3D printing won't replace traditional manufacturing anytime soon says reporter Drew Turney in his TechRadar article "How 3D printing to order is changing manufacturing."

"If you can mass produce a spoon out of metal stamping, 3D printing isn't going to compete with that for a number of years," he says. What 3D printing can compete with: customized parts in low volume such as out-of-circulation spare parts.

"The costs of more accurate machines will be prohibitive to entry into the consumer market for the foreseeable future," adds Turney. "Of course, in many ways only one thing will drive change, and that's the price of goods.... Along with... ease of use, low financial and technological barriers to entry are giving small 3D printing operators a whole new world to discover."

A t-shirt that monitors your health, protective gear for firefighters that can withstand the hottest flames, military uniforms that can detect chemical threats, and even clothing that regulates your temperature — cooling you down in the summer or warming you up in the winter. Those innovations are exactly what the new national center Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute out of MIT might create. Started by the White House and Gov. Baker’s office, the $317 million initiative aims to innovate to benefit American troops on the ground. Also known as Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, the initiative exists thanks to "$75 million in federal funding, $40 million in matching funds from the state, and funds from industry partners" according to the WBUR article "Mass. Chosen To Lead National Textile Manufacturing Innovation Hub."

What politicians hope the institute will create: fabrics and fibers with a range of technical capabilities — from "being incredibly lightweight or flame-resistant to storing energy or having exceptional strength." Applications include advances in health care, military technology, wearable technology, and fashion. Simply put: leaders at the new institute hope to revolutionize textile manufacturing.

The new institute is the eighth manufacturing hub selected by the Obama administration for President Obama’s federal manufacturing initiative called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. "Massachusetts already has connections with two regional manufacturing centers — one for photonics and one for flexible hybrid electronics — but this is the first to be based in the state," says WBUR reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka.
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Nearly 90 businesses, universities, and nonprofits from across the country will comprise the initiative, including:

• The University of Massachusetts, providing expertise in flexible electronics and wearable technology
• Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, providing training for skilled workers
  
• Such companies as New Balance, Nike, Bose, and Intel.

"The institute will have a prototyping facility designed to help startups test their first products and scale up new technologies into full production," adds Enwemeka.

What the institute means for Massachusetts manufacturing
The new institute will boost the state’s manufacturing sector and innovation economy, officials say. MIT plans to get the initiative off the ground in six months.

To improve lead times for you and cut inventory costs to bring you better prices, we're implementing pull manufacturing. Right now, we're working on a plan to reduce our WIP (work in process) from 14 weeks to one or less. So from the time you email us with your order to the time your order leaves our shipping dock, your parts will flow through our plant in one week or less. We'll do the same with our eight remaining product lines and then implement the entire system. 

The result: shorter lead times and lower prices for you.

Donahue Industries now sells abrasive wheel inserts in its thinnest material yet: .010" thickness. Designed to give a grinding wheel less weight, the thinner material is available for any size abrasive wheel insert.

Donahue created the thinner inserts in response to a growing trend among grinding wheel manufacturers for lighter wheels.

If you're looking for one of the fastest methods for producing metal stampings, look to progressive stamping. In progressive stamping, a steel coil moves through a feed in the press and gets stamped by multiple operations in timed sequences as it moves through the press, resulting in final parts.
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We at Donahue Industries in Massachusetts use progressive stamping to metal stamp thousands of grinding wheel inserts. 

Donahue Industries manufactures metal stampings. With decades of metal stamping experience, our tool room, manufacturing, and engineering staff meet customer expectations with product development, quality, service, and delivery.

Quality
Donahue Industries uses robust processes and controls to monitor, record, and ensure the quality and reliability of our manufacturing. Our awards for outstanding achievement in supplying products and services are a testament to our rigorous quality program based on the ISO standard.

Services
Donahue Industries is a leading international metal components manufacturer with strengths in:

Custom Product Engineering
Concept > Prototypes > Production, including bar coding capabilities and CAD designs and development. Using compound and progressive tooling, Donahue Industries manufactures metal components using services including:

• Assembly
• Bending
• Blanking
• Brazing
• Embossing
• Extruding
• Finishing
• Forming
• Heat treating
• Lettering
• Plating
• Punching
• Rust proofing
• ​Stamping
• Swaging
• Welding

Donahue Industries has the capability to supply such custom hardware as...

• Brackets
• Building hardware
• Electronic components
• Gaskets
• Supports