HOW TO SUCCEED IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

When discussing companies that have successfully leveraged the benefits of additive manufacturing (AM or 3D printing), Dr. Hans Langer, founder and CEO of EOS GmbH, emphasizes that the most important factor is how they approach a project.

“Mindset is the most important,” he described when citing a successful company: Only when the design team thinks differently can they take the necessary steps “to develop a process to produce a truly innovative part.”

Dr. Langer spoke at EOS North America User Day at IMTS, where the company—a pioneer of DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) technology—and its customers explored both the opportunities and challenges of industrial 3D printing. EOS, headquartered in Krailling, Germany, has its U.S. headquarters in Novi, Michigan.

Dr. Langer explained: “I think most people assume they buy an EOS machine and immediately have a new production paradigm.” What they often cannot imagine is that a new perspective on production is needed—along with sometimes time and money—to succeed, which he considers to be driven by three strategies: identifying the right applications, understanding materials, and integrating additive manufacturing into conventional production processes.

He believes these three factors give companies a methodical approach to additive manufacturing, which not only transforms production but potentially the entire business.

Dr. Hans Langer

Identifying the Right Applications for Additive Manufacturing

Dr. Langer said: “Identifying the right application is key, and most people struggle to find suitable applications.” This is why, when EOS works with customers, they examine the entire production chain—including which components the customer produces and how—with a focus on identifying where additive manufacturing could be beneficial. The answer is not always obvious.

For example, he described a plastics company seeking to leverage additive manufacturing. Their process revealed that reducing tool cooling time would have the greatest impact. The solution was to redesign the tool to be hollow and able to contain cooling fluid—a design that could only be created with additive manufacturing.

By reimagining the process with additive manufacturing, the company transformed not only the tools but also the production process, Langer said. “We were able to double output, potentially doubling business without major investment.”

Another successful example, considered one of the most advanced, involved a complete transition to digital and 3D production.

In the late 1990s, Andreas Hettich GmbH & Co. KG of Tuttlingen, Germany—a 200-person manufacturer of centrifugal machines—redeployed its entire business process, making a full leap to 100% additive manufacturing.

In this case, Dr. Langer explained, the business owner viewed conventional production as a limitation and thus consistently aimed to redesign the process to leverage additive manufacturing.

The company redesigned a centrifuge, previously assembled from 30 cast parts, by combining “all injection-molded parts into a single laser-bonded component,” he said.

“[They] no longer needed tooling; just a digital database and printing. They have 20 larger printers and transitioned from a conventional business model to a digital business model.”

Understanding the Materials Science of Additive Manufacturing

A critical factor for successful strategic deployment of additive manufacturing is understanding “what is happening inside the machine during the process,” when the machine produces parts using only a laser and powder material.

Dr. Langer said: “It is physics, and it’s very complex,” sometimes producing surprising results.

He explained: “We have seen that we can create parts in the machine—from a material perspective—that cannot be achieved with conventional processes. For example, today we can make aluminum with the strength of steel—and you don’t do this using steel or aluminum powder in a machine.”

Similarly, he added, the company has worked with materials that can “significantly alter plastics.”

A subsidiary of EOS in Texas, called Advanced Laser Materials (ALM), manufactures and blends polymer powders for EOS systems and other powder-based AM technologies.

Integrating Additive Manufacturing into Conventional Production

Like identifying the right application, it’s important to determine where additive manufacturing fits within conventional processes.

Dr. Langer said: “You shouldn’t think that 3D printing will replace conventional manufacturing. Personally, I haven’t seen an industrial additive part that cannot work alongside conventional technology.”

For example, the hollow tooling of the plastics company is an application where additive manufacturing complements rather than replaces conventional production.

In another example, Dr. Langer described: “Imagine a part worth a few thousand dollars, part of a complete system worth millions. That small additive part can change multiple million-dollar systems.”

“A small part in a car—perhaps part of the engine—can change the overall value of the car, like fuel consumption. We work closely with some manufacturers who can see that our technology can enable major innovation in engine business. And if you do this, suddenly a small additive part in regular maintenance becomes a completely different business for the automotive manufacturer.”

The Future of Additive Manufacturing

When exploring and applying the three strategies for additive manufacturing, the keyword is “strategy.” Through the history and future of the technology, Dr. Langer and the EOS team described the progression from prototyping to research use and its integration into conventional production processes by 2020.

During this process, companies implement additive manufacturing in various ways. Many pursue easier plans, like reducing product development costs or swapping a 3D-printed part for a conventionally produced one. Others pursue strategic deployments to create digital manufacturing and shaped value chains.

According to Dr. Langer, this trend leads to the latest developments. He said: “Our customers are preparing for major investments in this direction to truly change what they offer and how they offer it. Supply chains will change significantly; today you may have one part, and in the future, you may not. But there will be a combination [of multiple parts] that you will produce differently.”

Source: industryweek.com

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