A DVANCED D IGITAL M ANUFACTURING

(Steve Krar, Consultant – Kelmar Associates)

In the produce or perish world of manufacturing, companies compete to build products better and cheaper. If one manufacturer does not meet that high standard of performance, it is safe to say that somebody else will. Time to market is critical for any manufacturer and everything that reduces product-development time, has a definite effect on how soon a product gets to the market, and how much of the marketplace a company can capture.

A PROGRESSION OF TECHNOLOGY

In the past, technical part prints were made, and the part manufactured using conventional machine tools and machining processes. This traditional method was used for many years, until the age of computers and the introduction of Numerical Control (NC), Fig.10-9-1.

Fig. 10-9-1 The progression of manufacturing technology since the 1980s. (3D Systems)

It was not long after NC was introduced to machine tools, that Computer-Aided Design (CAD) started to replace drafting as a means of producing technical part prints. Eventually, this evolved into CAD/CAM where the information data on CAD generated prints was used in CAM (Computer Assisted Manufacturing) to manufacture a part.

The next logical step in the manufacturing process was the introduction of Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (RP&M) for the design and producing prototype models, to reduce or eliminate manufacturing errors, and bring products to the market faster, and at lower cost.

SOLID-MODEL IMAGING

The current line of solid-modeling imaging software, equipment, and materials produced by Rapid Prototyping manufacturers is now used as digital-manufacturing tools with automotive, dental, biomedical, motor sports, consumer electronics, and military aerospace applications. They are used to speed the production of customized/specialized end-use parts. The ability to manufacture a product using additive fabrication techniques will radically alter designs and manufacturing methods over the next decade and beyond. Using Advanced Digital ManufacturingSM (ADM) techniques, such as Direct Composite Manufacturing and other solid-imaging solutions, like those offered by 3D Systems, existing designs can be manufactured, without the costs and lead-time associated with hard tooling, and more complex designs will become easier to manufacture.

ADVANCED DIGITAL MANUFACTURING

A relatively new technology, Advanced Digital Manufacturing (ADM), is a reliable and cost-effective method of making end-use parts for pre-production or production applications. It is expected to become a key enabling technology, for the customization of design and manufacturing, also called mass customization.

Direct ADM is the method for creating end-use products directly on a solid-imaging system. Recent advancements in Laser Sintering (LS) and Stereolithography (SL) technology, have made Advanced Digital Manufacturing an alternative to some conventional manufacturing methods.

The aerospace industry has used LS technology to manufacture nonstructural aircraft components. Manufacturers of hearing aids have recognized the value of the LS and SL technology in the production of custom fitted in-the-ear (ITE) devices. The fundamental benefits of direct ADM are: no tooling required, the ability to design for function not for a conventional and limiting manufacturing process, significant cost savings for low production runs, and design changes can be made quickly at a very low cost.

Indirect ADM is the method for creating end use-use parts from a mold, pattern, or tool that is generated on a solid-imaging system. One of the best examples of an innovative utilization of Indirect ADM is the way Align Technology manufactures invisible orthodontic treatment devices called Aligners. They thermoform a thin sheet of polycarbonate over accurate individual molds created on the SLA® 7000 system. Another example of Indirect ADM is using solid-imaging technology to produce a pattern for investment casting, and then create a metal part. Another example of Indirect ADM is generating a tool on a solid-imaging system that can actually be used on an injection mold machine to produce plastic parts .

ADM is a comprehensive technology that covers the production of a part starting at the design stage, progressing through the prototype development, and ending with the manufacturing stage. It uses solidimaging technology to directly or indirectly produce end-use components or product.