Japan holds seminar to discuss the future of 3D printing and changes in manufacturing

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan held the first meeting of the 'New Manufacturing Research Association' on October 15, 2013. The seminar aims to analyze the 'new manufacturing trend' caused by changes in the industrial structure with the advent of new tools such as 3D printers and the advancement of digitization and networking from a broad perspective. Discussions will be conducted from various perspectives such as corporate strategy, what kind of human resources will be needed in the future, and the improvement of the intellectual property system, with the aim of helping Japanese companies increase their added value and strengthen their competitiveness. Processes, products, and the industry itself will change In the materials prepared by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Bureau, the discussion points are roughly divided into two categories. The first category is 'innovation in manufacturingIn the aspect of manufacturing innovation, we will discuss the possibilities and limitations of using '3D printers' that create opportunities for new trends in manufacturing sites. At present, there are two types of innovations being carried out, recognizing that there are problems such as strength, cost, and materials. One is to innovate the manufacturing process by taking advantage of the characteristics that digital data can be directly transferred to materials; the other is to innovate products and make The shape of the unrealizable structure becomes a reality. The envisaged discussion points have the following four aspects: evaluating the current 3D printer and peripheral technologies; looking forward to the technological progress in the next 10 years or so, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of deposition modeling technology; the source of product differentiation (manufacturing experience, craftsman's technology) The future; implications for SMEs. Regarding the second category, that is, the possibility of changes in the form of manufacturing and society, in addition to the above-mentioned innovations in processes and products, which fields (industries and markets, etc.) of the industry itself will change are also the first points to be discussed. . On this basis, three changes are expected to occur, namely (1) the promotion of the value chain utilizing digitization and networking; (2) accelerating the use of open networks and entering new manufacturing industries; (3) changes in social patterns. (1) The main points of discussion are, including the transformation of 'independence principle(2) The discussion point is to actively attract users from the stage of product planning, to match the products with social needs, to promote the openness of product development to create high value-added products, and to improve the intellectual property rights that can activate this openness, etc. environment; related services that are expected to be developed in the above-mentioned surrounding areas and the role that the concentration of small and medium-sized manufacturing industries in Japan can play; how to increase new enterprises to activate manufacturing. 12 members from industry and academia participated in the planning. Including Junjiro Nitake, professor of the Graduate School of Economics at the University of Tokyo, who is the chairman, there are 12 members of the New Manufacturing Research Association. The other members are Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology College. Honorary Professor Asahina Keiichi, Representative Director of NC Network (Headquarters: Tokyo) Yasuo Uchihara, Representative Director of nomad (Headquarters: Tokyo) Ogasawara Haru, Professor of the Faculty of Engineering, Kinki University Hideki Kyogoku, SIGMAXYZ (Headquarters: Tokyo) Partners Shiba Numa Shunichi, Kei Koya Tanaka, associate professor of the Faculty of Environmental Information, Ouijuku University, Kazuhiko Toyama, CEO, Representative Director of Management Co-Creation Foundation (Headquarters: Tokyo), Toshiki Ninno, professor of the Institute of Production Technology, University of Tokyo, Yuko Noguchi, attorney of Morihamada Matsumoto Law Firm, Tokyo Shunji Yamanaka, professor of the University's Institute of Production Technology, and Daichi Watanabe, representative director of JMC (Headquarters: Yokohama City). At the first meeting, the committee members first introduced themselves, and then Tanaka and Watanabe delivered speeches respectively. Tanaka also serves as the representative of Japan and East Asia for the public workshop network 'FabLabWatanabe introduced the current situation and issues of 3D printers that he personally experienced during the service process in combination with the 3D printer molding service and other businesses carried out by JMC. Finally, after the committee members expressed their opinions on the content of the speech, the meeting ended. The second meeting of the New Manufacturing Research Association will be held on October 29, 2013. After that, 4 to 5 meetings will be held at the frequency of once a month, and the reports will be compiled. The New Manufacturing Research Council also discusses the measures and responsibilities that the government needs to take, and the results of the discussions will be reflected in the deliberations and future policy formulations.