3YOURMIND assesses 3D printing’s viability for serial production and prepares to host three AM webinars

The relative slowness of 3D printing has limited its use for serial production. Siemens

A thought-provoking article about additive manufacturing’s viability as a serial production process appeared in the March 2020 e-newsletter issued by AM software developer 3YOURMIND (3YM). The company announced in the same email that it plans to host three webinars March 25-27.

The article, titled “Is Serial Additive Manufacturing Taking Off?”, was written by the company’s technical consultant manager, Jakub Karkocha. He claims AM engineers and designers face an “existential challenge” and asks, “Is it even possible to cost effectively move additive parts into mass production?”

Karkocha states that a major factor limiting AM’s acceptance for high-volume production is the relative slowness of 3D printing processes. He notes, though, that AM systems have evolved significantly in the past few years. “New technologies, like Carbon (resin) in the USA and Spee3D (metal) from Australia are addressing the problem of low production speed.”

The author also cites examples of AM being successfully adopted for serial production at three companies: Erpro 3D Factory (Chanel mascara brushes), Siemens Energy, and Airbus.

“These three cases all represent significant milestones,” writes Karkocha, “but when we look at the total Chanel, Airbus, and Siemens Energy production streams, we see that additive manufacturing represents a fraction of a percent of production applications. … That means that while individual serial applications can make a dent in the bottom line, it will always be an ‘addition’ to traditional production rather than a full replacement.”

The author also cites a 2019 report from Global EY titled “3D printing: hype or game changer?” that shows the growth of AM use among 900 companies surveyed in 2016 and 2019. In the most recent survey, 18% of respondents said their companies had adopted serial AM production; in 2016, only 5% had.

“When we look at the news and the numbers, it is clear that additive manufacturing is hitting clear milestones in the shift from prototyping to serial manufacturing,” writes Karkocha. “As large companies also invest in competency centers, material advancement, and technology improvements, it is also clear that on both the realization and production phases the results will become a rising tide over the next years.”

The 3YM webinars scheduled for March 25-27 are based on presentations the company originally prepared for the AMUG 2020 and RAPID + TCT shows, which were canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Below are the dates, times, and presenters for the webinars:

Examining the Three AM Workflow Steps With the Highest Automation Potential. March 25, 2020, 2:00 p.m. EST. Speaker: William Cuervo, Technical Sales Manager, 3YOURMIND.

How will Erpro (producer of Chanel mascara brushes) optimize AM production for 17 million parts? March 26, 2020, 11:00 a.m. EST. Speaker: Marie Thiébault, French Regional Director, 3YOURMIND.

Helping Application Engineers Find the Most Valuable AM Parts for Production. March 27, 2020, 11:00 a.m. EST. Speaker: Jakub Karkocha, Technical Consultant Manager, 3YOURMIND.