Additive manufacturing has evolved to the point where it is now possible to “print” with metal. For maintenance and repair organizations, the advantages of additive manufacturing include the potential for reducing inventory, avoiding downtime and cutting waste. Here, we’ll examine the advantages of 3D printing over traditional manufacturing from a maintenance/MRO perspective and what makes it so important as a resilience tool.
What is additive manufacturing?
“Additive” refers to the process of building shapes by adding material piece by piece. This type of manufacturing distinguishes it from traditional “subtractive” machining processes where material is cut away to create the required form. “3D printing” is often used as a synonym for “additive manufacturing,” although not all additive processes have the same characteristics as printing. The 3D printing of polymers is a fairly mature technology. While there are many variations, the most widely used principle is extrusion through a hot nozzle. The nozzle is mounted on an XY gantry and moves over a table to deposit a bead of material. To build upward with successive layers, the table moves down.
Metal additive manufacturing using metallic powders is a more recent development. Two widely used technologies are powder bed fusion and powder deposition. Within these categories, there are many variations in how shapes are built. In powder bed fusion, a layer of metal powder is spread across a table. Then, either a binder material is injected to hold the grains in place prior to sintering, or a laser scans over the surface to sinter the grains in-situ. In powder deposition, the powder passes through an energy beam to be sintered as it is applied to the surface. Although not all parts are suited for 3D printing, this type of on-demand manufacturing can bring numerous benefits to MRO organizations.
Why additive manufacturing is especially valuable for MRO
MRO can benefit a great deal from additive manufacturing because it has the potential to solve parts shortages in a way traditional sourcing cannot. For example, rather than waiting to find a rare component from a vendor or the OEM, manufacturers can print out a replacement right there in their facility. Additive manufacturing technology also provides a solution for finding obsolete or outdated parts that may be too difficult or costly to purchase. Even if the printing process can’t provide the same level of durability as a traditionally manufactured component, it still may be suitable for temporary use in an emergency downtime scenario.
Benefits of additive manufacturing for MRO
1. Produce less waste
Subtractive manufacturing methods may remove as much as 90% of the material with which it starts. By contrast, additive processes use only a little more material than is needed in the final form, the extra being used for support structures. This means far less scrap for one-off part production. If multiple parts are combined into one, the material and cost savings can be greater still. Additive manufacturing also saves energy compared to subtractive processes; metal cutting is avoided, as it transports through a manufacturing facility.
2. Lower your costs
Early additive machines were slow, expensive and had a limited working envelope. As the technology has matured, the machines have become bigger and faster and prices have dropped, making it an affordable alternative to traditional parts manufacturing methods. This is especially true with regard to low-volume and emergency parts. Additive manufacturing can help manufacturers avoid downtime that can cost them much more than sourcing an OEM component would.
3. Accelerate prototyping
One of additive manufacturing’s advantages is how it can speed up the prototyping phase. It enables manufacturers to develop a first pass of a product or component quickly and at a fraction of the cost for normal production. This makes it possible to go through numerous iterations in the time and budget it would have taken for a single prototype using traditional manufacturing methods. Any adjustments to the design can be made in CAD and a new version can be printed for immediate testing. This means additive technology is the ideal bridge between the digital realm and the real world.
4. Decrease time to repair
If a replacement part isn’t in inventory and must be ordered, it can sometimes take days to arrive. That’s time during which a machine may be down, perhaps stopping production or requiring the use of more expensive manufacturing methods. 3D printing a replacement part can get the equipment back up and running in less time. Even if the printed part isn’t an exact replica, it only must function until the factory replacement is available. This results in potentially significant improvements in uptime and production continuity.
5. Reduce inventory
A large spares inventory helps safeguard against extended machine downtime caused by non-availability of key parts. However, inventory requires space, ties up cash, and can deteriorate or become obsolete. If you can “print” parts on-demand, the storeroom no longer needs to stock essential, slow-moving items. This includes obsolete spares, helping improve storeroom optimization and freeing up working capital.
6. Prolong equipment life
It’s often difficult to source replacement parts for older manufacturing equipment. This is because manufacturers a) update their products and stop providing replacement parts for older models, and b) get acquired or go out of business. In extreme cases, the only option may be to buy new machinery—even though the old equipment still has plenty of useful life remaining. 3D printing technology provides a way around this. If a CAD model is available or can be created, simply “print,” finish and install a copy of the part.
7. Digital design integration
Many 3D design platforms today include options for rapid prototyping as well as reverse engineering. This makes it possible for design and engineering teams to go straight from their designs to a product that is ready for testing or recreate a part without schematics. Certain elements of the design can be automated through these applications to simulate the finished product more effectively, such as adding internal honeycombs to mimic the strength of the actual materials to be used. Designers and engineers can take their virtual designs directly from CAD and translate them into the real world with just a few clicks, improving response times.
8. Low-volume production runs
Conventional manufacturing techniques often require expensive tooling, which makes producing lower quantities of products a poor value proposition for the manufacturer. On the other hand, additive manufacturing makes even producing a single item feasible from a profitability standpoint in times of high urgency. Manufacturers no longer need to worry about the viability of smaller production runs, one-off parts or custom components, and can leverage 3D printing as a means of meeting customer demand even in extremely niche cases. This enhances their ability to satisfy their customers’ needs without necessarily making a significant investment in their operations.
9. Energy savings
Additive manufacturing requires fewer tools than traditional methods. This means using this technique requires less energy consumption. Not only does this reduce the amount of money manufacturers spend on their operating costs, but it also helps reduce their overall impact on the environment. In a broader sense, 3D printing also reduces the need to extract raw materials for a product, saving even more in terms of energy consumption. Manufacturers looking for new ways to make their operations more efficient should consider 3D printing as an alternative to traditional manufacturing processes in certain areas.
10. Environmental benefits
The typical manufacturing setup wastes a considerable number of raw materials because they create parts by removing what isn’t needed. Although recycling can mitigate this to a degree, there is still a certain amount that is discarded. However, industrial additive manufacturing only uses as much material as absolutely needed. This means less waste and less need to source raw materials through activities that can harm the environment. Combined with the process’s lower energy needs, it’s easy to see how 3D printing can be a much eco-friendlier means of production. Manufacturers who are looking for ways to meet their corporate ESG goals can utilize 3D printing to do so.
Disadvantages of additive manufacturing
Like any technology, additive manufacturing only works if it is employed in the most appropriate manner. Although the process can bring numerous benefits to manufacturers, there are a number of caveats that they must keep in mind before adding it to their capabilities. These include:
- Material limitations
- Cost of entry
- Speed of production
- Post-processing
However, whether these factors have a negative impact on production rests in the strength of the decision-making that went into using 3D printing. It’s always best to think carefully about the pros and cons of additive manufacturing for each particular application before committing to it.
Additive manufacturing could solve your production problems
There are many benefits of 3D printing in manufacturing. While sometimes viewed as a new way of making production parts, it is also a valuable support tool. Grippers and fixtures are examples of production aids and tooling that are increasingly being made via additive manufacturing processes. If made from plastic, these tools may not have the durability of metal equivalents, but the time saved over-purchased cast and/or machined parts can make that worthwhile.
Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many manufacturers have discovered the time-saving benefits of additive manufacturing. Furthermore, additive manufacturing is a valuable tool in MRO. Feeling the pressure to cut costs and raise equipment availability, many maintenance departments are searching for ways to improve effectiveness of MRO operations. In this regard, additive manufacturing could reduce spare parts inventory, help get broken down equipment up and running in less time and reduce waste of materials and energy.
In addition to an extensive range of maintenance support services, ATS can undertake 3D printing of replacement parts. This is a way of resolving production stoppages quickly when OEM parts are no longer available. Contact ATS to learn more.
