Configurable Microfactories
Jeremy Herrman of Plethora shares his experience with factories that can be reconfigured in hours to handle any kind of fabrication—additive, subtractive, or both
Marc Andreessen famously said, “software is eating the world,” but that’s left hardware as a bottleneck to innovation. Jeremy Herrman, founder of Plethora, believes configurable microfactories offer one solution to this challenge. By digitizing the manufacturing process and deploying intelligent automation, facilities can be easily reconfigured to produce any part using any process—additive, subtractive, or a combination. In the future, this will enable not only economies of scale, but also what Herrman calls “economies of scope.”
About the speaker
Jeremy Herrman is a co-founder of Plethora, a new kind of on-demand automated factory that enables anyone to make parts faster with the goal of making hardware as easy as software. Prior to founding Plethora in 2013, he founded Chogger, an online design tool to help K-12 students enhance storytelling skills through comic strips. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Related learning
Want to learn more about the future of factories? Check out these related AU sessions.
Autodesk Solutions for the Industry of the Future
The first and most important step toward the industry of the future is the digitalization of new and existing factories. Frederic Sinfort explores how to associate BIM and process design to create a digital twin of factories, and shares examples of deploying the factory digitization solution.
The Factory of the Future: The Industry 4.0 Reference Factory
Does your factory represent the factory of the future? Smart robots, human-robot collaboration, augmented reality—what are the current challenges and changing requirements in the factory of the future? Matthias Bertling presents the results of a large survey involving 700 participants and concludes that the factory of the future is already here.
Fusion 360 Quick-Tip Jam Session
While 3D-printed metal parts often require subtractive post-processing to fulfill their function, the good news is you can control the entire design-to-make process in Fusion 360. Join Jamie Scherer and 3 co-speakers for this instructional demo as they dispense rapid-fire tips and tricks to help you brush up your Fusion 360 skills.