenge Details