The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) announced a new initiative called Innovations That Could Change The Way You Manufacture. This member-driven initiative outlines the emerging technologies that are making a positive impact on manufacturing. It also provides an educational framework for SME members and manufacturing practitioners to keep up-to-date on the industry’s latest and greatest innovations.

      These innovations, which include such what’s hot advancements as Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM); what’s now like self-assembling nanotechnology and what’s green or eco-friendly like ultracapacitors will be showcased at the Competitive Manufacturers Conference. The Conference, scheduled for June 17-19 at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg, is designed to connect manufacturing professionals to leading industry experts.

      The innovations initiative was born out of a series of meetings, e-mail exchanges and other communications between SME’s Technical Community Network (TCN) and the larger manufacturing community. The TCN requested nominations for ideas from the community, kept some and eliminated others, and then presented its findings to SME’s Manufacturing Enterprise Council (MEC) for review. The council collaboratively selected five innovations that could change the way you manufacture, based on such criteria as universality across industries, positive impact on manufacturing, current availability for integration, and overall industry value. These innovations include:

      •Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM)

      •Ultracapacitors

      •Self-Assembling Nanotechnology

      •Intelligent Device Integration (IDI)

      •Integrated 3-D Simulation And Modeling/Desktop Super Computers.

      Some, like DDM, ultracapacitors and self-assembling technology are already making an impact on industry, while others such as, lDI and integrated 3-D simulation and modeling/desktop super computers, hold great potential for industry-wide use.

            As Richard “Dick” Morley, a council member and founder of R. Morley Inc. (RMI) - a consulting firm that specializes in the application of advanced technologies in the manufacturing and computer systems industries - explained “It is becoming an essential part of our nation’s key manufacturing industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical and even entertainment. The automotive industry uses DDM as a part of additive fabrication to build assembly aids. Orthopedic surgeons use it to create customized metal joint implants. It has even been used by

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