Additive Manufacturing: Myth and Reality

Two recent articles on additive manufacturing dispel assumptions about this technology. One is that additive manufacturing competes with machining. Mold maker VistaTek explains that it complements machining instead. The other is that additive manufacturing is suitable for prototyping but not production of critical parts. GE Aviation is pressing through the challenges of additive production to realize the promise of what one GE engineer calls “the future of manufacturing.”