Soodipa Chakraborty, Author at Adamas University

POST COVID START-UP ECOSYSTEM IN INDIA

These trying times have motivated most of us to dig deep to discover new ideas while developing, and assessing opportunities. The Post-Covid job market is witnessing transformations at all levels. These are the days when skill at discovering new ideas, and delivering them, has become one of the most important practical job skills. “How a good idea can become a viable business opportunity?” – People are exploring an innovative dimension of entrepreneurship based out of wide variety of environments, be it small businesses to social enterprises or may be large corporations. Majority focuses on to choose ideas having the best potential for success and create opportunities. To create something of your own is the real motive. Here I remember the famous quote saying “Be a job creator rather than being a job seeker!” and today in reality people are trying out ways to follow these lines.

Starting an enterprise might be really doubtful by nature, but yes! There are analytical ways to follow which can definitely increase certainty and decrease some risk. A pivotal process for budding Entrepreneurs is to appraise potential opportunities while using thoughtful processes to decide on and choose opportunities which can be better positioned for growth. The key pillars of a successful transformation of idea to start-ups lie in

Conception
Design
Organization
Management

Technology entrepreneurship and impact entrepreneurship are the factors which must align creating a platform where both diverge to draw a clear vision of opportunities to create a small enterprise. In addition, learning how to create a repeatable and scalable business model is sought from aspiring Entrepreneurs. To talk about recent scenario, the COVID-19 epidemic has made many people want to understand the science behind pressing questions like: “How many people have been infected?” “How do we measure who is infected?” and these queries have initiated the formation of various small to medium scale start-ups. Be Bound India Pvt. Ltd., Faclon labs Pvt. Ltd., Ayu Devices Pvt. Ltd., Pulse Active Stations Network are to name a very few amongst various Start-ups in India who are successfully answering the questions while offering solutions. In a nut-shell a successful venture creation is all about learning to utilize proven techniques while identifying the prospect, assessing the occasion, hypothesis testing and finally creating a prototype.

Idea to Venture

Launching the Start-up, requires practical, real-world knowledge about the lean approach, the minimum viable product (MVP), the exact time to pivot, when to quit your day job, master the art of the pitching, building and managing a team, equity allocation, and building your external team, advisory board members, professional services, and entrepreneurial strategy. India since ages has provided a fertile land for self growth in terms of production of goods and creation of services. To boost-up the entire start-up ecosystem Govt. of India has floated various schemes over the past few years which further geared up with the launch of Startup India Action Plan on January 16, 2016, by Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi. In 2020 a very close to 28000 start-ups, has been recognized by The Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Post Covid situation has opened up a wide platform for creation of ventures on a no. of technical themes like development of Crowd management apps, Covid-19 detection kits, non invasive tests for various diseases, PPE-Kits production, etc. Idea to start-up creation is a really long journey which includes a no. of factors most important being the funding. Govt. of India under various different Ministries has been providing aid to potential start-ups which may seek help from a wide variety of financing options ultimately paving the path to prosperity, but how do you know where to choose from?

Govt. Funding Schemes:

Funding Agency	Scheme
Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY)	Support for International Patent Protection in Electronics & Information Technology (SIP-EIT)
	Multiplier Grants Scheme (MGS)
	Electronic Development Fund (EDF) Policy
	Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS)
	Scheme to Support IPR Awareness Seminars/Workshops in E&IT Sector
National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC)	Performance & Credit Rating Scheme
	Raw Material Assistance
	Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS)
	Infrastructure Development Scheme
	Bank Credit Facilitation Scheme
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)	National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) Refinance
	IREDA Scheme For Discounting Energy Bills
	Bridge Loan Against Generation-Based Incentive (GBI) Claims
	Loan for Rooftop Solar PV Power Projects
	Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme
Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)	Industry Relevant R&D
	Assistance to Professional Bodies & Seminars/Symposia
	Ayurvedic Biology Program
	High Risk-High Reward Research
	Technology Development Programme (TDP)
	Extra Mural Research Funding
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)	Stand Up India
	Sustainable Finance Scheme
	SIDBI Make in India Soft Loan Fund for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (SMILE)
	Startup assistance Scheme
	Growth Capital and Equity Assistance
	4E (End to End Energy Efficiency)
Department of Heavy Industries (DHI)	Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)	Atal Incubation Centres (AIC)
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)	Atal Tinkering Laboratories

These are just a few to name scheme by Govt. of India. Gone are the days of waiting with bated breath for start of funding, whatever theme you are working upon or whatsoever technology there’s always a scheme of getting funded. Start–up India (https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/home-page.html) offers it all that you will ever look for. Remember Start-ups are designed to grow quickly, but successful start-ups with right timing and knowledge grow real smarter and faster!

Why Adamas University is focused to offer B.Tech Mechanical degrees with Specialisation?

Ever wondered just how much of our fast-moving world is dependent on machines!!

The dawn of Industry 4.0 once again proves how Mechanical Engineering can serve as a gateway to various interesting and rewarding career. The oldest of all the branches, Mechanical Engineering requires a deep theoretical background in Physics and Mathematics. Along with specialized knowledge in subject specific areas, a rigid base is build throughout the Degree Course making the aspirants much competent to analyze the physical and environmental aspects. Being a Mechanical Engineering Graduate you can really work on variety of roles which involves in general product or system design, development and installation, operation and maintenance of systems.

Throughout the entire four years program the student gets a chance to get familiarized with a variety of courses, like Engineering Mechanics, Material Science, Fluid Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Thermal Engineering, Production Technology, Automobile Engineering and Mechanical Design, etc. Courses taught generally starts from brushing up the fundamentals, gradually getting exposed to synergistic integration of multidisciplinary skills and applications.

The core courses offered during the four years Mechanical Engineering degree program generally belong to either one of the following categories:

• Materials and Manufacturing
• Thermal Engineering
• Design Engineering
• Industrial Engineering & Management

Interdisciplinary courses generally opted by the student depends on his/her area of interest while some are enlisted as essential courses.

So a four years enriching Graduation Program and you earned B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, now let’s turn the other page, You Passed Out!

A Graduate – B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering

With great grades your resume attracted some of the most reputed Companies. Interview cracking was real easy since you were real confident with your knowledge base of all the subjects and finally bagged the job at once! You become a professional and start meeting people with experience and expertise in the field. Bit by bit the amalgamation of the theory and experience starts taking the bigger role and after a certain time you feel “I should have learnt some more of the topic!” The critical part lies here when this strikes your mind. The gap starts widening between your theoretical knowledge and how you dissect and approach a real life problem with the same. You suddenly start a different mode of learning- learning by doing, learning by solving, learning using your analytical skills more than the contemporary text books.

What is Model-Based Approach to Engineering studies?

Let’s take up an example of Product Modification in terms of design. Today’s digital era offers opportunities throughout the design process of any product to make significant changes, which ultimately impact the future of manufacturing systems adapted. Adamas University provides a scope for its Mechanical graduates to bring together the concepts from multiple domains with a vision to adapt the model-based approach to design and manufacturing. It starts with the concept imbibed within the students to clearly visualize that the geometry of a product is just one way of describing it. While you enrol to pursue Design specialization in Mechanical Engineering the aspirant is mentored to clearly comprehend and validate activities in the focus of design and manufacturing which
generally includes:

• Evolution of system requirements
• System design
• Performance Analysis
• Verification and Validation

The Specialisation Degree offered by Adamas University brings together the value and expectations of Design engineering while fostering a Mechanical graduate.

How Specialisation Degrees can help achieve your Goal?

Remember Engineers must possess the ability to solve problems! The Degree must be a complete package which provides concrete understanding of the subjects for the students to take up challenges to meet the fast changing technological advancements. Adamas University emphasises mainly on creating Engineers with strong analytical skills. In the current market, majority of the Companies are looking for people with a thirst for excellence. Graduates with concept and skill are high in demand
and here lies the answer how pursing specialisation courses will be an added advantage for a young aspirant. The program features Capstone Projects at the end of each semester involving creation of a roadmap to achieve a self-established Design Engineering professional goal. For example a Mechanical engineering graduate with specialisation in Design Engineering will put in meticulous efforts to achieve expertise in design, analysis and maintenance of different machine parts and along with a certified degree he/she obtains dexterity in designing various electromechanical, fluid, thermal systems. Students are encouraged to craft a roadmap to achieve personal focused goals related to a particular domain, which help them leverage relevant opportunities. The culminating project work endows a tangible element to be included in their professional portfolios which clearly showcases their knowledge of the specialisation achieved.

The Future Show

There lies an enormous possibility for new and innovative solutions to problems in a growing range of areas as you complete the program.

The recent trends in Design engineering is gradually shrinking in scale, where Engineers are working on designing microelectromechanical and even nanoelectromechanical devices and systems that may be invisible by nature but serves as an integral part to the latest technologies. Digitalization and cross fertilization of ideas serves a key role to foster innovation. The simple perceptive of “the right information, in the right place, at the right time” should flow is what creates a potential Design
Engineer. Graduates must work on creating incredibly complex machines serving across a no. of emergent and diverse range of fields, from perennially important industries such as automotive and manufacturing to emerging high-tech areas like aeronautics, biotechnology, and robotics.

Adamas University with its new dimension courses offers the aspirants a right platform to realize their fascination to comprehend on how things work and build useful machines of the future!! If you really think of obtaining something beyond mere degree certificates, Adamas University is ready to provide the extra mileage while you kick-start your career in Mechanical Engineering.

Teaching with Technology

The ongoing pandemic outbreak in India has stretched its wings swathing almost each and every sector within the Economy. More often people are talking about Industries, Global Market, Recession, but seldom one takes out time to crucially analyse the impact on Indian Education Sector. Although all Educational Institutes have declared closure since mid March 2020, the urge to provide quality education amidst any situation compels the educators to keep working 24*7. The entire Nation is witnessing a paradigm shift in terms of restructuring the Education system. Being an educator, I do keep a close eye on several platforms highlighting the new trend of online education. While the entire focus of majority of the discussion lies on whether this Online Education System is a boon or bane it is high time for us to know that the real fact is what we are referring as the “new normal” has been ruling the world since a decade. We just need time to soak in.

The key to implement Online Education System- “Teaching with Technology!!” is literally an entire universe of topics but here I will rather choose to discuss about a mini galaxy which is right there in your small pockets. Remember while getting started with technology, all of us might well know how to use different technologies but chances are most of us don’t know how to use that technology for learning.

Think of upgrading our mobiles! In today’s generation How about using a mobile with heavy weight, no touch pad and 2g connectivity, I know most of us will say “It is OUTDATED”. Nobody really likes to hold on to old technologies and the simple question here is “Who on earth is not attracted to new and exciting technologies?” The reason we constantly keep upgrading our smart-phones and even the software. We try exploring different apps and websites. It is the use of Technology which enables us to do things we couldn’t do before. Although some of us still don’t even want to get close to new technologies until we understand them better. Like few wait to upgrade their smart phones and software until they’re sure it won’t break anything or what they use don’t work anymore. The recognition and occurrence of online teaching with technology is the same.

It is well understood that implementing digital teaching methods practically opens up a platform to brainstorm on innovative ideas to choose a technology and use those technologies for teaching and learning. Educators across the Nation have been working day in and out to focus on certain crucial points to get ready before teaching with technology like rewriting the learning outcomes to include effective utilization of technology, align digital classroom resources, prepare activities, and assessments with entirely new or existing course outcome, explore universal design for learning principles are very few to be named.

Whatever phrase you come across “Instructional technology, academic technology, educational technology”, the word for teaching always comes first. Effective utilisation of Technology in teaching can play the key role in creating lucid pathways and guiding the young minds as they keep marching ahead. What Technology in Teaching offers?

Teaching and learning needs drive our technology choices and once identified, one can easily find that there are usually several technology options to help.
In terms of content sharing, technology makes it easier than ever to share content in different formats. A choice of the students creates a platform to support your current practices.
It is well understood and experienced by all Teachers from own face-to-face classes that the usual suspects are often the only ones to answer questions or contribute ideas. Technology can help facilitate participation in different ways too. Technology makes it possible to continue activities or start new ones outside of the classroom if you want to advance what you and your students do.
Speaking of engaging students, technology opens up new possibilities for learning activities. Flip your classroom or engage your students in content creation!
When it comes to assessing student learning, technology supports a wide range of options as you’ll see in the chapter on technology-based assessment. For example, technology extends typical assessment strategies, like quizzes and exams, team projects or student while
supporting more authentic assessment strategies.

Now, is it that technology can do everything? Of course not. And even if it has the capacity to do everything, it probably shouldn’t.

Integrating Technology allows making new choices about how teachers and learners spend their time. While the Educators creates a framework for making learning more inclusive, the student community must understand and see through the lines to understand the mantra of success.

“Take different paths to reach the same goal”.

Trek for life – A quick guide for your next trek

As children, as adults, we are taught to live up to expectations. Become one of the millions of people who endeavour to put the shambles of their life into a meaningful picture, all the time referring to the book of rules. Dreams that keep entwining our mind through childhood are labelled as “too big” by the world and eventually by ourselves. We apply the identical standards, identical expectations, and identical meanings to each one of our lives. Hardly ever, are we told that we have a consign in the world that is uniquely ours. You see a locked door and never realise that you can always look through the keyhole at a different angle and who knows, you might be able to unlock the door eventually.

Trekking the mountains was something like a locked door. I frequently used to travel to the mountains as a child and the dream to trek kept fascinating each time. A chase to infinity just to feel the liberty that gushes into, like the flowing mountain streams releasing the spirit to break through whatever may come. With the enthralment of the word “trekking” and with
some childhood allure to climb heights I started to hike. The first ever in my life Sandakaphu (3636m), the highest climb in West Bengal was real tough with several technical, physical hurdles on the way, the first trek entangled with the love of near and dear ones, a family eagerly awaiting your early return made it nearly impossible for me. Each day the climb became even tougher than it seemed to be! Although not a successful one, the entire trek and its incompleteness has encroached life time values, to be cherished forever. Everything on earth is mortal except your own experiences. Priority will change but your achievements will draw a smile in your face forever and meeting failure turns the curve upside down!

How to prepare?
Trekking is real fun but in the same time it becomes hard-hitting job, to cherish the scenic beauty around while gasping for air! Be motivated; start early as much as you can. Once set with the plan keep close control over your diet along with a rigorous exercise habit, no suggestion, no medicine can help you help you reach your dream destination other than this
self help. Start with brisk walking and try completing 4kms walk within at least 30 minutes. Try some squats at home and practice deep breathing. Try step climbing while at home and practice exercises to enhance cardio vascular endurance. Climbing heights comes with hazards like breathing shortness, vomiting, head ache, acute flu. Easier said than done a detail
analysis about the elevation will help you prepare physically. Start accordingly, remember even baby steps can go a long way. You may find it hard to climb a 15 feet slope but wait, check around if there are stairs on the way. Don’t keep trying to get on the slope and sliding all way downwards. Rather take your time. Climb each step; feel the journey; make memories
and nobody can really stop you from reaching the top!! Pre physical condition monitoring is just a kick start to the wonderful experience.

What to pack in the Rucksack?
Remember to pack in your own innovative way! Hikers should restrict themselves from exceeding the 15kg limit on personal luggage.

Clothing Section must have pair of trekking pant, thermal innerwear, light weight jackets, short sleeved t-shirts (Opt quick dry ones), one full sleeved trekking shirt, Sleeping pants, quick drying towel. innerwear, minimum 3 pairs of socks and Hiking shoes. Trek specific requirement like rain quancho, river shoes, etc varies according to itinerary of the trek and varying trekking conditions.
Gadget section must have a torch (headlight if required), phone chargers, powerbank, memory card and extra batteries. Passionate photographers need to accommodate their camera and lenses as well.
Sunscreen, hat, hand and toilet sanitizer, paper soaps, tooth brush, tooth paste, toilet paper are must have items for the toiletries section
Other items shall include trekking stick, water bottle, thermal bottle, sleeping bag liners, dry food containers, etc.

Watch out for provisions to leave the extra baggage at your stay so that you can hike only with a small daysack. Fill the daysack with some of the important items only that might be required before the next base camp.

Do I need Medicines?
Oh yeah! Definitely. But yes at the same time don’t start living on them until and unless advised by a doctor. For being in the safe zone, don’t try out extreme altitude trek above 5400m until you become a real experienced trekker. High altitude medical problems are real tough to be attended immediately. Start with very small elevations and your own medical kit
may find a little use! Pack some band aids, paracetmol, aspirin, stomach antibiotics, amoxicillin, rehydration packs and pain relief gel. Take proper guidance from a medical practitioner before consuming Acetazolamide drugs highly used to combat high altitude sickness.

Remember trekking comes along with potential health hazards too especially at very high altitudes one can have Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE), High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE). Proper Acclimatization serves the purpose to keep these at bay. Before planning for high ascends remember to perform a quick
research on the symptoms and their after-effects.

What I need to know about the term “acclimatization”?
Take time and Soak- in! To acclimatize is to let your body slowly mould into accepting the new environment. A thumb rule says that you should not generally ascend more than 300 metres per day and keep a day off for each 1000 metres ascend. You need to get in-tune with the changing environment. Maintain a slow pace while walking to allow your body enough time to adjust with the changing heights and weather conditions. Breathe gently through your nose to control the pace and keep rehydrating yourself. Maintain proper diet and include carbohydrate as much as possible. Energy is what you will require all through.

Over and above learn by heart to embrace your own stance to settle on your extent. Believe that all beautiful feelings of the world are real tough to achieve. There’s nothing called easy trek, everything lies in the mind including your strength to rise above any hurdle. Keep exploring and trying pushing your limits harder than ever. Though my first elevation gain of 3636m remained incomplete, I happily completed scaling 4633m the very next year. So don’t lose hope with failure rather plan wisely.

Happy Trekking!

Suggested Read:
• http://www.natgeotraveller.in/trekking-guide-expert-tips-on-how-to-pick-a-trail-pack-prepfor-any-terrain/
• https://devilonwheels.com/trekking-in-himalayas-comprehensive-guide/

Will 2025 see the Manufacturing Sector Dwell in Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem?

The genome of Additive manufacturing have strengthen the Society in terms of converting ideas into products, ready to be practically launched within a very short span of time. The Manufacturing sector is reinvigorating in terms of adapting additive manufacturing technologies. Business setups in the near future will emphasize largely on 3D Printing technology to upgrade product design and development. Rapid prototyping of parts can create products to ensure quality that the consumer expects is actually being met during the build process. This becomes a vital part in terms of budget allocation for small business set ups.

Rethink-Re Design-Reprint:

A new product or an existing product- constant monitoring in terms of product design as an outcome of customer feedback is the call of the hour. A digital thread which takes in physical manufacturing process in the loop to recreate the product design is what Industries are likely to adapt. Additive Manufacturing methods offer you flexibility in terms of accommodating
modifications in design with great ease.

Creation of prototype is a process of 24 hour design cycle: design at work, print 3D parts overnight, dispatch for testing, upon customer feedback tweak the design, and the cycle keeps repeating. A hopping increase in the additive manufacturing services of almost 40% every year, clearly signifies the commercial potential of 3D printing in terms of mass personalization

Gradually with manufacturing exodus the Global market is witnessing a paradigm shift in terms adapting Technological innovation. Engineering expertise has taken the pilot sit and companies are adapting newer and faster manufacturing methods. 2015 marked demand for Additive Manufacturing technologies largely in automotive industries, consumer products, business and industrial equipment, aerospace and prototyping which shall really catch up faster to a CAGR growth of 21.8% within the term of 2019-2025, as reported in Allied Market Research

Increase in expenditure on final part production as reported by Wohler’s associates in the year 2020 is a clear marking of trend of Manufacturing Sector to scale up production while adapting Additive manufacturing technologies.

Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem in a nut shell

Havard Business Review states that “The ecosystem now includes an array of contract printers, consultants, and suppliers of software and quality-control scanning systems along with makers of printers and materials” Manufacturing by additive manufacturing is the plunge to be taken
by most of the Industries whilst summing up stratum of decisions at various levels of management.

• Less Inventory-Manufacturing Onshore
Gone are the days to order and wait for parts to reach you with a long time gap, huge transportation charges, and shipping faults. Creation of local hubs to manufacture parts is the key advantage. Additive Manufacturing, at your door step offers solution to strengthen supply chain system by creating local hubs. Part complexity addressed with ease leads to increased
lead time hence boosting the entire production process. The ideas of devoting acres of shelving to vast inventories are kept at bay. Companies are
envisioned to turn hub warehouses into mini-factories accepting challenge to produce and deliver customized parts to customers as and when required

• Integrating Electronics into the system
With a capability to print electronic circuit and components like antennae and sensors embedded onto the walls of objects, the requirement of post assembly has been largely reduced. The latest breakthrough in terms of printing antennas working at different band-with and reconfigurable design has been reported by Harris Corp. in 2019, which can prove its potential in impacting precision machinery configurations largely utilised in defence and satellite services. The flexibility of systems in terms of customization or fragmentation in many product categories provides a new dimension of manufacturing especially for the defence equipment manufacturers and medical equipment manufacturers.

• Additive Manufacturing for End-Use Parts
Ease to manufacture End-Use Parts has boosted largely the automotive sector in terms of part assembly requirement. Based on reports, major automobile companies like BMW and Honda, are adapting manufacturing of many industrial tools and end-use car parts in their factories and dealerships. In the month of January 2020 Boeing 777X set its first flight with more than 300 3D printed parts paved a success way for the entire Aviation industry to work in terms of adapting additive manufacturing processes.

• Outsource 3D Printing Services
With small investments setting up a manufacturing unit is no more a dream. How about a platform of technological data exchange like in terms of design data and product realisation? Any person can create design sitting at any part of the world and in terms of design realisation there are hubs where the product can be outsourced. Large Companies vie on developing platforms connecting small companies to build and connect. The flattening cost curve of 3D printers will further open up scope to get the job done without even owning multiple set ups. The future clearly lies in contemplating high standard product quality while fostering
innovation. The bottom up approach for manufacturing adapted is predicted to redesign the entire canvas. Adapting Additive Manufacturing technology for a Company is a mere time taken by it to put a toe in the water and start experiencing, once the benefit of manufacturing flexibility bask in they will definitely dive in deep!

Suggested Read:

https://hbr.org/2015/05/the-3-d-printing-revolution

https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/the-game-changer-3d-printing-technology-for-rapid-prototyping/

https://www.nano-di.com/blog/breakthrough-3d-printing-of-rf-antennas-showcased-byharris-corp-at-2019-ieee-radio-wireless-week-0

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/boeing-777x-300-3d-printed-parts-290120205/

https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/a-key-to-smart-supply-chain-management/

The game changer “3D Printing technology” for Rapid Prototyping

A brief overview about FDM 3D Printers

Production sector has always been a cosmic area to explore and ever since the evolution of man-kind, people has been working on the conventional methods like casting, forging and different machining processes. Diversification of products stimulated technological invention and adaption of the same by the industries. This helped in gaining momentum in production hence reducing time as well as cost of production.

From the late 17th Century, the revolutionary Industry 1.0 starting setting its impact in changing the methods of production. Utilisation of power from steam and water became effective and the invention of Steam Engine by James Watt marked a substantial effect in the first industrial revolution.

Industry 2.0 referring to the period between 1870 and 1914 witnessed advancements in terms of technology and this can be marked as a crucial time when Industries saw a huge boom in terms of production rate. Major machineries were driven electrically hence decreasing the real time for production and human labour.

The late 20th century brought about digital revolution with Industry 3.0 and computer integration of machineries started taking control over the conventional ones.

Industry 4.0, the fourth aeon of modernisation in terms of technology incorporated Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) which led to synergistic integration of sophisticated software in heavy duty machineries. AI, IOT, Big Data, Machine learning being the counterpart the emphasis was mainly on build Smart Manufacturing Systems equipped to self learn and control parameters.

3D printers proved to be the game changer in this new era. 3D printing technology forms an integral part of the Rapid Prototyping technology which helped to examine products before it was sent off to the market, especially in case of mass production. Miniature prototypes of products were being made with the aid of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software.

3D Printing

In the wake of Industry 4.0, the concept of additive manufacturing revolutionized the conventional methods of material removal from the stock as in case of CNC machines, hence largely optimizing the requirement of raw material. Several variety of 3D printer including Stereo lithography (SLA) types 3D printers, Digital Light Processing (DLP) Fused deposition Modelling (FDM) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Electronic Beam Melting (EBM), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), Binder Jetting (BJ) catered to the need of manufacturing desired products in terms of strength, surface finish, etc. The most important point to be noted is the elimination of chip formation in the whole process and as a whole 3D printing emerged as a “Green Technology”.

FDM works wonder to prototype designs:

The Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printers are one of the predominant types of 3D printers. With an ease to produce products layer by layer following bottom up model any CAD model can be realized into physical product. The filament, thermoplastic (usually PVA or ABS) is melt and extruded through a small nozzle which has mobility in three dimensions over a build platform usually of glass. A CAD file in .stl format is uploaded in the system which is read by the motherboard of the printer. Usually a micro controller serves the purpose to drive the process, by guiding a set of motors that moves the print head in three dimensions. The movement of the print head is according to the digital design file uploaded. Layers of deposited material can be achieved as low as 100 microns and this technology has been proved effective in producing fairly strong objects. Mastering the art of 3D printing can be as easy as to extract or create a .stl file and uploading the same in the setup. Few useful sources to create/extract files for 3D Printing can be easily accessed, viz.

Fusion360
Hackerspace
Thingiverse
TinkerCad.
Ultimaker

Further equipped with a 3D scanner the printing process can become more simple while creating prototypes of any object. Being one of the most promising technologies, 3D printers can effortlessly create any product that already exists as well as those that have never ever been made before.

The potential of the technology extents its horizon to every sphere of manufacturing from medical PPE kits to building homes. In fact the use of this technology can go as far as your imagination.

A key to smart supply chain management

A key to smart supply chain management: Utilising Smart Manufacturing Technologies to address real time demand and supply crisis within Industries amidst the Covid-19 outbreak

The impact of the global Covid-19 epidemic is evolving each and every minute. It is virtually impossible to look in any sphere of life and not see a blotch of the pandemic, from our daily lives to workplace, extending to communities and Global market the industrial sector being hit the hardest. With several unidentified rudiments of the outbreak, each hour the situation continues to unfold along bringing up unprecedented challenges for the future. One of the biggest challenges is bolstering the economy of the country which will require thinking differently about the market, include the creation of new business models, changes in the supply chain, digitalization and cost-optimization exercises. As the world observes together how the virus and its after-effects unfold, the heavy industry is up against some unique challenges. While the fragmented nature of the supply side adds up to a large segment of the problems, adding up to that chaos in terms of shortage of resources, untimely procurement, stock-out, erroneous artwork, product recalls sums up resulting a huge loss of business and revenue. Roadblocks in the areas of order management and fulfilment of the supply chain, impacts the entire production process. Across the Globe, the real call of the situation lies in empowering industries with the visibility to digitalize the supply chain in real-time in-order to absorb demand- supply fluctuations faster.

• 3D Printers for smart and rapid manufacturing

Automation being a game-changer in supply chain management utilised Leverage track-and trace technologies, RFID systems, Bluetooth technology Robots which have proved their potentiality in supply chain digitalization for heavy industries. The new era of smart manufacturing by 3D printers can further breakdown the silos to embrace a comprehensive approach towards Industry 4.0. Supply chains suffer from global sprawl, with months required to design and source components, and then assemble them into a finished product. Installing a 3D printer along with some spools of wire or other generic inputs easily converts idea, and it’s just a matter of few days create a prototype nearly any desired product Generic inputs require far less negotiation and planning. Low infrastructure requirements, enhanced mobility, flexible programmability and more adaptability can leverage expeditious product development and manufacturing. A ‘greener’, more energy-efficient and cost efficient production method can effectively lower the risk of overproduction and excess inventory and reduces the carbon footprint.

The ‘portable’ nature of the technology will enable businesses to take production to local markets or customers faster. The ease of a local build opens the potential for significant transportation and logistics cost reductions. As a result, the Global economy will witness shift away from mass production in low-cost countries in favour of more local assembly hubs. Majority of parts can be made within hours or days instead of weeks, significantly reducing manufacturing downtime. As envisioned, the future supply chain, the customer places the order first, and then a local, highly automated 3D printing shop fabricates the finished product and then delivers it, often via drones. A complementary technology in multiple areas,
3D printers, across the supply chain can prove to be a key prospect for companies to reengineer their buy-make-store-move-sell supply chain for economical advantage. As correctly said “When the going Gets Tough, The Smart Gets Smarter”- while the clock ticks by, it is worth a realization that adapting a smart technology can only ensure a smarter business model.