3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is revolutionising modern manufacturing. Its impact extends across many industries, as it changes the production landscape and advanced product development.
Here are 10 Reasons Additive Manufacturing is Driving Manufacturing Forwards
Additive manufacturing, also referred to as 3D printing, is revolutionising the manufacturing industry by providing a cost-efficient alternatives to traditional manufacturing processes. Here are some key ways in which additive manufacturing can help businesses to achieve cost-efficiencies and optimise product output in a market that requires product ‘on-demand’.
- Reduced Raw Material Waste:
Traditional manufacturing methods often involve subtracting material from larger workpieces (milling and machining) which not only results in significant material waste, but also increased time to manufacture and additional energy usage. In contrast, additive manufacturing enables components to be built layer by layer, using only the material needed for the final product. By minimising waste, cost savings can be applied to other areas, such as R&D.
- Complex Geometries without the High Cost:
Additive manufacturing allows for the creation of complex and intricate designs that would be challenging or almost impossible to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods. With traditional manufacturing, complex shapes often require both expensive tooling and multiple steps that ultimately drive up production costs. In contrast, additive manufacturing can create these complex geometries in a single step, that is often more cost efficient and quick!
- Faster Prototyping and Product Iteration:
Additive manufacturing enables rapid prototyping. Often designers and engineers work alongside one another to quickly create and test prototypes – In competitive market sectors, such as automotive, reacting to changing market trends and consumer demand is imperative. This speeds up the product development cycle and reduces the time and cost associated with design testing and product revisions thereafter.
- Customisation and Batch Size:
Additive manufacturing is well-suited for producing customised and low-volume, high-value parts. Traditional manufacturing processes can require expensive tooling and setup costs, which make them less cost-efficient for small production runs. Additive manufacturing doesn't have these constraints, supporting the ‘batch-of-one’ principle, making it economically viable for one-off or small-batch production runs. Additive manufacturing therefore supports lean manufacturing and ‘just-in-time’ methodologies.
- Elimination of Costly Assembly Steps:
Additive manufacturing can be used to produce parts with intricate internal structures, reducing the need for assembly – typically such components would have been produced in multiple parts, and joined together afterwards. In traditional manufacturing, complex assemblies would be time-consuming and costly – There was also the question of product integrity: how reliable would a part be formed of multiple components, compared to that produced as one solid piece? Additive can produce a single, integrated component, streamlining production and reducing costs.
- Reduced Inventory Costs:
Traditional manufacturing often requires maintaining large inventories of parts to meet production demands. Not only does this involve the upfront costs associated with sourcing product, but there are also the costs associated with storage. Additive manufacturing allows for on-demand production, reducing the need for inventory storage and associated carrying costs. Supply chain challenges can also be mitigated.
- Localisation and Supply Chain Optimisation:
Additive manufacturing can be deployed closer to the point of need, reducing both transportation costs and lead times. This is particularly beneficial in industries where rapid response and customisation are essential, such as aerospace, rail, marine, medical, even fashion! The benefits are further substantiated by the delivery of mobile, standardised cells, that can operate on a dock, in a shop or within a medical facility.
- Material Efficiency:
Some additive manufacturing processes, like powder bed fusion, can recycle unused or excess material for future builds, further reducing material costs. Some polymers used in 3D printing can be recycled and repurposed within prototyping exercises. There now also exists the potential to utilise multiple materials in the same manufacturing cycle.
- Reduced Tooling Costs:
Traditional manufacturing often requires expensive moulds, dies, and tooling for individual parts. Additive manufacturing eliminates or reduces the need for such tooling, leading to further cost savings. Tooling can also break during the manufacturing process, in milling and grinding for example. By eliminating the need for tooling, time constraints associate with sourcing new tool parts is mitigated.
- Sustainability:
By minimising material waste and offering energy-efficient processes, additive manufacturing can contribute to sustainability efforts, which not only lead to cost savings through environmental incentives - consider energy savings and materials usage, but reduced waste disposal costs after the manufacturing process has completed. Consumers are also becoming more sustainability savvy and will actively seek a supplier or manufacturer whom are both environmentally responsible and aware of their impacts upon their surroundings.
The adoption of 3D printing is driven by advancements in materials, technology, and increased awareness of its capabilities. As more industries realise the benefits of 3D printing, we can expect its uptake in new sectors and innovative applications. The construction industry is already using 3D printed concrete structures, to save costs and enable the development of sustainable building materials. The medical sector used 3D printing for the manufacture of prosthetics and bone grafts, and orthodontic devices in dentistry. Custom parts for turbines, solar panels, and other energy-related equipment in the energy sector are being 3D printed and even the technology is even being utilised in the arts.
KUKA’s standard mobile 3D printing cell, KUKA cell AM, can play a crucial role in enabling manufacturers: supporting agility and responsiveness to changing demands. By leveraging the flexibility and adaptability of standardised 3D printing technology, manufacturers can optimise their production processes, reduce lead times, and efficiently meet evolving customer needs.
Below, the KUKA cell AM, additive manufacturing cell.
