{"234281":{"#nid":"234281","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dr. Ben Wang\u0027s 3D printing presentation draws record crowd for Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn Aug. 28, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce drew its largest crowd to date for a quarterly Manufacturing \u0026amp; Supply Chain Forum with guest speaker Dr. Ben Wang, executive director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. Approximately 70 guests heard Dr. Wang\u2019s presentation on \u201c3D printing and the Future of Manufacturing.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201c3D printing is critical to the U.S. economy,\u201d said Dr. Wang. \u201cIt will change many aspects of how we will live our lives.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Wang pointed to several studies that have been conducted in the past couple of years noting the importance of advanced manufacturing to the United States. The common denominator among all of the studies is the significance and potential impact of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPolicy makers, too, have acknowledged its importance. In fact, the first of the advanced manufacturing institutes recommended by President Barack Obama\u2019s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership was established in August 2012 to study additive manufacturing. Because of its applications to the aerospace and defense manufacturing industries, the Department of Defense, which led the selection process for the first institute, identified additive manufacturing as the most critical area of need for the security of our nation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201c3D printing will change many aspects of our lives, but there are still many advancements to come,\u201d reported Dr. Wang. \u201cThe technology was created 25 years ago here in the United States for what we call rapid prototyping, but in the past, we could only use plastics. Today we use materials with much better mechanical properties.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E3D printing also reduces the need for \u201cin stock\u201d components and turnaround time for producing parts. Nowhere is this more critical than in the defense arena. According to Gary Newton, U.S. Navy Deputy Commander, Fleet Readiness Center, \u201cThe Navy\u2019s inventory of aircraft is being pressed into service beyond their design life. As a result, components fail that were never expected to be repaired or replaced. With no replacements available in the supply system, long lead times develop for the repair or manufacture.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, when a ship sets out to sea, it has to stock all parts potentially required for repair while out on the waters. This increases costs for the Navy and the weight of the ships. And more importantly, only about 5 percent of the stock on a ship is used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith 3D printing, the Navy can shift from \u201cjust in case inventory to just in time repair,\u201d explained Dr. Wang. By incorporating 3D printing into the process, lead times drop from the current 8-28 weeks to 2-7 weeks. In addition, 3D printing machines can be installed on the ships, eliminating the need to keep parts in stock on the ship. Parts could be printed by downloading CAD files into the 3D printer and the part is produced as needed. \u201cThis,\u201d Dr. Wang noted, \u201cis game changing.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe opportunities with 3D printing are boundless. \u201cWe can enter mass customization,\u201d said Dr. Wang. \u201cWe can personalize products while taking advantage of cost savings and time effectiveness.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program ended with a demonstration from PhD student Christopher Oberste. He explained the 3D printing process and answered audience questions while showing a product being produced on a small, portable 3D printer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Gwinnett Chamber hosts a Manufacturing and Supply Chain forum quarterly to highlight topics that are current and relevant to the manufacturing and supply chain industries. To learn more, visit the chamber\u2019s Web site at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gwinnettchamber.org\u0022\u003Ewww.gwinnettchamber.org\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u0027s Dr. Ben Wang discusses \u00223D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing\u0022 at quarterly Gwinnett Chamber event.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u0027s Dr. Ben Wang discusses \u00223D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing\u0022 at quarterly Gwinnett Chamber event."}],"uid":"27857","created_gmt":"2013-09-04 16:33:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:49","author":"Tracy Heath","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"234291":{"id":"234291","type":"image","title":"Dr. Ben Wang draws record crowd to Gwinnett Chamber","body":null,"created":"1449243641","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:40:41","changed":"1475894908","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:28","alt":"Dr. Ben Wang draws record crowd to Gwinnett Chamber","file":{"fid":"197629","name":"p1020205.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/p1020205_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/p1020205_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5383168,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/p1020205_0.jpg?itok=AjEdUQuj"}},"234311":{"id":"234311","type":"image","title":"3D Printing Demo Highlights Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Presentation at Gwinnett Chamber","body":null,"created":"1449243641","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:40:41","changed":"1475894908","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:28","alt":"3D Printing Demo Highlights Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Presentation at Gwinnett Chamber","file":{"fid":"197630","name":"p1020222.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/p1020222_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/p1020222_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5533696,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/p1020222_0.jpg?itok=YGCv_fuU"}}},"media_ids":["234291","234311"],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"13351","name":"3d printing"},{"id":"38351","name":"Advanced Manufacturing"},{"id":"72971","name":"Gwinnett Chamber"},{"id":"215","name":"manufacturing"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETracy Heath\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-5562\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["tracy.heath@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}