At the 2019 RAPID + TCT trade show in Detroit, Michigan, visitors will be able to find the right technologies for their product needs via the Interactive RAPID AM Portal (iRAMP).
The SME is positioning itself as the trusted third party among the hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors, with a number of iRAMP kiosks placed on the show floor. It hopes that by enabling attendees to intuitively search for technologies based on their specific needs and desires, that iRAMP will help to increase adoption of additive manufacturing.
iRAMP has been developed to link the right equipment for the right applications. Technology providers exhibiting at the show have the option of offering manufacturers access to relevant information and data sheets about their products via the iRAMP platform. This information will help attendees using the search repository to decide whether the technology they are looking at could help them produce their application(s) and also whether it should.
Going forward, SME is looking to harness a framework and methodology developed by Susan Smyth, formerly of General Motors, called SAM-CT to guide the future of iRAMP. The first three letters of this framework stand for ‘size’, ‘accuracy’, and ‘material’, helping users ascertain whether they can manufacture their application with this equipment, and the latter two letters stand for ‘cost’ and ‘throughput’, answering whether they should consider the equipment. The United States Council for Automotive Research has verified the feasibility and usefulness of SAM-CT relative to AM.
SME will introduce the portal at RAPID + TCT in Detroit next month, and is encouraging attendees to test the search capability. Floor markers will indicate where iRAMP kiosks are located. This repository is the basis on which SME will build the rest of the iRAMP platform, looking to add capabilities and other aids to help enhance the platform.
