Additive manufacturing (AM) isn’t the reply to your whole manufacturing issues. Understanding the distinctive advantages this expertise can present, assessing which expertise is correct to your software, and discovering a killer software that aligns with these distinctive advantages and processes, are all essential elements in making a profitable enterprise case for 3D printing.
We requested eight individuals with expertise in constructing AM machines and enterprise instances for his or her largest items of recommendation on adopting 3D printing into what you are promoting
1) The largest funding? Time
Maria Paparozzi Shipman, Data Switch Partnership Affiliate, Diamond Centre Wales
“Is there true return on funding and have you ever acquired sufficient time to attend for the return? I believe it may be very simple to have a look at the price of a machine and work out how shortly you possibly can break even, however the secret prices, corresponding to lab gear, post-processing, consultants, steady materials, and consumable prices are sometimes forgotten about and the time it takes to embed new expertise right into a workforce.
The largest funding an organization will make when adopting additive manufacturing is time. A transparent understanding of your undertaking’s timeframe to vary from the analysis and growth stage to the embedding stage and into worthwhile manufacturing must be agreed on from each stage by all stakeholders, from technician to board of administrators. Making an attempt to steadiness turning a revenue and delivering an revolutionary services or products that may remodel both the trade, or your market share, takes time.”
2) Assume forward
SJ Jones, Additive Manufacturing Professional
“In a interval the place we’re seeing fast progress in not solely the scale of our machines, but in addition their capabilities, I’d construct a enterprise case tied to the technological and materials roadmap of my printer accomplice. Merely put, the quote you get for elements right this moment may quickly change – for the higher – within the few weeks/ months earlier than your funding is allotted. Keeping track of future technological horizons won’t solely higher what you are promoting case but in addition strategically align your manufacturing course of for future success.”
3) Know the issue you are attempting to unravel
Stacey M. Delvecchio, President, StaceyD Consulting
“It’s vital that you realize what downside you’re attempting to unravel which may be very particular to every firm and generally every software. The issues run the vary from peak shaving when volumes exceed the capability, to fixing technical challenges that may’t be solved another method, to needing a quicker turnaround time, simply to call a couple of. They could be a mixture of a number of issues and can seemingly change with every software. Regardless, realizing what downside you’re attempting to unravel, and getting buy-in from management that it must be solved, is vital to success in constructing a profitable enterprise case. I’ve seen so many firms attempt to construct a enterprise case for additive just because they see others doing it. That’s nota good motive. You have to discover your why.”
4) Innovate quick and infrequently
Kristin Mulherin, President, AM-Cubed & Ladies in 3D Printing
“A robust enterprise case for adopting additive manufacturing contains one vital factor: future-proofing. Adopting additive manufacturing is no small job, and it doesn’t occur in a single day, however there are a number of advantages that’ll be missed sooner or later when you don’t begin fascinated with it now. Velocity of innovation is one such profit. Sure, additive manufacturing may also help mitigate provide chain threat, enhance design flexibility, permit larger customisation, and generally even provide a extra sustainable answer – all of which assist future-proof what you are promoting. However when you really need to keep forward of the competitors, it’s essential innovate quick and infrequently. Additive manufacturing can produce elements in a matter of hours or days (versus weeks or months). This permits fast responses to altering markets and maximises the product’s potential by permitting iterations at any level within the product lifecycle. Quicker prototyping, iteration-friendly bridge manufacturing, and scaled manufacturing – all with the identical manufacturing expertise – will guarantee you might be staying forward of the competitors now and sooner or later.”
5) Rethink your Invoice of Supplies
Andy Langfeld, President EMEA, Stratasys
“When contemplating the potential enterprise alternatives that additive manufacturing is ready to ship, wanting on the Invoice of Supplies (BOM) of any product is usually a stable place to begin. A classical paradigm right this moment is that in case you have one product of, for instance, 1,000 parts you’d most likely be capable of produce round 300 of these parts with AM. Of those, you’d find yourself with perhaps 50 to 60 parts the place this makes financial sense, and people parts normally provide you with a really quick return on funding. Luckily, there are software program options on the market that may conduct this BOM evaluation and advise producers which AM expertise would match every viable part. The larger problem is for producers to increase this effort and rethink the BOM on the lookout for design modifications that might convey AM into play. With some redesign of the remaining elements, manufactures can open new alternatives and strengthen the general case for AM – finally opening the door to much more of the advantages that it delivers.”
6) Metrics matter
Dr Phil Reeves, Managing Director, Reeves Perception
“When constructing a enterprise case for AM adoption, crucial factor it’s essential have is a metric. A couple of metric is even higher. Having one thing to measure AM in opposition to is probably the most essential a part of any enterprise case-building exercise. For instance, that metric might be price discount, weight discount, elevated fl ow price, diminished working stress, or diminished half rely. The vital consideration is understanding how the metric impacts enterprise efficiency and buyer worth. Does a lighter-weight half price the client extra to buy however lower your expenses to function? Does decreasing half rely by means of design for AM lower your expenses in manufacturing however drive up the spare half price? The opposite parallel consideration ought to all the time be whether or not that is nonetheless the most effective manufacturing course of for this part or whether or not we ought to look in direction of conventional manufacturing processes and provide chains.”
7) Embrace AM’s distinctive capabilities
Dr Parastoo Jamshidi, Faculty of Metallurgy and Supplies, College of Birmingham
“Additive manufacturing approaches permit a larger design flexibility than conventional subtractive manufacturing strategies with additional benefits of cheaper and fewer wasteful manufacturing course of, saving on materials waste and power, for numerous industrial purposes. Due to this fact, in any enterprise case the place there are wants for a quicker and fewer costly manufacturing run for totally customised elements and likewise a necessity for including additional worth and performance to the parts through AM design flexibility with an try of constructive affect on the ultimate product yield, adopting AM into that enterprise is a superb alternative.”
8) Does it meet or surpass high quality of present processes?
Andy Middleton, Vice President, XJet
“Firstly, we should perceive the motivation behind bringing in AM. Assuming the intention isn’t ‘to be a visionary’ with no actual enterprise want, most firms we communicate to are on the lookout for versatile manufacturing – to supply 1000’s of elements versus the lots of of 1000’s of elements usually produced by ceramic producers. AM solves that downside, with out the price of the intensive, labour-heavy processes utilized by the ceramic trade right this moment. To make the enterprise case, firms should present that AM can meet, or surpass, the standard of elements made by the incumbent expertise. For profitable adoption, producers completely won’t compromise on high quality. In ceramics, that is usually about materials properties, corresponding to efficiency at excessive temperatures, chemical resistance and electrical insulation. As well as, the method should be as automated as potential. To compete with the standardised strategies producers have been utilizing for many years, AM can not use labour-intensive post-processing, it should be aggressive.”
