Liz Stortstrom is a 3D Printing Application Engineer at HP Inc and a first-time Automate attendee. She’s ready to dive into all the newest automation solutions and share her knowledge of additive manufacturing.
AUTOMATE:
Thank you for joining us, Liz. What drew you to attend Automate for the first time this year?
LS:
I'm coming from the additive manufacturing industry. And so, coming from an outside industry, it's not always clear how to connect best with different industries. And I have a lot of team members going to shows and we quickly heard that Automate was really the place to be if we wanted to learn about automation and industrial robotics. My team actually attended last year and I heard nothing but glowing reviews from everyone who attended. So I'm looking forward to attending for the first time this year and seeing what I've been missing out on.
AUTOMATE:
And what would you like to accomplish at your first Automate Show?
LS:
I, in general, have two main objectives. So first, I want to gain exposure to the broader automation world myself, both in terms of different technologies, applications, but also, “What are the latest advancements going on?” And then secondly, I also want to help educate different folks and spread awareness about how they can be using additive manufacturing, to assist in whatever they're doing in their own companies in order to become more innovative and more competitive.
“We quickly heard that Automate was really the place to be if we wanted to learn about automation and industrial robotics.”
AUTOMATE:
What automation technology are you most excited to see live on the show floor?
LS:
I'm always excited to see the big robot manufacturer booths and just see what's the latest and greatest that they're showcasing, because that's always an exciting time. But for me, it's really more about the breadth of technology I'll be able to see and learn about firsthand rather than one specific technology.
AUTOMATE:
Any specific technologies you’ll be keeping an eye out for?
LS:
I guess in particular, I would be looking around to see how different companies are using additive manufacturing to benefit their specific applications. But at the end of the day, I don't know what I don't know. So attending a show like Automate really ensures that I'll be learning something new.
AUTOMATE:
Do you have anyone you’re especially excited to hear from at the show?
LS:
I'm definitely looking forward to hearing from the keynote speakers. Barbara Humpton, will be talking about Industry 4.0. She's the President and CEO of Siemens USA. So she'll be discussing how digitalization has shaped manufacturing up to this point and how it will be continuing to shape things moving forward.
These are technologies that we know are advancing very quickly and this is an excellent opportunity for all of us to hear from the experts in order to prepare ourselves for what's to come in the future.
AUTOMATE:
What are you going to talk about at Automate?
LS:
The title of the talk is “Additive Manufacturing for Robotics and Automation 101.” And during this session, I'm going to have several current users of additive manufacturing come up and talk about how they are leveraging the technology to create some really interesting, innovative solutions.
We'll be talking about a wide variety of ways that, you know, folks in automation can leverage additive manufacturing and vice versa. Because you'll see that, as additive manufacturing advances, one of the ways it advances is it uses more automation to streamline the workflow so that it becomes a more production-ready technology, not just something we're printing one-off prototypes with.
But on the flip side, some of the really common applications we'll see are things as simple as little jigs and fixtures, any sort of custom tool or part that goes on a production line. We see a lot of end-of-arm tooling for robotics 3D printed because these are low volume, complex, really custom applications that can benefit a lot from faster time to part, lightweighting, you know, customized geometries.
And so the message is really that, Industry 4.0 is here, it's been here. We clearly see that this world of automation and additive manufacturing are mutually beneficial. So I want to just help bridge the gap across those industries.
“These are technologies that we know are advancing very quickly—and this is an excellent opportunity to hear from the experts in order to prepare ourselves for what’s to come in the future.”
AUTOMATE:
Do you have anything else you’d like to share with our attendees?
LS:
I just want to share that, if you have ever been curious about additive manufacturing and how it's being used in automation today, definitely stop by the HP 3D printing booth or join us for our talk on Tuesday called “Additive Manufacturing for Robots and Automation 101.” Again: Industry 4.0 is here today. The more we know about it, the more we can leverage these technologies and really use them for our benefit.
Liz and her team can be found at booth 5615.
Don’t miss your chance to attend Automate, the nation’s largest automation showcase. Join us May 6-9 in Chicago, IL, USA. Register FREE today!
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