Advanced Manufacturing 2022: The value of trial and error in additive manufacturing

Manufacturers do not always ask the right question when they start to consider additive manufacturing (AM) for particular parts, said Claudia Galdini from HP during Advanced Manufacturing last week.

“Instead of asking ‘How could I switch this design to additive?’ the question could be ‘How can I take the full benefit of this 3D printer with a design that is made exactly for that?’,” she said during her session, which provided a ‘purchaser’s checklist’ for AM.

Taking such an approach helps maximise the benefits of the technology, she said. Advantages can include a boost to sustainability thanks to low wastage and high recyclability. Printing in one piece can make parts lighter and improve performance, while eliminating joints helps prevent leaks when working with fluids.

More training is needed to help organisations optimise the introduction of AM, however. “There are so many technologies on the market that it can be overwhelming looking for the best one for you,” she said.

“Using the machines themselves does not require that much training. What we believe needs to be intensified is, for example, the ‘design for additive’ courses, things like that, because sometimes we’ve been in contact with clients that really get the full benefits of our technology, but at the beginning didn’t even think of implementing some function of additive. That’s really just a matter of growing up, both in your education and your enterprise, without really having the chance to experiment. So it’s all about trying and failing, experimenting.”

Read more: 4 key messages from Advanced Manufacturing 2022

Get to grips with the future factory at Advanced Manufacturing, part of the Engineering Futures webinar series. Register for FREE to watch on-demand content now.  

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.