Innovative Methodology for the Identification of the Most Suitable Additive Technology Based on Product Characteristics

Abstract

This paper reports the study and development case of an innovative application of the Cloud Manufacturing paradigm. Based on the definition of an appropriate web-based application, the infrastructure is able to connect the possible client requests and the relative supply chain product/process development capabilities and then attempt to find the best available solutions. In particular, the main goal of the developed system, called AMSA (Additive Manufacturing Spare parts market Application), is the definition of a common platform to supply different kinds of services that have the following common reference points in the Additive Manufacturing Technologies (DFAM, Design For Additive Manufacturing): product development, prototypes, or small series production and reverse engineering activities to obtain Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models starting from a physical object. The definition of different kinds of services allows satisfying several client needs such as innovative product definition characterized by high performance in terms of stiffness/weight ratio, the possibility of manufacturing small series, such as in the motorsport field, and the possibility of defining CAD models for the obsolete parts for which the geometrical information is missed. The AMSA platform relies on the reconfigurable supply chain that is dynamic, and it depends on the client needs. For example, when the client requires the manufacture of a small series of a component, AMSA allows the technicians to choose the best solutions in terms of delivery time, price, and logistics. Therefore, the suppliers that contribute to the definition of the dynamic supply chain have an important role. For these reasons, the AMSA platform represents an important and innovative tool that is able to link the suppliers to the customers in the best manner in order to obtain services that are characterized by a high-performance level. Therefore, a provisional model has been implemented that allows filtering the technologies according to suitable performance indexes. A specific aspect for which AMSA can be considered unique is related with the given possibility to access Design for Additive Manufacturing Services through the Web in accordance with the possible additive manufacturing technologies.

Additive Manufacturing Research and Applications

“…This Special Issue offers a wide scope in the research field around 3D printing, including the following [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]: the use of 3D printing in system design, AM with binding jetting, powder manufacturing technologies in 3D printing, fatigue performance of additively manufactured metals such as the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, 3D-printing method with metallic powder and a laser-based 3D printer, 3D-printed custom-made implants, laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) process of TiC-TMC coatings, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, cranial implant fabrication without supports in electron beam melting (EBM) additive manufacturing, the influence of material properties and characteristics in laser powder bed fusion, Design For Additive Manufacturing (DFAM), porosity evaluation of additively manufactured parts, fabrication of coatings by laser additive manufacturing, laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing, plasma metal deposition (PMD), as-metal-arc (GMA) additive manufacturing process, and spreading process maps for powder-bed additive manufacturing derived from physics model-based machine learning.…”

Leveraging Additive Manufacturing and Reverse Engineering for Circular Economy-Driven Remanufacturing of Hydraulic Drive System Components

“…Thus, the design of components through the polymerization of various resins and nanocomposite biomaterials, with the help of 3D printing, becomes a fast and precise process of forming products with good chemical and mechanical stability [4,5]. There are rapid prototyping processes that are known in the literature [6][7][8]. Precision three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing technologies are used for advantageous freedom in designing and manufacturing complex applications specific geometries with little loss.…”

Analysis of the Flatness Form Error in Binder Jetting Process as Affected by the Inclination Angle

“…The new potential and opportunities of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies are currently under investigation in different production fields [1,2]. According to these studies, one fundamental challenge concerns the identification of the most suitable AM technique on the basis of the product's requirements and characteristics [3], as different AM technologies are associated with different benefits and issues. The positive balance of benefits and challenges is particularly convenient in binder jetting (BJ) process technology.…”