Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing can involve significant upfront investment in industrial-grade machines, software, and specialized labor. Material feedstock – especially for metals and high-performance composites – is more expensive than traditional raw materials. Although AM reduces tooling costs and suits low-volume production runs, total cost of ownership is impacted by maintenance, energy usage, and post-processing expenses. Many organizations use a hybrid strategy of merging AM with traditional techniques to balance cost efficiency and volume scalability.

Not all materials are compatible with every additive manufacturing process. For instance, binder jetting and powder bed fusion require specific powder properties, while stereolithography (SLA) is confined to photopolymers. Availability of industrial-grade alloys – like nickel-based superalloys – and composites can be restricted, limiting applicability in critical sectors such as aerospace or medical implants. Assessing mechanical strength, thermal resistance, and regulatory requirements is essential early in the design phase to ensure parts meet performance standards.

Many AM and 3D printed parts require some form of post-processing, such as support removal, heat treatment, machining, and surface smoothing. These steps increase time of manufacturing and contribute to overhead labor costs, particularly for complex geometries in metal AM. Surface roughness and dimensional inconsistency may arise unless components are carefully debound, sintered, or polished. Many of these tasks are currently manual and non-automated, reducing throughput and driving up costs.

Achieving consistent quality is difficult due to machine variation, material batch differences, and inconsistent build orientation – resulting in porosity, limited mechanical strength, and anisotropic properties. Industries like aerospace and automotive require strict certification protocols. Non-destructive testing (e.g., CT scans, ultrasonic) and in-process monitoring (e.g., thermal, optical sensors) are essential to catch internal defects and ensure reliability. Machine calibration and repeatability standards are foundational to maintaining performance across batches.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has numerous advantages over traditional/subtractive manufacturing. First, products can be designed to minimize weight and material use. The layered printing approach, plus the benefits of lattices, enable breakthrough designs that are critical in high-performance environments. Second, AM is faster and less expensive for small production runs. AM can be used to create prototypes, customized products, or production fixtures quickly and efficiently. Third, AM enables consolidation of an assembly into a single part. Save assembly labor and time with a complete AM-printed assembly. Finally, AM facilitates production planning, since it is possible to quickly print the parts inventory needed. Reduce on-hand parts inventory and quickly recreate legacy parts for easier production management. These are just a few of the many advantages of AM.

No, but they are related. 3D printing describes the process of making parts by depositing layers of materials based on a 3D CAD model. These are most commonly polymer materials, used for consumer and recreational purposes. AM uses a variety of layering technologies and materials to achieve specific design goals. AM is commonly used for production purposes in an industrial or commercial environment.

3D printing evolved from inkjet technology developed in the 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, there were advances in the technologies, including a 1971 patent of liquid metal "printing". Yet it was in the 1980s that the technology began to take off with the invention of stereolithography, or SLA, which involved the laser printing of photopolymers. These were expensive printers that were out of reach of consumers and most manufacturers. Around the turn of the century, the technology developed to include new processes and materials, and cost reductions made it accessible to a wider audience of users. Today, improved CAD tools and precision printers have made AM a logical choice for industrial and commercial operations worldwide.

AM materials range from thermoplastic polymers (ABS, nylon, TPU) to resins via SLA, as well metals (aluminum, titanium, steel), and composites used in metal additive manufacturing. Ceramics, wax, sand, and even paper are used for binder jetting, production parts, dental application, and industrial tooling.

Traditional manufacturing, often called subtractive manufacturing, generally involves removing material from stock to generate the desired part shape. Traditional machining might include a multiaxis mill or drill press. Traditional manufacturing also applies to casts and formed parts, often produced on machined tools. Traditional manufactured parts are limited by the capabilities and access of the machining tools.

As the name implies, AM adds successive layers of materials to create a part based on the 3D CAD model. This can result in shapes and designs that previously could not be manufactured using conventional tools. Additionally, manufactured parts are often lighter than parts produced through traditional manufacturing because unnecessary material can more easily be removed from the CAD design.

CAM, or computer-aided manufacturing, encompasses a wide variety of production methods driven by digital controls and the 3D CAD model. CAM is inclusive of traditional and AM processes. Traditional manufacturing would include computer numeric-controlled mills, presses, punches, lathes, and other production machines. CAM supports a variety of AM processes as well, such as powder bed fusion, material extrusion, binder jetting, and handles build parameters like support structures, orientation, and simulation. The common element in CAM is the digital 3D CAD model, which defines the product dimensions and the resulting tool paths.

Additive manufacturing traces back to the early 1980s, when Dr. Hideo Kodama developed a prototyping machine that built off the technology of 3D scanning and layering of topographical maps. It wasn’t until 1984 though that Charles Hull patented stereolithography (SLA), beginning the rapid expansion of additive manufacturing. The first commercial SLA machine was launched in 1987 and was followed by subsequent innovations such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), solid ground curing (SGC), and laminated object manufacturing (LOM). Since then, technologies like SLS, binder jetting, and direct energy deposition have accelerated AM’s evolution from rapid prototyping to full-scale production.

Design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) refers to a set of methodologies and tools aimed at optimizing CAD models for layer-by-layer production. It leverages AM’s unique capabilities – topology optimization, lattice structures, part consolidation, and minimal support structures – to maximize performance and reduce material waste. For example, check out this blog showcasing a dramatic redesign of a helicopter heat exchanger. Design for additive manufacturing software, like Creo, ensures parts are built efficiently via metal or polymer additive manufacturing processes like powder bed fusion, fused deposition modeling, and binder jetting.