This episode of Manufacturing the Future is brought to you by Dassault Systèmes.

Production as we know it today has been around for just over a century, and in that time, the one universal truth and constant has been complexity. Managing complexity, and doing so in a way that maintains profitability, has frequently been the difference between ideas that succeed and those that fail.

Until about 1980, only firms with the resource is to afford expensive mainframe and minicomputers could enjoy the benefits of software tools to help make sense of an avalanche of data, but that’s different today. From multinationals to startups, software tools are now available to integrate multiple tasks through the design and production process, and make sense of the vast volume of data generated by manufacturing processes. And it all begins with a virtual, digital model of the manufacturing process.

Engineering.com’s Jim Anderton was joined by SOLIDWORKS Manufacturing Expert Michael Buchli to discuss this important issue. 

* * * 

Leverage manufacturing data to make informed decisions with accurate insights. Download the 3DS Technology Barometer Manufacturing Data report to learn how.

The post The digital twin: making sense of mountains of manufacturing data appeared first on Engineering.com.

Suddenly, after decades of watching manufacturing jobs move to Asia, reshoring is front and center in the media. The Trump Administration’s tariff policy, preceded by Biden Administration legislation like the CHIPS Act, have brought the issue of manufacturing in America to the forefront, but now that it’s happening, and quickly, the hard work really begins. 

First COVID, and now tariffs have forced American manufacturing to rely on supply chains that are increasingly domestic, supply chains which must in many cases be built or rebuilt from scratch.

Harry Moser, President of the Reshoring Initiative, recently published a report that outlines the attitude of American manufacturers toward reshoring and it reveals interesting insights into their attitudes toward the new paradigm. 

He joined engineering.com’s Jim Anderton on this episode of the Industry & Trends Podcast. 

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos and podcasts.

The post Are American manufacturers ready for reshoring?  appeared first on Engineering.com.

This episode of Designing the Future is brought to you by TE Connectivity.

In the automotive industry, the wiring harness has always been the nervous system of vehicles on and off the road. System architecture has used 12 volts DC since the 1950s, and for years, automotive engineers looked at a future of higher voltages, to generate more power for accessory laden vehicles, and to reduce cost and weight. However, as vehicles evolve with greater electrification and increasingly complex systems, the need for a more robust electrical architecture has become apparent.

Enter 48V technology, a game-changer poised to redefine automotive electrical systems. With its ability to deliver higher power for advanced vehicle systems while reducing cost, weight, and energy loss, a shift to 48V offers an efficient and practical solution to the demands of modern automotive design. Is the industry ready for its first major electrical overhaul in decades?

Engineering.com’s Jim Anderton spoke with TE Connectivity’s Helio Wu, a product manager in their automotive business, about how now is the time for the first major revamp in auto electrical architecture in decades.

* * * 
Learn more about TE Connectivity’s 48V electrical and electronic systems.

The post 48-volt architecture: The future of automotive electrical systems  appeared first on Engineering.com.

For decades, the design and manufacturing engineering disciplines have worked within business models that relied on global supply chains. Everything from children’s toys to jet airliners depend on outsourced manufacturing and design assets that are distributed among subsidiary corporations and a large network of Tier 1 and Tier 2 vendors.

Four months into the second Trump Administration however, and the supply chains feeding American manufacturers are in crisis. Re-shoring has been an ongoing trend for years, but will tariffs accelerate the trend? Can American design and engineering firms backfill the supply chain with domestic sources? If so, how quickly?

Paul Heney, Vice President and Editorial Director for WTWH Media and Mary Gannon, Editor-in-Chief of Fluid Power World, are industry watchers at the leading edge of manufacturing transformation in America, and they joined engineering.com’s Jim Anderton in conversation. 

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos and podcasts.

The post Will tariffs destroy the industrial supply chain? appeared first on Engineering.com.

This episode is brought to you by Parker.

Sustainability is no longer marketing hype, it’s a fundamental part of the way machines are engineered in the 21^st century.  The electric vehicle revolution is in full swing in the automotive industry, but internal combustion engines power a lot more than on-the-road vehicles.  Equipment in the mining, construction and agriculture sectors is big, powerful and emits both pollutants and CO₂ from internal combustion engines. 

It’s a segment that is ready for electrification, and Electrification Product Manager for Parker Hannifin, Jonah Leason, explains how in conversation with engineering.com’s Jim Anderton. 

Learn more about Parker’s offroad industry solutions.

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos and podcasts.

The post Electrification delivers sustainability to off-highway applications  appeared first on Engineering.com.

This episode of Designing the Future is brought to you by GetFocus.

Technology has been the critical driver in social and economic development worldwide since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, but critical advances in key enablers such as quantum computing and AI suggest that we may be living, right now in an age more profound than for the age of steam, or electricity, or even nuclear technology.

But there is one critical difference between past generations and today: inventors, developers, and investors in new technologies could not predict success or failure, either in the engineering art, or in market acceptance of an innovation. What if that could be different?

Jard van Ingen thinks so, and as CEO and co-founder of the world’s first technology forecasting platform, GetFocus, he intends to turn AI into a digital crystal ball to look into the future of innovation. It’s an intriguing idea, which he describes in conversation with engineering.com’s Jim Anderton. 

* * * 
GetFocus is the world’s first AI-powered technology forecasting platform. We empower R&D leaders to eliminate guesswork and predict which innovations will dominate long before it is obvious by measuring improvement rates from global innovation data. With GetFocus, you get actionable insights in days —helping you move faster, reduce investment risk, and outpace competitors.

Learn more about GetFocus.

The post A crystal ball for the future of innovation appeared first on Engineering.com.

Computer-aided manufacturing has been around in one form or another since the 1960s, but the ability to program CNC equipment was only the beginning. Today, manufacturers are expected to aggregate, integrate and act on vast amounts of data generated on the shop floor, as well as from multiple departments within the organization, and on down the supply chain. Low-cost general-purpose robotics is widely regarded as Step in the evolution of the digital factory, but there will be risks and challenges along the way. And in the new era of US tariffs, the stakes have never been higher. 

Mastercam president Russ Bukowski discusses these issues in  conversation with engineering.com’s Jim Anderton. 

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos and podcasts.

The post How digital is digital manufacturing in 2025?  appeared first on Engineering.com.

Engineering.com senior editor Michael Ouellette covers global manufacturing, including the hottest topic today, artificial intelligence. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Ouellete is skeptical, and pulls no punches in conversation with host of the Industry Insights & Trends podcast edition, Jim Anderton.

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos and podcasts.

The post The truth about AI in manufacturing appeared first on Engineering.com.

Today’s advanced design software often includes the capability to do advanced computational tasks that ere traditionally done by physical testing. The original engineering methodology was always iterative.  Design, test, break and redesign has been the hallmark of engineering for millennia, but a new generation of advanced tools suggest a future where the physical fit and test functions are replaced by software. Will real-world testing disappear in the future? And with artificial intelligence, will the role of the engineer change into something more akin to graphic design, or even art?

Engineering.com executive editor Jim Anderton discusses the future of computer-aided engineering with senior editor Michael Alba.

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos.

The post Will simulation replace engineers?  appeared first on Engineering.com.

It’s been said that additive manufacturing is the newest 25-year-old technology in industry. The science-fiction quality of complex part making from powder or liquid precursors does seem like magic, but it has evolved from a laboratory curiosity to a serious manufacturing technology.

The aerospace industry has fully embraced 3D printing, and many components are now designed for it, and can’t be made in any other way. Widespread adoption in high-volume part making however, is still limited by factors such as capital cost and machine throughput, although advances are underway which should expand additive throughout manufacturing.

Engineering.com executive editor Jim Anderton explores the complexities with senior editor Ian Wright.

***

Catch up on the latest engineering innovations with more Industry Insights & Trends videos.

The post What’s the state-of-the-art in additive manufacturing? appeared first on Engineering.com.