A Glimpse into the Future of Engineering

ThomasNet News (Leybovich) - Advances in technology, materials and business practices are likely to transform the way we engineer and produce goods. Here we look at some of the developments in science and manufacturing poised to shape the future. A rising trend in production is the democratization of the tools used in design and assembly. As more people gain access to manufacturing resources through individual or home-based systems, such as 3-D printing or "micro-factories," a new wave of customized products and designs may soon enter the global marketplace.

The broadening of production capabilities is further helped by a shift in the global supply chain, which is rapidly becoming "scale-free, able to serve the small as well as the large, the garage inventor and Sony," thanks to a surge in inexpensive but powerful prototyping tools...The long-term result is that production will increasingly shift toward smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. The concept of the "digital factory," through which engineers can upload designs and gain online access to rapid fabrication machines to produce them, is sure to play a major role in the future of mass customization.


As manufacturing becomes easier and production tools more readily available, engineers will also have a host of new materials and technologies with which to work. Popular Mechanics cites the following materials innovations that have the potential to revolutionize fabrication in the future:

• Magnetic Ink — Capable of writing and drying normally, magnetic ink is composed of iron particles that can conduct electricity, meaning it could be used to print circuits onto paper.
• Translucent Concrete — These concrete tiles, which contain optical fibers that permit light to pass through, could be used as a sturdy, transparent building material.
• Graffiti-Proof Film — Composed of a clear adhesive with a Teflon coating, this film could be applied to surfaces to make them immune to stains.
• Water-Expanding Plastic — This industrial polymer is essentially a plastic that can expand in water while retaining its proportions, allowing it to be used for producing casts for various objects.
• Anti-Fog Film — Special hydrophilic properties cause water to slide off this durable coating instead of turning into fog.
• Paper Honeycomb — Both strong and lightweight, paper honeycomb material may be used for building furniture or packaging in the future.

Engineers have also increasingly been experimenting with "smart" materials, which are shape-memory alloys that can adjust their dimensions, strength or stiffness in response to a given stimulus, such as heat, stress or voltage. Some of the suggestions for revitalizing manufacturing discussed at the roundtable include an increased focus on nanotechnology; greater integration of sensors and advanced computing into robotic systems; and a stronger focus on small-lot logistics to reduce the "flattening effect that comes from economies of scale" in the global supply chain.

The United States military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) offers another alternative, beginning work earlier this year on $200 million worth of research to reinvent the manufacturing industry, Popular Science reports. Their primary recommendation: put an end to vertical integration by separating design from production, thus cutting down on a major source of "production delays, surprises, and cost overruns."