ChipChat: Applying Additive Manufacturing to Optimize Your Go-To-Market Timeline

What is Metal Additive Manufacturing?

Metal Additive Manufacturing or 3D printing is a manufacturing process utilizing metal powders and laser technology to create simple and complex seamless parts. With additive manufacturing machines, the powered material is joined or solidified to create or grow parts with the ability to create parts shapes and designs typically unachievable by standard milling and lathe methods. After inputting 3D CAD designs, the machine begins layering powder onto the building platform is then solidified by ytterbium fiber lasers. Once each layer is complete, the table and part are lowered, another layer or powder is added, and the lasers begin solidifying the next layer of the part until completion. Additive manufacturing can create parts in stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, and titanium-based alloys.

Advantages of Metal Additive Manufacturing

Metal additive manufacturing offers several benefits regarding design, production capacity, speed, and repeatability. By utilizing powder-based material and laser technology, additive manufactured parts have virtually zero design limitations with the ability to reduce assemblies by combining multiple components into a single seamless part. Additive manufacturing excels at low volume, high mix production with the flexibility to manufacture single to multiple parts on a single build plate with the ability to easily switch between manufacturing different parts.