1. Advantages of AM
In this module, we will discuss the advantages of AM processes. There are three main areas where AM offers improvements and benefits over traditional manufacturing processes. These are: technical and quality, economics and logistics.
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2. Benefits of Additive Manufacturing
Parts Consolidation
Allows for greater customization
Encourages innovation and allows for greater design freedom
Complexity for free. Unlike traditional methods, part complexity only increases production cost marginally.
In metal printing, AM can create new alloys and/or change alloy composition layer-to-layer
There are several technical and quality related benefits offered by AM processes.
One of the most important benefits of AM techniques is parts consolidation, that is, it allows product design with fewer, more complex parts rather than many simpler parts. Reducing the number of parts in an assembly immediately cuts the overhead associated with documentation, production planning and control. It is also possible to produce complete assemblies that contain moving parts. Fewer parts mean less time and labor required for assembling the product, again contributing to a reduction in overall manufacturing costs. The “footprint” of the assembly line may also become smaller.
AM offers more opportunities for greater customization of parts. The main reason for this is that AM can produce parts while side stepping many of the time consuming and expensive pre-production activities necessary in the traditional manufacturing process. For example, AM permits rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, and in some instances, eliminates entirely the use of molds, dies, and forms. It allows designers, engineers and end-users to iterate product design rapidly, and economically, thereby permitting economical tailoring and customization of parts. AM allows for “economy-of-one” as opposed to traditional manufacturing which relies on economies-of-scale to reduce unit cost.
AM production systems allow designs with novel geometries, design features and internal structures that would be difficult or impossible to achieve by conventional manufacturing processes. For example, with AM processes it is possible to have parts with undercuts, variable wall thickness and deep channel features. AM permits twisted and contorted shapes, “blind holes,” lattices, and topologically optimized shapes. Such novel geometries can improve a component’s technical performance. Novel geometries also enable economic and environmental benefits, such as reduction in raw material use, in component weight, in energy consumption and near elimination of waste.
AM with metal can create new alloys and/or change alloy composition from layer to layer.
Even while permitting complex shapes and parts to be readily produced, AM techniques increase production cost marginally with increasing complexity. Thus affording “complexity for free.”
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3. Benefits of Additive Manufacturing
Reduced weight -- in aerospace applications reduces the all- important measure, the buy-to-fly ratio.
Cost effective at small scale
Lower energy Intensity
Less Waste
In aerospace applications, reduction in weight is of paramount importance. Weight reduction is readily feasible by AM processes because of the ability to make components with internal lattice structures that reduce weight without compromising performance. In aerospace applications AM can reduce the all-important performance measure, the buy-to-fly ratio. This measures the amount of raw material consumed by the process to produce a unit weight of flight hardware. A lower ratio produces economic benefits throughout the life cycle of the component. Later in this module, we will examine two examples of weight reduction in aerospace components.
As mentioned previously, by eliminating or drastically reducing the scope of pre-production activities and allowing for more efficient manufacturing steps, AM is cost effective even with low production volume.
AM permits production with lower energy intensity. AM saves energy by eliminating production steps, by using substantially less material, by enabling re-use of by-products, and by producing lighter products. Remanufacturing parts through advanced AM manufacturing and surface treatment processes can also return end-of-life products to as-new conditions, using only 2-25% of the energy required to make new parts.
Less Waste: Building objects layer-by-layer instead of traditional machining processes that cut away material can reduce material needs and costs by up to 90%. In metals manufacturing, scrap rates are only about 1 to 3 percent, and with further advancements, they are projected to approach zero. AM can also reduce the “cradle-to-grave” environmental footprint of component manufacturing through avoidance of tools, dies, and material scraps associated with conventional manufacturing. Additionally, AM reduces waste by lowering human error in production.
Advantages of AM 3

4. Benefits of Additive Manufacturing
Side-steps many design and manufacturing constraints
Lower defect rate and higher quality consistency
Can eliminate many steps in traditional manufacturing, even for complex objects, e.g.,
Procurement of individual parts
Molds and tooling
Machining
Welding parts and components
Assembly
Eliminates many steps in traditional metal production chain
Side-steps many design and manufacturing constraints.
Lower Defect rate and higher quality consistency: AM has the potential to reduce product defect rate due to elimination of many pre-production and in-production processes, thus reducing opportunities for errors, omissions and conditions that lead to defective products.
AM processes can eliminate many steps in traditional manufacturing, even for complex parts. For example, it can eliminate procurement of individual parts, molds and tooling, machining, welding and assembly operations.
In metals manufacturing industry, AM can eliminate many steps in the traditional metals value chain. AM processes for metals requires only three steps. The first is producing the metal itself using conventional smelting and casting processes. The second step is the production of raw material for the printer, which takes the form of either powder or wire. The third step is 3-D printing of the desired product with some finishing steps required afterwards. Conventional metal production stages such as hot rolling, cold rolling, cutting, stamping, deburring, bending, welding and assembly become largely obsolete. Consequently, there is little need for standard inventory methods, complex logistics and lengthy supply chains.
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5. Benefits of Additive Manufacturing
Just in time inventory control
Agility – permits rapid response to changing market conditions and demands
Shorter product development cycle and shorter time to market – by eliminating need for expensive and time consuming part tooling and prototype fabrication
Reduced logistics support -- manufacture at point of use
Just-in time inventory control: AM production can be ramped up rapidly, even for small series production, thus enabling manufacturers to operate on leaner inventory and exert better control over the inventory held in storage.
Agility: AM techniques enable rapid response to changing market conditions and create new production options outside of factories, such as mobile units that can be placed near the source of local materials or near the end user. The ability to rapidly establish just in time production, makes AM particularly appealing to those manufacturing small batches of highly customized parts who want to scale production as needed. Spare parts can be produced on demand, reducing or eliminating the need for stockpile and complex supply chains.
Shorter Product Development Cycle and shorter time to market. AM eliminates need for expensive and time-consuming tooling, and prototype fabrication. Parts can be produced as soon as there is a 3-D design file available. Rapid production of prototypes, without tooling, permits economical and rapid iterations in part design until the optimized design is developed for production.
Reduced logistics support – AM advantages ultimately reduce the footprint for logistics support. It has all round benefits from sourcing, procurement, transportation, storage and inventory of raw materials, spares, management of change, design control and documentation. Manufacturing at point of use is economical.
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6. Benefits of AM Case Study: Aircraft Bracket
This slide presents a case study illustrating the benefits of AM versus conventional machining in the production of an aircraft bracket. There is a reduction of buy-to-fly ratio from 8:1 to 1.5:1. A reduction of over 80%. There is a reduction of 65percent in product weight; a reduction of 93 percent in use of raw material and a reduction of life-cycle energy consumption of 66 percent.
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7. Benefits of AM Case Study: Aircraft Belt Buckle
AM Optimized (left) versus Conventional Design
Conventional Buckle weighs 0.34 lb (or 0.26 lb when made from aluminum)
Titanium buckle made by AM weighs 0.15 lb – reduction of 55 percent
For an Airbus 380, with all economy seating of 853 seats, this would mean a reduction of 160 lbs
Over the aircraft’s lifetime, this would result in fuel savings of 872,000 gall.
Project participants: Plunkett Associates, Crucible Industrial Design, EOS, 3T, PRD, Delcam, University of Exeter.
This slide presents a case study illustrating the benefits of AM versus conventional manufacturing in the production of an aircraft belt buckle. By switching from a convention buckle to a lattice design in titanium, there was a weight reduction of about 55 percent. For an Airbus 380 aircraft, configured with 100% economy seating for 853 passengers, this represents a weight reduction of 160 lbs. Over the life of the aircraft this will result in fuel saving of 872,000 gallons.
Advantages of AM 7