3D printing mass production Mass production with AM: Six questions you should clarify in advance

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If you want to successfully use additive manufacturing for mass production, you have to consider more than just printing individual parts. If the series print is also to be carried out via an external service provider, even more aspects come into play.

Frank Küchelmann works as Marketing Manager EMEA at Materialise GmbH.

If a company wants to approach series production using AM, it is helpful to deal with certain issues in advance. The first aspects to clarify relate to the product to be printed. An obvious question is always about quantity - how many do you want to produce now and in the future? But that's not all.

What factors ensure repeatability?

Various factors such as the purpose of a part, its function, and the possible tolerances can place specific requirements on a serial printing project. It is important to know them in advance. However, unlike usual, it is not only necessary to consider whether and how the requirements can be met in a single printing process, but also in repetitions. Because what is possible in a single print can differ greatly from what can be realized using serial printing. In particular, very tight tolerances may need to be designed more generously.

Associated with this, it may be necessary to change the design of a product that has already been designed if it is to be produced in large quantities. To clarify this, two questions need to be answered: Is the design already designed so that the product can be printed in series? And if not, is it acceptable to adjust the design of the product?

What material properties are crucial?

In addition to the specifications regarding the design, the crucial specifications regarding the material and the level of finishing must also be precisely defined and recorded in advance and communicated to the production level.

Then, you should instruct your chosen internal or external manufacturing partner to report early if a change is imminent in this regard. For example, if parts must have a certain number of particles to ensure a clean surface, and the manufacturing partner changes the sandblasting process before another print run, they must inform the client.

Cost, speed and quality - what is most important?

Additional complexity usually leads to longer lead times and higher costs, which is why a compromise is typically necessary here. Therefore, it should be clarified in advance how important the schedule is compared to the properties and costs of the final product. It is also advisable to check the options that are available.

In this context, companies should contact the manufacturing partner in good time and consider whether the project can be simplified and thus accelerated by a change in the design. When evaluating, it also helps to consider not only the price for manufacturing, but also the value of the additional services the manufacturing partner provides for the project. It might be worth planning longer lead times.

What conditions must be met in the manufacturing process?

In addition to the points mentioned above, companies should also keep an eye on the requirements in the manufacturing process. What needs to be ensured in any case, if the project is to be realized? For example, does the product have to be assembled in a certified clean room? Or are components to be produced in a specific orientation? If such special requirements exist, you could consider commissioning external manufacturing experts for the project.

How can product requirements be translated into quality management principles?

Quality is important for every customer. Therefore, external manufacturing partners should be asked about their certifications and qualifications to be able to guarantee quality. The question can, for example, be clarified as part of a process for introducing new products (NPI) or a quality management system with ISO 9001 certification. Companies should also ask what quality guarantees their project requires and evaluate suppliers' offers based on this criterion as well.

Which specific documents are required?

Documentation is often a key requirement for companies and their customers. The necessary documents largely depend on the industry. For example, an EASA Part 21G certification is often required for airworthy parts, while others need EN9100. In addition, the question needs to be clarified whether the parts can be certified in the company itself - and above all, whether they should be. If the company wants to spare itself the nerve-wracking and time-consuming task, it can ask its external manufacturing partner how it can help in this regard.

The issues surrounding product, process, and documentation only scratch the surface. But they make it clear in which directions you should look before starting an AM series print and where further questions need to be answered. The effort associated with answering these questions is generally worthwhile. Because it is more complex and expensive to have to correct errors in series printing afterwards.