Video: Industrial AM Fundamentals
Who knew how deeply 3D printing would impact manufacturing when the technology was invented several decades ago?
Now, a wide range of industries successfully use additive manufacturing. Some organizations develop complex, high-performance end-use parts that would be impossible to make with traditional subtractive manufacturing technologies. Other companies are just beginning to identify potential additive manufacturing use cases.
Regardless of your current position regarding adopting additive manufacturing, this video will teach you about this technology and its uses in an industrial setting.
Watch this deep dive into Laser Powder Bed Fusion for the second part of this series.
What is Additive Manufacturing?
Additive manufacturing is a production process where the printer consecutively adds material to build a component. This technology is unlike many conventional manufacturing techniques, where the material is subtracted. Additive manufacturing processes involve various technologies to create 3D objects from CAD designs by adding material layer-by-layer. The process starts with a digital representation of a component as a volumetric model. Next, a process called slicing creates 2D slices of the design. A 3D printer uses these slices to make the final component. Fused filament fabrication, a type of additive manufacturing, is commonly used in fused deposition modeling (FDM), and its variation is in metal fused filament fabrication (Metal FFF).
How Does Additive Manufacturing Work?
Process Overview
Additive manufacturing is a fascinating process that transforms digital designs into physical objects by adding material layer by layer. It all begins with a computer-aided design (CAD) file, which is meticulously sliced into thin layers. These layers serve as the blueprint for the additive manufacturing machine, which reads the design file and starts building the object from the ground up.
The process can be broken down into several key stages:
Design: The journey starts with creating a digital model of the object using CAD software. This model serves as the foundation for the entire manufacturing process.
Slicing: The CAD file is then sliced into thin, manageable layers. These slices are sent to the additive manufacturing machine, which will use them to construct the object.
Layer Formation: The machine deposits material layer by layer according to the design specifications. Depending on the application, this material can range from metals and plastics to ceramics. Each layer is carefully fused to form a cohesive final product.
Post-Processing: Once the object is fully formed, it may undergo additional processing to achieve the desired properties. This can include heat treatment to enhance strength and durability.
This step-by-step approach allows for creating complex geometries that would be challenging or impossible to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.
Why Use Additive Manufacturing for Rapid Prototyping?
The most important question is, why use additive manufacturing? One significant advantage of the technology is that it enables a faster time to market. The production technology is readily available if you have a printer or a printing service (such as MakerVerse). This allows quicker and more flexible production. Additive manufacturing quickly individualizes, customizes, or optimizes components.
Additive manufacturing can seamlessly integrate into existing manufacturing workflows, enhancing flexibility and efficiency in production.
The technology is especially beneficial when servicing older industrial products or when supply chains are falling apart, making it challenging to acquire critical parts. Additive manufacturing offers invaluable on-demand production in these situations.
Another benefit comes from the phrase “complexity for free.” When you build a component through additive manufacturing, it doesn’t matter what shape that product has. That contrasts conventional manufacturing methods, like milling or casting, where complexity increases costs. In many cases, certain levels of complexity are only sometimes possible.
There is a range of different additive manufacturing technologies, including:
Key Additive Manufacturing Use Cases
There are endless use cases for additive manufacturing, but some significant overarching use cases exist.
Rapid prototyping. If you want to test early designs during a development cycle, additive manufacturing can do that quickly and inexpensively.
Spare parts. If components involve complicated supply chains, limited suppliers, or aren’t available regularly, additive manufacturing makes those parts more easily available. Industrial manufacturers use additive manufacturing to produce custom tooling and end-use parts for factory machinery, enhancing operational efficiency.
Serial production. Additive manufacturing has improved to the point where serial production of complex parts is possible. The automotive industry increasingly adopts 3D printing to address production volumes and transition from prototyping to manufacturing end-use parts, significantly shaping design and production efficiencies.
High-performance parts. A suitable additive manufacturing design improves the performance of a part by being lighter, more efficient, etc. Additive Manufacturing Technologies
Additive Manufacturing and Supply Chains
Impact on Logistics and Distribution
Additive manufacturing is revolutionizing logistics and distribution, offering several significant benefits:
Reduced Inventory: Companies can print products on demand, minimizing the need for large inventories. This not only reduces storage costs but also decreases the risk of overproduction.
Increased Customization: Additive manufacturing allows for creating highly customized products tailored to individual customer needs. This flexibility can lead to higher customer satisfaction and reduced inventory of standardized products.
Reduced Transportation Costs: By enabling local production, additive manufacturing can significantly reduce transportation and logistics expenses. Products can be printed closer to the point of use, reducing shipping times and costs.
Improved Supply Chain Resilience: The ability to produce components on demand enhances supply chain resilience. Companies can quickly respond to disruptions by printing parts locally, ensuring continuity in production.
