I’ve heard additive manufacturing is key to driving innovation in our industry, but how does it really deliver value? We’ve looked at some additive manufacturing machines, but how can we justify the expense when we’re trying to eliminate our capital expenditures? Is additive manufacturing worth the investment?

I field questions like these every time I host or attend additive manufacturing conferences for small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) through the MEP National Network. As the senior product development engineer at MAGNET, part of the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), my goal is to educate SMMs and other MEP centers on how additive manufacturing can help small businesses compete against larger industrial players.

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