The Advantages of AM technologyIndustry is taking advantage of additive manufacturing to produce plastic, metal, or composite parts and custom products without the cost, time, tooling, and overhead required in the traditional machining or manufacturing processes. This technology is particularly advantageous in low-to-moderate volume markets (defense and aerospace) that regularly operate without economies of scale. Today, additive manufacturing is reducing the aerospace industry’s important materials measure, the “buy-to-fly” ratio—pounds of material needed to make one pound of aerospace-quality material—by more than half. For example, engineers are taking advantage of additive manufacturing to simultaneously reduce material requirements and easily create engine parts with complex internal structures. Jet ducts in Boeing F-18 fighters can be made with smoothly curving channels that allow more efficient air and fluid flow than those created with the difficult traditional method of boring through solid structures. Many military applications also often require miniaturized, custom-designed units in relatively small numbers. Additive manufacturing also supports rapid development and production to meet the military’s specialized functional requirements. For the automotive industry, additive manufacturing holds great promise. Vehicle bodies and engines could be made using fewer parts and rapidly redesigned to minimize failures. The traditional assembly line could even become a thing of the past for some The healthcare industry is investing in tailored prosthetics, dental implants, hearing aids, and other types of medical devices and tools. Manufacturers of many consumer products may soon be using additive techniques in their production processes to embed electronic components and circuits in substrates, reduce device weight and volume, and improve electrical performance. composites. small batches. layer by layer. The table below shows the comparisons of advantages and disadvantages of Additive Manufacturing. including complex structures that cannot be manufactured by other means. depositing material only where required. reduce energy use. and shorten time to market. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES > Freedom of design – AM can produce Slow build rates – Various inefficiencies an object of virtually any shape. while still evolving. process and other parameters . The process is often called 3-D printing or digital manufacturing because of similarities to standard desktop printing. Interest in additive techniques has grown swiftly as applications have progressed from rapid prototyping to the production of end-use products. The sector-wide ramifications of this capability have captured the imaginations of investors. are projected to exert a profound impact on manufacturing. polymers. These new techniques. or other powders to “print” a range of functional components. potentially. mass-produced items. They can give industry new design flexibility. and. The ability to modify a design online and immediately create the item—without wasteful casting or drilling—makes additive manufacturing an economical way to create single items.3-D objects directly from a computer model. even in the process resulting from prototyping those not producible today heritage > Complexity for free – Increasing object > High production costs – Resulting from complexity will increase production costs slow build rate and high cost of metal only marginally powder > Potential elimination of tooling – Direct > Considerable effort required for production possible without costly and application design and for setting process time-consuming tooling parameters – Complex set of around 180 > Lightweight design – AM enables material. Additive equipment can now use metals. with FEA1)) anisotropy. which requires requirements by consolidating parts into a post-processing single component.g. surface finish and dimensional > Part consolidation – Reducing assembly accuracy may be inferior. even complete > Discontinuous production process – Use assemblies with moving parts possible of nonintegrated systems prevents > Elimination of production steps – Even economies of scale complex objects will be manufactured in > Limited component size – Size of one process step producible component is limited by chamber size Additive Manufacturing Market Outlookadditive The AM value chain consists of five steps – AM system providers are active in most areas of the value chain.weight reduction via topological > Manufacturing process – Component optimization (e. . and reduce waste. compress supply chains. Efficiency. minimize materials and energy usage.Figure 1: Additive Manufacturing Market Outlook additive manufacturing market outlook Revolutionary Speed. Optimization Additive manufacturing has the potential to vastly accelerate innovation. . eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming part tooling and prototype fabrication. instead of traditional machining processes that cut away material can reduce material needs and costs by up to 90%.3 4 5 Reduced time to market: Items can be fabricated as soon as the 3-D digital description of the part has been created. including variable stiffness.1 Lower energy intensity: These techniques save energy by eliminating production steps. It makes it possible to create items previously considered too intricate and greatly accelerates final product design. Multi-functionality can also be embedded in printed materials. and more. Remanufacturing parts through advanced additive manufacturing and surface treatment processes can also return end-of-life products to as-new condition. and producing lighter products. 8 9 • Agility: Additive techniques enable rapid response to markets and create new production options outside of factories. using substantially less material. conductivity.1 using only 2−25% of the energy required to make new parts. The ability to improve performance and functionality—literally customizing products to meet individual customer needs—will open new markets and could improve profitability. 6 7 Innovation: Additive manufacturing eliminates traditional manufacturing-process design restrictions. enabling reuse of by-products. such as mobile units that can be placed .2 2 3 Less waste: Building objects up layer by layer. 4 Validation and demonstration: Manufacturers.” said Kenny Dalgarno. finishes may impart corrosion and wear resistance or unique sets of desired properties.near the source of local materials. “The fact that AM can make manufacturing cheaper is important in pushing the technology out to businesses. To achieve a wider range of applications. standards organizations. . Professor of Manufacturing Engineering at Newcastle University. Lower-cost production: Another benefit of AM over traditional machine tooling is the lower cost of manufacture. including the following: 1 Process control: Feedback control systems and metrics are needed to improve the precision and reliability of the manufacturing process and to increase throughput while maintaining consistent quality. such as those used in aerospace applications. With improved geometric accuracy. demonstration. 3 Finish: The surface finishes of products manufactured using additive technology require further refinement. and others maintain high standards for critical structural materials. Spare parts can be produced on demand. and data collection. Providing a high level of confidence in the structural integrity of components built with additive technology may require extensive testing. reducing or eliminating the need for stockpiles and complex supply chains. 2 Tolerances: Some potential applications would require micron-scale accuracy in printing. improved additive processes are gaining acceptance in some markets. Process While some manufacturers have been using additive manufacturing to make prototypes. research will need to overcome some key challenges. Material There is a demand for better materials to use as feedstock for AM and 3D printing. In applications where additive manufacturing is competitive. polymers quite often are not – and the feedstock comes with significant embedded energy from the processes used to create it. while new metal alloys such as Scalmalloy5 address manufacturers’ needs. Companies that explore the potential of these game-changing techniques and introduce novel products can earn a competitive edge in global markets. As well as focusing on the functional aspects of materials. described existing UV resins for stereo lithography as “toxic – you wouldn’t want to lick them. polymers require greater research and development. In addition. Associate Professor of Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Research Group at the University of Nottingham. Software . However. The development of machines that can process metals by sintering (creating objects from powders) is helping to open up the processes to industrial users. Professor Bill O’Neill. while metals used in AM processes are often recyclable.The full potential of additive manufacturing will be realized when the technology is integrated into broad manufacturing solutions. called materials “the real issue and the biggest opportunity in AM”. Cambridge University Professor of Laser Engineering.” Dr Chris Tuck. a The road ahead – challenges and opportunities for AM cradle-to-cradle view needs to be taken on the ways that they are produced and recycled. 50% or more energy savings can be realized. We need new design systems.Today’s CAD programs are considered inadequate for designing for AM. Professor of Computational Engineering and Head of Aeronautics at the University of Southampton. However. CRDM Director Graham Bennett believes that rather than advancements in the machines themselves. Sustainability . Data management Data are the language without which AM would not function. software developments are what will “drive the industry forward”. Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Additive Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham. with corroboration from Professor Richard Hague. Professor Bill O’Neill highlighted “a data issue which means there currently isn’t enough computer memory to store the data required to produce one-meter cubed functional part”. “Existing CAD systems are absolutely useless for exploring the design freedoms of AM. As well as restricting design. “CAD is still designed for traditional manufacturing routes such as injection molding. CAD interfaces do not tend to be user-friendly. it is data management which is the new aspect of the technology. with the potential to accelerate uptake of AM. While AM methods have been in existence for around 25 years.” said Andy Keane. Both elements should change to make the most of AM techniques – especially for the non-expert designer. and in particular CAD is most readily applied to things which have lots of circles and straight lines.” said Professor Richard Hague. Biomimetic? You can’t do that with CAD. Low-volume production offers opportunities for customization and it can reduce materials use due to its efficient geometries. and not making more stock than is needed .” said Dr Chris Tuck. it can reduce the energy use in aerospace.Dr Chris Tuck offered solutions to AM’s environmental issues. He also suggested that companies using AM undertake “holistic analyses that include how you extract and generate the raw materials. By reducing the weight of structures. However. homemakers can be relied upon to be wasteful. so why would they be any different with 3D printing?” He also pointed out the “massive issue “that materials used in AM are often non-recyclable. “The average consumer throws away a huge proportion of the food that they buy. industry is more driven toward efficiency and AM can support this by supporting single or smallrun printing. while3D printers in the home could encourage waste. Dr Chris Tuck said: “Global supply chains in conventional manufacturing are actually very efficient –so just because we can bring it local doesn’t mean we should”. but its benefits are not universal. argued Dr Chris Tuck. “You do not get energy-reducing economies of scale in AM like you do in traditional methods of manufacturing such as injection molding. AM can support a drive to sustainability through what it enables rather than necessarily through its own processes. delivering significant fuel savings REFERENCES . Pouring water on the popular notion that local manufacture is intrinsically more sustainable. as well as the relatively tiny manufacturing aspect “However. While manufacturers are driven by efficiency goals that lower their carbon footprint. including using parallel production to improve efficiencies and speeding up the production process to reduce energy use. . Shaping our national competency in additive manufacturing. no. www.1.econolyst. Wohler’s Report (2013). 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