{"id":43595,"date":"2025-11-05T06:32:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=43595"},"modified":"2025-11-05T06:36:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:36:52","slug":"what-weve-learned-about-next-generation-hardware-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/what-weve-learned-about-next-generation-hardware-manufacturing","title":{"rendered":"What we\u2019ve learned about next generation hardware manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We believe that next generation hardware manufacturing represents a seismic shift. We see from our own clients and the companies we interact with that certain specific trends are affecting the industry. These trends are almost universal, but the timing is different across different sectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see shorter product cycles, \u2018smarter\u2019 hardware\u2019 shorter more resilient supply chains and commercial and environmental sustainability as key drivers. More than this, we see that the next generation of hardware isn\u2019t just faster and more connected, it\u2019s actually looking more like software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More and faster is part of the human condition, and so it is that throughout the evolution of manufacturing we have strived for both. Today the cascade of technological innovation is constantly accelerating the development of new products.\u00a0As such they need to be made more quickly, are upgraded more quickly and require in-use support long-after the OEM has moved on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we continue to evolve Shapeways, we\u2019re creating a digital manufacturing ecosystem that keeps pace with the product development and gives all manufacturers the ability to make supply chains more resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Converging expectations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2008 we\u2019ve been able to work with everyone from first-time designers, hobbyists, small- and medium-scale manufacturers through to blue chips and governments. From the outset what each of these groups was looking for was different, but they have also evolved along a similar path in the years since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with any technology we have access to for the first time, the initial projects will be relatively lower in value, with fewer risks. A roll of the dice. For us this was early model making and prototyping depending on the customer. These early use cases (which are still relevant) explored the geometric freedom of 3D printing, and made use of the ability to quickly turn an idea into something tangible\u2026 if not the \u2018real thing\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time each group has become more confident in the technologies and our ability to deploy them and asked for more from their parts in return. Hobbyists want finer details, colour, materials choices. Companies want more functional prototypes, even quicker turnaround and access to materials and technologies that can realize end-use and increasingly critical parts. With that comes a plethora of other needs: traceability, repeatability, quality control and expansive materials palettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes next generation hardware different?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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3D Engineer compiling a build<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Every part exists now as data points before it becomes physical. Traditional manufacturing technologies and associated supply chains and systems don\u2019t always have the ability to leverage that fact. Additive manufacturing<\/a> as the core technology of a digital manufacturing ecosystem can move more responsively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New hardware is smarter, leveraging rapid developments in sensing and mobile computing to join the ‘Internet of things’. It’s also more likely to have a distinct software component either onboard, through an app or both. And it will be obsolete more quickly as the integrated electronics elements drive versioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A confluence of forces are driving this shift in hardware manufacturing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n