Midland Pallet Trucks are urging businesses to place greater focus on safeguarding as plans for a high-tech manufacturing future become closer to reality.
Additive manufacturing, the use of 3D printing in place of more traditional processes, is commonly cited as the new frontier of manufacturing, but Midland Pallet Trucks, a materials handling specialist, says that it’s essential to have the right equipment in place in order to safeguard staff and ensure easy, secure handling.
The West Midlands firm believes that appropriate materials handling is key to improving the safety, efficiency, effectiveness, and reputation of additive manufacturing technology.
With toxic materials and metal powders essential components in 3D manufacturing, businesses should be taking precautions and ensuring that they have the necessary equipment to hand in order to store, pick and use these materials in a safe manner.
“There is no doubt that 3D printing holds the potential to completely transform the industry, and to be edging closer and closer to a future dominated by additive manufacturing is hugely exciting,” said Midland Pallet Trucks Managing Director, Phil Chesworth.
“Right now, it’s important that we do everything we can to facilitate this shift to 3D printing processes, and one of the key things that businesses should be focusing on is strengthening their existing processes to support new ways of working.
“Quite simply, due to the additional health and safety considerations that come with moving to 3D printing processes, this technology will ultimately fail if the necessary safeguarding measures are not in place. Materials handling is always a vital consideration in manufacturing, but there’s an even greater sense of importance right now as we implement new technologies and new processes.”