3D printing: Future of manufacturing

Breakthrough: Prof Tal Dvir presenting a 3D print of a heart with human tissue in April 2019 in Israel – it was hailed as advancing the possibilities for transplants. — AFP

KEEPING up with the fast pace of technology is essential for a country to remain competitive in the present global economy. One industry that is heavily reliant on technology is manufacturing. The global market is pushing for the fourth industrial revolution, or IR4.0, and the development of advanced manufacturing is an essential part of realising this vision.

IR4.0 comprises nine pillars of digital transformation for the manufacturing industry: autonomous robots, simulated and augmented reality, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, cloud computing, horizontal and vertical system integration, additive manufacturing, and big data analytics.