(Cranfield, United Kingdom, 23rd May 2019). Uptake of AM processes for production applications is still quite low, reasons for this including high capital and running costs; consumable costs (particularly for refined, metal powders); inconsistent material properties which are a significant prohibitor for critical components; extensive pre-and post-processing requirements (and costs); and, often, a failure to understand when and how to apply AM to maximize its benefits.
 
It is within this framework that the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen) will be hosting a Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting 16-18 September 2019 in the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France, the 6th time that euspen has joined forces with the American Society of Precision Engineering (ASPE) focusing on important issues surrounding precision in AM.
 
Many of the existing commercial companies that provide AM platforms today are aware of the barriers to adoption, with many — mainly at the high-end of the system spectrum — refining and developing their respective processes by adding value propositions pre-, in-, and post-process, particularly for production applications.
 
The corresponding vernacular that has surfaced and is growing in use across the AM sector is 'end-to-end manufacturing solutions.' As this phrase implies, the emphasis is shifting away from the additive process itself, towards a comprehensive solution for production manufacturing that promises to address the barriers, and offer a compelling production proposition that incorporates the unique benefits of AM technologies, eliminates the identified and/or real challenges, and optimizes the performance and efficiency of the process.
 
This includes — in many cases — superior control software and man/machine interfaces; quality control via digital simulation in-process; validation; improved, qualified materials; and extended automation pre- and post build.
 
A key overarching potential for manufacturing applications with AM within an end-to-end solution is visibility across the complete process and the ability to detect risks and defects, which in turn offers traceability for quality control with particular reference to surface structure, dimensional accuracy, and part strength. This is true for one-off components, but even more so for series production where repeatability — in terms of consistency of materials and mechanical properties of the parts — is vital.
 
Automation of the overall process is also a really essential factor, especially in a series manufacturing environment. Materials handling pre- and post-build is a particularly laborious task that calls for keen attention to safety measures. For example, the metal powders that are fed into the machine, and often subsequently require recycling of unused powder, is probably the dirtiest secret of all when it comes to AM.
 
The euspen / ASPE SIG meeting will focus on such issues that are critical to the viability of AM as a production technology. The local hosts and organising committee for the SIG are Prof. Alain Bernard from Ecole Centrale de Nantes; Dr David Bue Pedersen from Technical University of Denmark; Prof. Richard Leach from University of Nottingham; and Dr John Taylor from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The AM SIG meeting chair is Prof. Richard Leach from University of Nottingham, and Dr John Taylor from University of North Carolina at Charlotte.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com