Essentium Blog

Historically, 3D printing has been viewed as a prototyping technology — toys for engineers and inventors to experiment with different designs and materials on a small scale. When a product is ready for mass production, that’s when proven subtractive manufacturing processes usually take over to make the molds and affordably produce large quantities at scale […]

PEEK is a high-performance, semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer used extensively in the aerospace, oil and gas, medical device, and chemical process industries. It has excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained at elevated temperatures, with some grades having a continuous-use operating temperature of up to 500° F (260° C). PEEK is highly resistant to […]

Digital transformation is affecting every aspect of business operations, from resource procurement to end-user delivery. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, robotics, and autonomous vehicles are reshaping every link in the supply chain, automating and modernizing entire workflows.

No matter how you slice it, when you make something using traditional subtractive manufacturing processes, you create waste through cutting, grinding, drilling or otherwise machining away sections from a solid block of raw material to create a desired form — material that you paid for.

Water. It’s the foundation of all life on earth, but it’s a killer when it comes to the quality and consistency of 3D printed parts. The moisture content in thermoplastic extrusion materials used by 3D printers needs to be properly controlled during filament manufacture, storage, and when printing to achieve best results. Improper handling at […]

In the mass manufacturing world, 3D printing is usually not used to make a finished piece. Rather, it is an enabling technology. Additive manufacturing is used to help other machines, robots and workers do their jobs better by creating lightweight yet durable jigs and fixtures that securely hold a tool or an unfinished part in […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a bright light on the fragility of our supply chains. Who would have thought that in a country like America, we would ever see stores stripped bare of essentials like toilet paper and pasta? That our medical professionals and first responders would run out of PPE? Or that domestic factories […]

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that supply chains can be disrupted suddenly and without any indication of how long the interruption will last. Manufacturers need to have a Plan B to keep their factory floors humming in the event of a disruption to their sources of raw materials, parts, and tools. […]

Now more than ever, the aerospace industry needs to implement more efficient procurement and shorter production cycles. The coronavirus pandemic has taught us very quickly that 1) supply chains can be interrupted for indeterminable lengths of time and 2) the sudden decline in passengers means airlines have to find new ways to cut costs. That’s […]