Additive Manufacturing is set to be a principal enabler of digitalized manufacturing in the Industry 4.0 revolution. This is a brave new world that requires rethinking of the traditional design and manufacturing processes.
Industry 4.0 is a step towards full automation, with smart factories connecting to a single or multiple systems that can oversee the entire production process making adjustments and decisions on the fly. This means that complex production processes require a complete rethink and all functions, such as supply chain, production assets and processes should be reassessed and synchronized to allow the expected flexibility needed for production.
Additive Manufacturing provides flexibility, bespoke production and a wealth of other benefits enabling digitalization, but it also adds new layers of complexity to the production process creating unique challenges.
Digitalization Boosts Product Quality And Slashes Costs
Repeatability is a crucial criterion for companies that rely on precision engineering. In the past, quality control has been a constant challenge for additive manufacturing.
The digital solution lies in the digital tools used in the design and production process.
The digital solution lies in the digital tools used in the design and production process. Modern digital solutions have the capacity to analyze a component’s geometry and suggest support structures and process strategies driven by advanced simulations to assure minimal distortion from the original specifications provided by the design engineers.
In essence, the end-to-end digital solution creates, assembles and refines its own toolset for the job at hand, as well as looking for issues in the simulation stage. As Additive Manufacturing should be immersed with other techniques, that toolset allows incorporating fully-integrated manufacturing technologies, such as CNC machining and advanced post-processing techniques.
That means you get the job done right the first time.
Before this advancement, Additive Manufacturing came with a certain amount of trial and error before producing a finished, cured part matching the digital model. The digital twin of the product and production process can eliminate many of these issues and carry out comprehensive quality control checks on the finished part. By using advanced simulation tools, you can verify the product design, its function in real-scenarios, and the manufacturing process to meet the requirements set in the original model. This is a huge step forward for AM manufacturing and it couldn’t have happened without digitalization.
Additive Manufacturing Can Change Your Business
Integrating lean principles into digital transformation helps achieve crucial simplification of the process, allowing manufacturers to identify the most effective flow for the digital journey. Many companies face the challenge of smart value chains for the purpose of improvements in productivity as well as the need for more efficient production.
Through effective AM digitalization and lean manufacturing processes, companies can instantly slash production costs and streamline business giving them a competitive edge over traditional mass manufacturers.
Through effective AM digitalization and lean manufacturing processes, companies can instantly slash production costs and streamline business giving them a competitive edge over traditional mass manufacturers.
There are no minimum production runs with a digitally controlled system, which allows for bespoke products and the capability for local production. Manufacturing the product closer to the customer is a cornerstone of lean manufacturing principles, eliminating the additional logistics and storage that can cost as much as 10% of the finished product’s final price.
A wealth of potential AM partners around the world are plugged into the Siemens AM Network. It is a digital ecosystem that allows for collaboration, design changes, and communication within the same system that oversees the final production process. In essence, Siemens' AM Network provides instant access to advanced AM producers, consultants, and suppliers all around the world.
You can now also enhance your digital twin of the process experience in the Siemens AM Network With the inclusion of Atlas3D’s SunataTM advanced simulation. This simulation allows automatic selection of the best orientation and generation of the necessary support to minimize distortion for your successful additive manufacturing build.
For more information on how the Siemens AM Network can revolutionize your business and manufacturing processes, click here to contact us for a personal introduction.
Robert Meshel