PLM Software: Managing Product Data From First Sketch to Production
When a new client calls me about PLM software, the first question I ask isn’t about the software at all.…
Author: Robert Smith
Robert Smith writes about industrial technology and manufacturing for reprappro.com, covering 3D printing, automation, and the tools shaping modern production. He focuses on practical, plain language insights for industrial and manufacturing professionals looking to stay current on emerging technology.
CAD/CAM Software: Turning Design Files Into Accurate Machine Toolpaths
The file an engineer sends me is never the part. Instead, it is a promise of a part. Between that…
FDM vs SLA: Choosing the Right Print Process for Functional Parts
The first functional part I ever printed for a production line taught me more about FDM vs SLA than any…
SLS 3D Printing: When Powder Bed Fusion Beats Injection Molding
Nearly every week someone sends me a CAD file and asks the same thing: “Should we just cut a mold?”…
Machine Vision for Quality Inspection: A Practical Buyer’s Guide
I have lost count of how many times I have been called to a plant to look at a machine…
Digital Twin Technology in Manufacturing: Use Cases That Actually Deliver
Digital twin technology first earned my trust on a packaging line that kept jamming at the case erector. That was…
IT/OT Convergence: Bridging Office Systems and Factory Equipment
The first time I saw the real cost of skipping IT OT convergence, I was walking a plant floor as…
Industrial Network Design: Building Reliable Connectivity for the Plant Floor
The first time I watched a production line stop because of an industrial network problem, nobody in the room thought…
What Makes a Smart Factory? Core Technologies and Realistic First Steps
A few years ago, the operations director at a plant building commercial water heaters walked me past what he called…
Industrial IoT Basics: Connecting Machines Without Overhauling Your Floor
A few years back, a facilities manager walked me past a row of rotary screw compressors and a chiller that…