Is Metal Additive Manufacturing Right For Your Shop?
Additive Manufacturing, or 3D printing as many call it, is a game changing family of technologies that is rapidly transforming the world of manufacturing. It is billed by many as a new industrial revolution and advertised to many companies as the only way forward in the 21st century for manufacturers and machine shops. But is it really right for your shop and is it a smart investment of time and resources or is it just a gimmick and a waste of time and money? This presentation will help explore some potential avenues for application and some of the pitfalls to consider prior to committing to this road. The presenter will largely focus on metal powder bed fusion, but will address other technologies as well.
Matthew Donovan – Jabil
Considerations for Adding Additive Manufacturing to Your Current Manufacturing Process
This presentation will provide an overview of requirements for implementation of additive manufacturing and the role of standardization in further adoption of AM. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly growing technology for producing parts with complex geometries at reduced time and cost. In order to effectively implement AM into an existing traditional manufacturing process, considerations to the facility, process and quality are necessary. While traditional manufacturing is well understood, adding AM to the process flow is more than just buying a machine. From raw materials to design to final part inspection, there must be a new focus on this technology and its use. We will discuss some of these considerations as well as some of the AM specific standards that must be understood to assure a successful adoption.
Paul Bates – ASTM