DESIGN FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Design for manufacturing (DFM) has typically meant that designers should tailor their designs to eliminate manufacturing difficulties and minimize costs. However, the improvement of rapid prototyping (RP), or Additive Manufacturing (AM), technologies provide an opportunity to re-think DFM to take advantage of the unique capabilities of this technology.

Due to the advances of additive manufacture (AM) technologies, it is now being commonly used as a final solution for small batch manufacture and not just for models or prototype evaluation. This technology and process is now being used in multiple sectors including medical, aerospace and fabricated moulds to name but a few.

These unique capabilities of Additive Manufacture include:

·         Shape complexity: it is possible to build virtually any shape, lot sizes of one are practical, customised geometries are achieved readily, and shape optimization is enabled.

·         Material complexity: material can be processed one point, or one layer, at a time, enabling the manufacture of parts with complex material compositions and designed property gradients. It should be noted new materials are being developed almost on a weekly basis.

We consider all projects regardless of size or complexity and 70% of our clients are internationally based so do please call us for an informal chat. Whether a quick turnaround, simple tooling or modelling job, to complex design engineering projects. We will be able to deliver you a solution.

MORE ABOUT AM TECHNOLOGIES

Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, enable the fabrication of parts and concepts that are geometrically complex, have graded material compositions, and can be customised.

Whilst the knowledge and principles developed in design engineering are critical in any design, this technology has added a new dimension which can lead to designs that are very geometrically complex and outside of the traditional design thinking.

The unique capabilities of AM technologies enable new opportunities for pushing design boundaries and customization, very significant improvements in product performance, multi-functionality, and lower overall manufacturing costs.

In order to take advantage of AM capabilities, new design and CAD methodologies must be developed. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) which is similar to DFM principles, has a similar end result, the process and applied design thinking is very different from the traditional route.

Our team’s design methodology is based around process-structure-property-behaviour and we can support and help you to design and develop a new concept or optimise a current design.