Closing Technology Gaps Can Fortify Advanced Manufacturing
February 1, 2017
"To spur innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing, as well as save over $100 billion annually, U.S. industry must rectify currently unmet needs for measurement science and `proof-of-concept' demonstrations of emerging technologies," said a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) spokesperson. "This is the overall conclusion reached by economic studies funded by NIST of four advanced manufacturing areas used to create everything from automobile composites to zero-noise headsets."
"Gaps in the technology infrastructure - including the lack of reliable measurement and test methods, scientifically based standards and other formal knowledge and tools - limit advanced manufacturing's further development and adoption," said NIST economist Gary Anderson, coordinator of the economic studies prepared by RTI International, an independent nonprofit research institute.
The studies look at the impact of technology gaps on these advanced manufacturing areas:
- Additive manufacturing, a process also known as 3-D printing
- Advanced robotics and automation
- Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing - the fabrication of electronic devices on a roll of flexible plastic or metal
- Smart manufacturing - where all manufacturing data from design to finished product is electronically exchanged and processed.
For more information contact:
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
301-975-8000 / 800-437-4385
www.nist.gov
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