EDITOR ’ S CHOICE A NEW DESIGN APPROACH
3DPRINTUK
Optimising Outcomes with 3D Printing – Design for Additive Manufacturing ( Part 2 )
Nick Allen , MD , 3DPRINTUK
Part 1 of this series provided a historical perspective of Additive Manufacturing / 3D printing , centered around the evolution of the technology and its impact on the product development process . Here in part 2 , we will look at how 3D printing has evolved to the point where it can be considered as a serial production technology , how it has impacted the design process itself and consider the different design approach that is required for 3D printing compared with traditional manufacturing processes .
As design engineers and manufacturers assess the possibilities that exist for the use of industrial 3D printing to replace or , more likely , integrate with traditional manufacturing processes , there needs to be a quantum shift in the way that they approach the entire design to manufacturing process .
Necessarily this begins with re-evaluating product design , and the subject of design for additive manufacturing ( DfAM ) has become a fertile area for discussion and debate . Indeed , DfAM is a key factor that can drive the uptake of AM as a production technology insomuch as it can leverage the key advantages of 3D printing .
This issue centers around the fact that DfAM requires a very different approach compared with traditional design for manufacturing and assembly ( DfM & A ). The latter focuses on designing products in such a way that manufacturing and assembly costs and difficulties are reduced , while DfAM aims to capitalize upon the unique capabilities of AM to design and optimize a product or component , thereby promoting innovation . Key here is the utilization of the characteristics of AM to improve product functionality according to the capability of the AM process . This typically indicates that designers can tailor their designs to utilize the advantages of AM for complex geometries and light-weighting opportunities whilst taking the AM process limitations into consideration , to ensure the manufacturability of the product .
New flexibilities in design are a key benefit of 3D printing . However , it is not without its own restraints , which is why specific DfAM skills are essential to successful adoption . As with any manufacturing process , there
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