Professor Neil Hopkinson is Director of 3D Printing
at Xaar. Professor Hopkinson spent 20 years in academia conducting research in
the field of additive manufacturing, before joining Xaar in 2016 to
build a 3D Printing business utilising the company’s world leading technology and
one of his own inventions, High Speed Sintering.
Neil is talking on the opening day of The
Engineer Conference, 1130 on Tuesday 5 June. In this exclusive interview, he
explains why a diverse workforce is crucial and why we should pay more
attention to Oscar Wilde.
As one of the
pioneers of 3D printing in the UK, tell us more about where it can go
next, specifically in terms of mainstream manufacturing?
3D printing/additive manufacturing applications are expanding beyond
prototyping into a vast range of end use products. The key challenge to wider
mainstream adoption of 3D printing for production is the cost to make
parts. Higher throughput processes and competitive supply chains will be
the key to reducing part cost and the inevitable adoption of 3D printing as
another manufacturing tool in the box alongside injection moulding and CNC
machining.
What will
delegates take from your presentation at The Engineer Conference?
I hope that delegates appreciate the immediacy of the opportunity – 3D printing
for part production is a field that is moving quickly. Attendance at this event
will help delegates understand where the technology does and does not make
sense. They should draw inspiration on where and how they can best add
value to their organisations through 3D printing.
How important is
it for manufacturing to have a diverse workforce and what can industry and/or Government
do to help?
This is huge. 3D printing is re-writing the way we imagine,
design, make, deliver and use products. To maximise the benefits we can
collectively draw from this re-defining technology we require a breadth of
mindsets from a diverse workforce.
What would you put
in Engineering Room 101?
Cynicism. More specifically, cynicism that is based on gut reaction
rather than balanced information. In the early days of 3D printing, most people
said the technology would only be used for prototyping and never for
production. In this field cynics see slow, expensive technology and don’t
see the value of the product that comes out; they fail to grasp the potential
to create value through differentiated products and services. As Oscar
Wilde once observed – a cynic is someone who sees the cost of everything and
the value of nothing.
BOX OUT QUOTE: 3D printing is
re-writing the way we imagine, design, make, deliver and use products. To
maximise the benefits we can collectively draw from this re-defining technology
we require a breadth of mindsets from a diverse workforce.
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