AMT Tech Trends

Episode 91: Ben and Steve are excited to go to Automate! Stephen talks about his trip filming in Detroit and the rental car he drove. Benjamin loves clamps but thinks Nano Dimension’s takeover bid for Stratasys isn’t cool. Steve closes with thoughts on companies failing to play nice and follow the rules. - https://www.ctemag.com/news/industry-news/clamping-technology-supports-high-end-parts-produc...

Episode 90: Ben and Steve discuss the best hand tools for the job, whether professional, Shadetree, or hobbyist. Stephen also tells us how his soft hands, wimp, can’t play guitar for over fifteen minutes. Benjamin shares his excitement over the nuclear power sector’s use of additive manufacturing. Steve claims handmade is dead; long live advanced manufacturing! Ben thinks GE is betting big on US m...

Episode 89: Steve learns that the “MFG” in the MFG Meeting stands for “Manufacturing For Growth” and reports that smart glasses’ viability is still not quite there. Stephen announces that he will be experimenting with ChatGPT to determine if it can be employed effectively as CAM software. Also, Steve will be attending the Silicon Valley Robotics (SVR) Robot Block Party on April 8th! Ben discusses...

Episode 88: Those dweebs Ben and Steve talk about wedding bands. Benjamin is excited that robot software and setup are getting easier and more accessible. Stephen shares some detective work about Dior’s new 3D-printed shoe concept. Ben thinks sustainable aircraft could be in our future. Steve closes with a story on how the USMC outsmarted DARPA’s advanced AI and automation. - https://www.automatio...

Episode 87: Ben and Steve are back from their first work trips of 2023! Benjamin returned from the A3 Business Forum in Orlando, FL, where he organized a committee meeting to discuss the current technological woes of manufacturing. Stephen has returned from SHOT Show in Vegas, where he was a kid in a candy store both personally and professionally, and he managed to enjoy the show while dealing wit...

Episode 86: Steve’s car’s blood (oil) test returned negative for abuse, so more track days will come in 2023! Ben had a blast at the Tech Departments end of year trip to the gun range. Stephen takes back what he said about getting a German robot, they don’t want to sell to us, but at least he has plans for SHOT Show! Benjamin has some manufacturing technology trends to watch out for in 2023! Steve...

5 CrAzY days of AMT Tech Trends Podcast at IMTS 2022 replays! TecHanukkah Day 5: They made it! Ben’s got a four-letter word on his mind, MARS! Steve concludes that his travel strategies have been a success. Benjamin feels the same; only he wishes he had packed more casual clothes. Stephen talks about some of the incredible people he met at IMTS. Ben starts blabbing about wearable technology again....

5 CrAzY days of AMT Tech Trends Podcast at IMTS 2022 replays! TecHanukkah Day 4: Ben and Steve (as well as many more AMT friends) have done a tone of booth interviews. Benjamin is still blown away by all the automation at the show. Stephen is jealous that AMRs don’t need a test to be forklift certified. Ben says the DoD wants to use more additive and not just to make wrenches. Explore, watch, read...

5 CrAzY days of AMT Tech Trends Podcast at IMTS 2022 replays! TecHanukkah Day 3: Ben wants to hear about Steve’s adventures around Chicago in the IMTS Rally Fighter. Steve tips the hat to Jacob, who designed the current livery for the Rally Fighter. Benjamin is still staying in but reports that more F1 teams are 3D printing brackets to hold sensors on their cars. Stephen is excited that Optomec br...

5 CrAzY days of AMT Tech Trends Podcast at IMTS 2022 replays! TecHanukkah Day 2: Stephen’s been pumping out a ton of video content for IMTS 2022, including a visit to a local Chicago distillery: Koval. Benjamin likes his hotel room and ran the Miles for Manufacturing (M4M) 5K fundraiser. Steve talks for a long time about pizza. Ben tries to change the subject to hypersonics. They close with data w...

5 CrAzY days of AMT Tech Trends Podcast at IMTS 2022 replays! TecHanukkah Day 1: Ben and Steve Collect their thoughts after the first day of IMTS 2022 and report on how their tradeshow strategies are working. Stephen claims the IMTS 2022 crowd is the most diverse group of people in the manufacturing industry. Benjamin gets giddy over automation use cases. They can’t decide what they want to see ne...

Episode 85: Steve is so abusive to his car that he has his oil mass spectrometry analyzed every 30,000 miles. Ben wants to go to the range and shoot. Stephen announces a new robotic arm that he will buy for the testbed and is waiting for a quote. Benjamin and Steve discuss how far the industry has come in 2022 and what they are looking for in 2023. Explore, watch, read, learn, join, and connect at...

Episode 84: Steve opens with his adventure getting his motorcycle suspension tuned and tailored to his weight. Ben introduces the 2022 Oxford dictionary word of the year, then transitions to ultrasonic propulsion, and then the superiority of WiFi 6 over 5G. Stephen applauds Microsoft for testing the Earth’s oceans as a home for our D-waste. Benjamin thinks robot dogs will make great firefighters,...

Episode 83: Steve’s solved a steak problem. Ben shares some alternative (read: better) thanksgiving dish ideas. Benjamin then announces that MIT’s solution to a bad algorithm was to solve a differential equation. Stephen shows that China put a gun on a robot dog. Ben thinks plant inspections are for walking robot dogs of the future. Steve thinks that Industrie 5.0 is coming. - https://www.engadget...

Episode 82: Steve is going to a manufacturing industry adjacent tradeshow that he and Ben have been trying to get into for a long time; Ben will for sure go next year (2024), though. Stephen also talks about how it felt to cut the first part off the new testbed CNC. Benjamin shares six innovations on display in the additive pavilion at IMTS. Steve gets all excited over lean leadership. Ben tries t...

Episode 81: Ben and Steve are done with the fallout from hurricane Ian and are almost ready to welcome some snow. Benjamin is excited about a new aluminum alloy. Stephen talks about a high-speed extrusion head that can lay down a kilo of printed polymer per hour. Ben gets to the bottom of why industrial robotics is rising. Stephen discusses two more points he and Ben left out from the last episode...

Episode 80: Ben and Steve have returned home from IMTS2022 and discuss their IMTS postpartum depression. Benjamin tries to go over eight critical takeaways from IMTS 2022 without interruption. Stephen ensures his failure with his drooling over ultrasonic additive. - https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/8-Key-Takeaways-from-IMTS-2022/1671/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles?page=1 - https://www.engin...

Episode 79: Ben and Steve are packing up for IMTS2022 and discuss their packing strategies. Benjamin introduces an article on robot risk assessment. Stephen talks about an aftermarket air filter for consumer polymer 3D printers. Ben brings up converting plastic waste into 3D printing materials. Steve mentions new Toyota AGVs. Benjamin closes with relying on and trusting data. Happy IMTS! - https:/...

Episode 78: Ben and Steve discuss their favorite adult beverages to quaff in Chicago. They continue the theme of the last episode but, this time set their sights on the east and west halls, including all the programs available on the main stage. - https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/How-to-Get-Started-with-Smart-Manufacturing-and-IIoT-Part-1/1635/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles/category/Connect...

Episode 77: Ben and Steve discuss the upcoming IMTS event and the technology they are excited to see in the north and south halls, including the Emerging Technology Center (ETC) and the Smartforce Student Summit. They also discuss Chicago cuisine and Stephen’s upcoming trip to the Mexico Tech Center. - https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/While-at-IMTS-2022-Chicago-Restaurant-Recommendations-...

Episode 76: Ben and Steve discuss subscription services, the lengths they’ll go, and how to stop them. Benjamin says NIST has some cheese for metals-based AM research. Stephen insists robots will soon have watch-and-learn capabilities. Ben is a fan of retrofitting old machines with current features. Steve explains why a robot broke a little boy’s finger playing chess. Benjamin highlights a recent...

Episode 75: Ben and Steve cry about inflation taking everything from them! Mostly just joy riding and cheap fast food, though. Benjamin says the Navy is indeed putting metal AM machines in their ships. Stephen claims cobots are better for tool wear measurement. Ben talks about how robots are still changing how warehouses are designed and built, regardless of how much better they’re getting, and he...

Episode 74: Ben and Steve tear off over manufacturing adjacent sector shows, namely Blade Show, and succumb to the event horizon of a pocket knife rabbit hole. Benjamin gets things back on the rails with his first article: augmented reality and Industrie 4.0. Stephen takes it away with 40 pounds per hour of titanium printing and how Chevy legitimately uses additive to manufacture the Tahoe. Ben de...

Episode 73: Steve starts up about maintenance again. Ben reflects on a recent trip to Heidenhain and DMG Mori. Stephen looks forward to going back to Detroit. Benjamin introduces an article about software enabling communication between robots and building infrastructure. Steve is jealous that a college in Maine was given a Boston Dynamics Spot via donation. Ben talks about adding rotary axes to CM...

Episode 72: Steve talks about his first time in Detroit! The good, the terrifying, and of course, the reason he was there in the first place: a trade show. Ben shamelessly plugs this episode’s sponsor: IMTS+ (us). Stephen introduces an article about a Japanese electron microscope company that has gotten into metal additive. Benjamin gets geared up for Industry 5.0. Steve has things to say about Ha...