Things to consider before jumping into additive manufacturing

I’ve advised dozens of manufacturers contemplating the adoption of 3D printing. If you’re thinking about bringing AM in-house, you must thoroughly know your application and have a plan for designing and 3D-printing the part.

It’s also critical to develop a streamlined, closed-loop communication channel that extends from management through every level of your operation and back to management. Additionally, AM will require you and your team to commit to using it long enough to accurately assess it. This could necessitate operating outside of your manufacturing comfort zone.

Not everyone is willing to do this or devote the time necessary to optimize an AM process. That was the case with a client of mine that supplied products to the automotive industry. The client wanted to 3D-print some fixtures for mounting parts during assembly. I indicated it would be me and my team’s first time printing such a fixture and extra development time would be needed. We would be depositing a lot of metal and had to find a way to control thermal distortion. That took longer than we hoped, and, in fairness, our solution wasn’t perfect.

The fixture’s heaviness was the client’s main concern, and the company decided to pull the plug on the project before we could demonstrate ways to reduce the weight. I do not think the project was a failure, and our team learned a lot. But it was clear the client wanted quick answers and was unwilling to go the distance with us to find them.

Manufacturing processes—especially those involving new technologies like 3D printing—can’t be implemented as quickly as everyone would like. It is important to always communicate that upfront and ensure that all team members and partners understand it.