The Advantages of AM technology

Industry 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 industrys important
materials measure, the buy-to-fly ratiopounds of material needed to make one pound
of aerospace-quality materialby 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 militarys 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.

3-D objects directly from a computer model, depositing material only where
required. These new techniques, while still evolving, are projected to exert a profound
impact on manufacturing. They can give industry new design flexibility, reduce energy
use, and shorten time to market. 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. Additive equipment can
now use metals, polymers, composites, or other powders to print a range of functional
components, layer by layer, including complex structures that cannot be manufactured by
other means.
The ability to modify a design online and immediately create the itemwithout
wasteful casting or drillingmakes additive manufacturing an economical way to create
single items, small batches, and, potentially, mass-produced items. The sector-wide
ramifications of this capability have captured the imaginations of investors.
The table below shows the comparisons of advantages and disadvantages of
Additive Manufacturing.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
> Freedom of design AM can produce Slow build rates Various inefficiencies
an object of virtually any shape, 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, process and other parameters

weight

reduction

via

topological > Manufacturing process Component

optimization (e.g. with FEA1))

anisotropy, surface finish and dimensional

> Part consolidation Reducing assembly accuracy may be inferior, which requires
requirements by consolidating parts into a post-processing
single

component;

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.

Figure 1: Additive Manufacturing Market Outlook

additive

manufacturing market outlook

Revolutionary Speed, Efficiency, Optimization

Additive manufacturing has the potential to vastly accelerate innovation, compress

supply chains, minimize materials and energy usage, and reduce waste.

Lower energy intensity: These techniques save energy by eliminating production

steps, using substantially less material, enabling reuse of by-products, and
producing lighter products. Remanufacturing parts through advanced additive
manufacturing and surface treatment processes can also return end-of-life
products to as-new condition,1 using only 225% of the energy required to make
new parts.2

2
3

Less waste: Building objects up layer by layer, 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, eliminating the need for expensive and
time-consuming part tooling and prototype fabrication.

6
7

Innovation: Additive manufacturing eliminates traditional manufacturing-process

design restrictions. 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, including variable stiffness, conductivity, and
more. The ability to improve performance and functionalityliterally
customizing products to meet individual customer needswill open new markets
and could improve profitability.

8
9

Agility: Additive techniques enable rapid response to markets and create new
production options outside of factories, such as mobile units that can be placed

near the source of local materials. Spare parts can be produced on demand,
reducing or eliminating the need for stockpiles and complex supply chains.
Lower-cost production: Another benefit of AM over traditional machine tooling is
the lower cost of manufacture. The fact that AM can make manufacturing cheaper is
important in pushing the technology out to businesses, said Kenny Dalgarno, Professor
of Manufacturing Engineering at Newcastle University.

Process

While some manufacturers have been using additive manufacturing to make prototypes,
improved additive processes are gaining acceptance in some markets.
To achieve a wider range of applications, research will need to overcome some key
challenges, 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.

Tolerances: Some potential applications would require micron-scale accuracy in

printing.

Finish: The surface finishes of products manufactured using additive technology

require further refinement. With improved geometric accuracy, finishes may
impart corrosion and wear resistance or unique sets of desired properties.

Validation and demonstration: Manufacturers, standards organizations, and others

maintain high standards for critical structural materials, such as those used in
aerospace applications. Providing a high level of confidence in the structural
integrity of components built with additive technology may require extensive
testing, demonstration, and data collection.

The full potential of additive manufacturing will be realized when the technology is
integrated into broad manufacturing solutions. In applications where additive
manufacturing is competitive, 50% or more energy savings can be realized. Companies
that explore the potential of these game-changing techniques and introduce novel
products can earn a competitive edge in global markets.
Material
There is a demand for better materials to use as feedstock for AM and 3D
printing. The development of machines that can process metals by sintering (creating
objects from powders) is helping to open up the processes to industrial users. However,
while new metal alloys such as Scalmalloy5 address manufacturers needs, polymers
require greater research and development. Professor Bill ONeill, Cambridge University
Professor of Laser Engineering, described existing UV resins for stereo lithography as
toxic you wouldnt want to lick them. Dr Chris Tuck, Associate Professor of Additive
Manufacturing and 3D Printing Research Group at the University of Nottingham, called
materials the real issue and the biggest opportunity in AM. In addition, while metals
used in AM processes are often recyclable, polymers quite often are not and the
feedstock comes with significant embedded energy from the processes used to create it.
As well as focusing on the functional aspects of materials, 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.

Software

Todays CAD programs are considered inadequate for designing for AM. CAD is
still designed for traditional manufacturing routes such as injection molding, and in
particular CAD is most readily applied to things which have lots of circles and straight
lines, said Andy Keane, Professor of Computational Engineering and Head of
Aeronautics at the University of Southampton, with corroboration from Professor
Richard Hague, Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Additive
Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham. Existing CAD systems are absolutely
useless for exploring the design freedoms of AM. Biomimetic? You cant do that with
CAD. We need new design systems, said Professor Richard Hague. As well as restricting
design, CAD interfaces do not tend to be user-friendly. Both elements should change to
make the most of AM techniques especially for the non-expert designer.
Data management
Data are the language without which AM would not function. While AM methods
have been in existence for around 25 years, it is data management which is the new
aspect of the technology, with the potential to accelerate uptake of AM. However,
Professor Bill ONeill highlighted a data issue which means there currently isnt enough
computer memory to store the data required to produce one-meter cubed functional part.
CRDM Director Graham Bennett believes that rather than advancements in the machines
themselves, software developments are what will drive the industry forward.

Sustainability

Low-volume production offers opportunities for customization and it can reduce

materials use due to its efficient geometries, but its benefits are not universal. You do
not get energy-reducing economies of scale in AM like you do in traditional methods of
manufacturing such as injection molding, said Dr Chris Tuck. Pouring water on the
popular notion that local manufacture is intrinsically more sustainable, Dr Chris Tuck
said: Global supply chains in conventional manufacturing are actually very efficient so
just because we can bring it local doesnt mean we should. While manufacturers are
driven by efficiency goals that lower their carbon footprint, homemakers can be relied
upon to be wasteful, argued Dr Chris Tuck. The average consumer throws away a huge
proportion of the food that they buy, 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. However, while3D printers in the home could encourage waste, industry
is more driven toward efficiency and AM can support this by supporting single or smallrun printing, and not making more stock than is needed .Dr Chris Tuck offered solutions
to AMs environmental issues, including using parallel production to improve efficiencies
and speeding up the production process to reduce energy use. He also suggested that
companies using AM undertake holistic analyses that include how you extract and
generate the raw materials, as well as the relatively tiny manufacturing aspect However,
AM can support a drive to sustainability through what it enables rather than necessarily
through its own processes. By reducing the weight of structures, it can reduce the energy
use in aerospace, delivering significant fuel savings

REFERENCES

1. Advanced Manufacturing Office, U.S. DOE, Materials: Foundation for the Clean
Energy Future, January

2012.

http://energy.tms.org/docs/pdfs/Materials_Foundation_for_Clean_Energy_Age_Pr
ess_Final.pdf
2. John Sutherland et al., A Comparison of Manufacturing and Remanufacturing
Energy Intensities with Application to Diesel Engine Production, CIRP Annals
Manufacturing Technology, vol. 57, no. 1 (2008): 5-8.

3. The Economist, The Printed World: Three-dimensional printing from digital

designs, 10 February 2011. www.economist.com/node/18114221

4. The Economist, Solid Print: Making Things with a 3D Printer Changes the Rules
of Manufacturing, 21 April 2012. www.economist.com/node/21552892
5. Alberto Pique et al, Laser Direct Write of Embedded Electronic Components and
Circuits, Princeton University.
6. TSB Additive Manufacturing Special Interest Group (2012), Shaping our national
competency

in

additive

manufacturing,

Materials

KTN,

www.econolyst.co.uk/resources/documents/files/Report%20
7. Design boom (2013), 3D printing patents expiring in 2014 will see market erupt,
www.designboom.com/technology/3d-printing-patents-expiringin-2014-will-seemarket-erupt/
8. Wohlers Report (2013), Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing
State of the Industry Annual Worldwide Progress Report, Wohlers
Associates, Inc.