FIELD INTELLIGENCE Smart Processes, Solutions & Strategies


Success lies in integrating traditional, 3D technologies


sectors, including aerospace, automo- tive, electronics, medical and energy, to help with product development and production manufacturing, the full manufacturing potential is still yet to be harnessed. The general discussion around ad-


W


ditive is the ability to produce highly complex end-use parts, but the ben- efits AM has to offer are much more comprehensive. Yes, new, complex, high-performance parts are possible. But AM also provides the ability to optimize and develop advanced tech- niques for current processes, such as investment casting, injection molding, and precision machining. It lets users create optimized parts with added benefits that traditional manufactur- ing alone struggles to provide. This technology removes many of the design constraints and compromises imposed by traditional manufactur- ing alone and lets companies extend their capability well beyond current techniques to achieve higher ROI and more value to customers. As AM continues to proliferate


throughout manufacturing, produc- tion manufacturers need to examine how to integrate AM into existing manufacturing operations such that companies can support the demand. By combining the capabilities of 3D technologies that allow for the creation of a part from scratch with the finishing capabilities of traditional manufacturing, there are tremendous opportunities to integrate and auto- mate the entire production process


16


hile additive manufacturing (AM) is being incorporated throughout many industry


into high-efficiency production cells. 3D tech allows for concepts like mod- ular manufacturing, creating solutions using standardized fixtures, workhold- ing and interface controls, seamlessly combining traditional and 3D technol- ogies to complement each other and achieve exponential benefits. To achieve this seamless combina- tion, manufacturers need to approach integration at the source of the tech- nologies. True production integration requires the manufacturer to define the needs of its operations and work with integrators to design, develop, and execute systems that deliver the


of high-performance injection molds. AM technologies are employed to cre- ate highly complex conformal cooling channels, which traditional manufac- turing is incapable of producing. How- ever, tight-tolerance and mirror-like surface finish requirements require the die to be post-processed with tradi- tional manufacturing. Both of these technologies con-


tribute to the enhanced product, but there is more to the integrated solu- tion. Once the conformal cooling die is built within the 3D printer, it must be transferred to the machining cen- ter and subsequently finished.


The manufacturing of high-performance injection molds is a good application example for integrating traditional and additive manufacturing, providing unmatched capability and performance.


speed, flexibility, quality, and reliability needed to meet customer require- ments. This integration starts with the understanding that AM does not replace traditional manufacturing but becomes another tool in the toolbox– -one that is created for a specific purpose, having specific strengths to contribute. By understanding and leveraging that approach, a company can build an integrated solution that draws on the strength of each com- ponent and delivers a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts. These integrated cells, a com-


bination of additive and traditional manufacturing technologies, provide the manufacturer with unparalleled capabilities not previously achievable. A good example is the manufacturing


True integration between these


processes can be achieved through universal fixtures and locating fea- tures built into the part during the printing process—minimizing and even eliminating the need for transfer fix- tures and the potential of introducing error and degradation of tolerances. The result is a mold that neither tradi- tional nor AM can produce alone—that creates solutions with unmatched capability and performance. The next generation of production


manufacturing requires the use of AM and will rely heavily on the integration across all aspects of the manufactur- ing process. Deploying full-system integration will ensure that today’s manufacturers retain and enhance their competitive advantages.


Ben Fisk


General Manager Methods 3D Inc.


March 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64