Haddy
Large-scale digital manufacturing firm Haddy has officially opened its new microfactory in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The company claims the facility is 'the largest 3D printing facility in the world,' with '16 times the production capacity of its nearest 3D printing competitor.'
According to Haddy, the microfactory has been designed in line with ambitions to make the United States the leading manufacturing nation. It combines robotics, AI-driven production, and fully recyclable materials to offer faster and cleaner production closer to where parts are needed.
Initially, Haddy has been focused on producing 'design-forward furniture', but with the launch of this new facility, is aiming to expand into sectors like defence, disaster recovery and construction. Target applications as part of this expansion include battlefield-ready gear, modular housing components and mobile infrastructure.
Haddy says the launch of its microfactory represents a transition from 'narrow use cases to mass production' with additive manufacturing, with the digital manufacturing firm hoping to lead the way. Its claims of the world's largest 3D printing facility is based on total throughput and machine count. Though the company has not disclosed how many systems it operates, it can deliver 4-6x more output per robot than standard systems, according to a company press release.
In a recent interview with BBC News, Haddy CEO Jay Rogers said: “Haddy’s new facility represents one of the most significant leaps forward for the ‘reindustrialisation’ movement in the United States. Emerging tech is paving the way. Hard-to-make products can be re-shored to regions all over the United States – and made even better than when they were concentrated in low-labor locations abroad.”
“This isn't just a factory opening,” Lex Keifhaber, COO of Haddy, was quoted in a press release. “This is America planting a flag in the future of making things. We can build smarter, faster, and cheaper, while improving overall quality. And we can do it right here at home. If you time-traveled to this moment you’d think this was insane. But it’s real.”
“This is the next quickening in the Industry 4.0 movement,” added Gat Caperton CEO of Gat Creek and Board member of the AHFA. “Haddy has created a clean factory that takes digital designs and turns them into beautiful, lasting objects. The materials are circular. The process generates no waste. The process is fast accurate and repeatable. Haddy is doing the kind of manufacturing we long wished we could do. And though it will expand region by region globally, it has begun in the United States.”
