DECEMBER 20208 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSIN MY OPINIONRedefining Design Efficiency with 3D Printing By Kenlip Ong, Head of Additive Manufacturing, Asia Pacific, Thyssenkrupp [ETR: TKA]Additive manufacturing (AM), more commonly referred to as 3D printing, has come a long way since its introduction in the 1980's, growing at over 25 percent per annum over the last 30 years and accounting for around $14 billion spend in 2019. It has proven benefits in providing entirely new design capability, redistributing supply chains closer to end consumers, and making manufacturing processes more efficient and sustainable. AM can help lower the cost of developing complex products, increase design freedom, and enhance the overall efficiency of manufacturing process. Applications range from rapid prototyping and designing to tooling and producing complex final parts in small batches across industries. Four sectors -- aerospace, industrial machines & tooling, medical/dental implants, and automotive ­in particular account for nearly 65 percent of the global AM market.Despite low current penetration levels, other sectors have equal potential to benefit from AM. For example, the maritime and the natural resources industries (mining, cement, chemicals, oil and gas) are characterized by geographic fragmentation and remote locations, posing challenges around logistics and inventory management of parts. The problem can be partly addressed by 3D printing and building a digital spare parts warehouse optimizing the overall inventory and cost of logistics. While, there are still a few limitations that might make AM seem less attractive vis-a-vis conventional manufacturing for mass production, including high raw material costs, limited material diversity, lack of process know-how, need for process control including higher stability & repeatability and limited regulatory standards and accreditations. The technology is rapidly improving by the day and as with any innovation, the economics Kenlip Ong
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