Additive manufacturing or manufacture by addition encompasses various technologies that manufacture three-dimensional objects by sequentially adding layers of material. In addition, they are all based on a digital model for the manufacturing process.
Thus, the material is deposited in layers or sequences to build each design. Therefore, this technology is called “additive“, as opposed to traditional or “subtractive” manufacturing, which subtracts material from a solid block until the desired structure is achieved.
The beginnings of additive manufacturing
Initially, it was referred to as “rapid prototyping” because, in its early days, additive manufacturing was only used to make prototypes. However, with the improvement of additive technologies, the production volumes are becoming larger and larger.
The nature of this technology meant that the manufacturing processes were faster than conventional ones. This speed was helped, above all, by the fact that it was possible to dispense with tools such as moulds which, in the case of highly complex parts, could take up a great deal of time.
Advantages
As is well known, additive manufacturing offers many advantages and these are set to increase, which bodes well for the future.
Among the most important advantages are the following:
- Sustainability due to less use of raw materials, less waste and less need for means of transport
- Increasing possibilities in terms of the structural complexity of the product
- Reduction of stock and storage costs, as well as transport and supply chain costs
- Cost and time savings by not having to invest in moulds.
- Complete freedom of design
- Possibility of customization with each new print run
- Allows the evaluation and correction of ergonomics, dimensions and accuracy of prototypes
- Decrease in errors due to in-house production
- Possibility to make short production runs
Applications
Additive manufacturing is already well established in several sectors and Mizar Additive specializes mainly in the following areas:
The aerospace industry
What can additive manufacturing bring to industries like aerospace? The most immediate answer would be that additive manufacturing facilitates, among other things, improved performance and cost reduction It does so by enabling the manufacture of lightweight parts that improve fuel efficiency. The lower the weight of the parts, the greater the functionality.
In addition, additive manufacturing allows for the consolidation of the designs This means that the number of elements in a system of parts can be reduced in the design to a single complex component. Again, this topological optimization represents a great advantage for an industry where weight and performance are decisive factors
Another very advantageous application is the integration of heat exchange structures in a single part. Additive manufacturing facilitates the production of high-performance thermal management parts with reduced time to market.
Industry Sector
At Mizar, we produce customized additive manufacturing solutions for sectors such as automotive and transport, architecture or engineering.
We already know that additive manufacturing makes it possible to create industrial machine parts with complex, lightweight geometries that can function precisely and quickly.
However, when we talk about customized solutions, we refer to the possibility of offering different services such as product development, prototyping, tooling and final parts, among others.
In addition, additive technology represents a problem-solving approach because it quickly produces parts on demand. In the event of a breakdown, for example, additive manufacturing represents a great competitive advantage because it is a process that does not depend on stock or external manufacturers.
Transport sector
Accelerating the design stage in the development of new products is key in any industry. Additive manufacturing allows designers to go through several iterations (with profitability) before approving the final product. Prototypes respond to the identification of a need and the development of ideas that finally materialize in a prototype. In a next stage they are tested to improve the design. This is what we know as “rapid prototyping”, as mentioned above.
Some resources reduce the overall weight of parts while maintaining or improving their function. These resources can be lighter parts and consequent fuel savings; improvements in industrial design software; generative design tools, topological optimization and lattice generation.
Again, it is possible to lighten the parts and make them more complex, although for this sector it is also essential to simplify parts by consolidating them into a single design.
Another interesting aspect of this technology is that of customization, and some luxury car manufacturers already use it to offer specialized designs to their customers.
In addition, electric vehicles also represent a sector of interest, considering that 50% of the manufacturers in this sector aspire to be the market leader in all-electric vehicles (EV). Additive manufacturing offers the possibility of accelerating the development of lighter parts for this type of vehicle, a determining factor in electric vehicles as it will affect battery life.
In short, the low volume automotive sector (trucks, tractors, electric vehicles, etc.) is the sector that benefits the most from Mizar’s additive proposal.
Large Scientific Facilities (LSF)
The Large Science Facilities are research infrastructures, usually of an international nature, which enable the production of cutting-edge science. In addition, they contribute to the development and technological innovation in any field. Due to their scientific-technological complexity and the very high investments they require, these scientific infrastructures can only be tackled in a framework of international collaboration.
More than manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is more than just a manufacturing method. Remarkable thanks to its numerous advantages, some of them are radically advantageous and beneficial for today’s social and economic fabric. Sustainability, savings, efficiency, effective process management and flexibility are just some of the premises of the future of additive manufacturing.
As we always say, additive manufacturing is here to stay.
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