Steve Vosmik head of the Additive Manufacturing Centre of Competence, Siemens Industry examines the role of digitalisation and additive manufacturing, and how best to leverage the real and virtual worlds.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has evolved from prototyping with basic materials and equipment to producing low tolerance components with limited use to AM as we know it today. That is a highly complex, high accuracy production technology which is rapidly impacting several industries in which it competes as a viable alternative to traditional chip-cutting or injection moulding methods. The evolution of hardware and software is quickly removing barriers and enabling machine builders and machine users to adopt AM technologies in their factories and on their shopfloors. It represents a significant development on the road to digitalisation.

AM opens myriad opportunities for manufacturers. Companies can reimagine their products with reduced weight and material consumption. They can realise a digital transition from scan to part. Further, they can rethink their business or reinvent their manufacturing. Product transformation happens by moving from conventional designs to a design specifically for AM. Other realities quickly become apparent, as well, including the ability to produce one-offs in a practical and cost-effective manner, maintain zero inventory in certain industries with on-demand production, adopt a design-anywhere, print-anywhere mindset and accelerate innovation cycles. Finally, a company can eliminate moulds, castings and tooling, eliminate or drastically reduce assembly processes, reduce supply chains and move to a flexible, low-volume production landscape at workable margins. 

AM has accelerated innovation by taking it to the next level. With 3D printing, a manufacturer can quickly get the part in their hands and can see it in form, fit and function modes. They can make an adaptation and quickly print it again. Additive has reinvented manufacturing by eliminating mouldings, castings and tooling, in most applications. 

Printed out as one

A recent example is an aviation fuel injector. This project took several years, but started with 21 individual machined cast and fabricated components that were welded and braced together to create a fuel nozzle and injector. Today, the fuel injector is printed out as one component on an additive manufacturing machine.  It simplifies the assembly process, radically improves quality, reduces inventory and changes the supply chain in fundamental ways. This is an excellent example of additive acting as a ‘disruptive’ technology. A poor choice of word, perhaps, because of its pejorative nature. However, that is precisely the description which fits, as additive impacts the entire process of part concept, design, manufacture and assembly, whether that part is injection moulded plastic, cast base metal or machined superalloy.

The additive process started out very complex, requiring many steps that occurred in a silo mentality, with multiple types of software and individual workstations for design, simulation, print prep, actual additive manufacturing, heat treat and finishing/inspection. Recent advances in digitalisation today allow a fully digital and far more cost-effective, end-to-end solution.

Starting with the virtual product, or the digital twin, then the virtual production, which is the digital twin production, to the real automation, which is the real machine doing its work. A closed loop digital chain can link all these functions together and keep them in one solid package. It can also collect performance data at every step, realise the data, optimise it and have it resident on one collaboration platform with a solid industrial ring of security. This model provides a great value to the manufacturer by taking real product feedback performance data and feeding that data directly back into the original CAD model of the design. By simulating it throughout the entire process for validation, this model can be simultaneously predicting manufacturing and even assembly challenges, adjusting the design as needed to compensate.

To speed up the utilisation of AM for a company, identify a champion at your company who is familiar with both your operation and the additive world. Lean on their strength and commitment to improve your company and better position it to remain innovative and competitive in today’s changing marketplace. 

www.siemens.com/aerospace