AUGUST 202219MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSBy Prafulla Neema, Program Director and Elizabeth Hoegeman, Executive Director of Global Manufacturing, Cummins [NYSE:CMI]The future is often discussed as if it is far away, but Cummins Inc. believes the future starts today. Cummins is creating the future by reimagining how to manufacture in a digital world, taking its manufacturing operations and processes to a higher digital level. The company has joined the fourth industrial revolution, otherwise known as Industry 4.0, by marrying physical production and operations with smart digital technology, machine learning, and big data to create a more holistic and better-connected ecosystem. A cornerstone of Cummins' Industry 4.0 strategy is advanced manufacturing technologies; and the company is developing and deploying many new manufacturing processes and technologies, including additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing. Additive manufacturing is a process of manufacturing that produces a physical 3D object by computer-controlled material addition from a digital design. The process deposits material, which can be plastic, metal, carbon fiber, etc., one layer at a time onto a previous layer, to manufacture an object.The product and manufacturing engineering teams at Cummins have printed parts using polymer (plastic and resin) for years. The company has used polymer for several applications in many areas of business including tooling (the rollers used to pleat the filters the company manufacturers), molds (for end housing and other applications), fixtures (handles and extensions to improve ergonomics constraints and other equipment in Cummins plants), and to produce functional prototypes. REIMAGINING MANUFACTURINGIN THE DIGITAL ERAPrafulla NeemaCXO INSIGHTS
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