May 2019

| 20 | May 2019 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | STRATEGIES | manufacture to space exploration. The challenge to date in turning many of these exciting concepts into practical products has been that while GD enables the creation of designs with both structural performance and optimised material use, the ability to produce these complex geometries has been constrained by the method of manufacture. However, while traditional techniques simply do not lend themselves to GD created designs, and a number of Additive Manufacturing methods require expensive and time consuming set up, the latest generation of 3Dprinters is enabling organisations to realise the opportunities presented by GD. Essentially, the complex optimised structures created through digital testing can now be fabricated and realised on a commercial scale, bringing the extraordinary innovation of GD to life. Consider an end-to-end production model that seamlessly combines AI with 3D printing and existing manufacturing techniques. The thinking is disruptive; the ability to combine GD tools with 3D printing to create the moulds for casting, for example, opens up amazing opportunities to achieve efficiency gains and improve customer satisfaction; yet the entire process is still completed using the traditional machinery and technology, removing any barriers to adoption. Machine learning also has an essential role to play in eradicating the risk of error in large scale industrial 3D printing that can affect both cost and confidence. For any organisation undertaking large print projects, the ability to continually monitor the print procedure and compare it to the original digital file presents a compelling opportunity to reduce errors within the print process. Furthermore, with machine learning’s ability to continually enhance the process and identify specific problems, the entire model will gain the high level of accuracy and predictability required to drive further large- scale industry adoption. Materials Innovation There is no doubt that one of the biggest constraints to early 3D print adoption was a lack of choice when it came to materials. That barrier has now been completely eradicated as a result of collaboration between 3D print vendors and the chemical industry. Today companies of any size can access the Intellectual Property of the vast majority of leading chemical providers and simply download the relevant material profile. A company can invest in a £5000 desktop 3D printer and have a choice of tens of thousands of materials required not only to create a functional prototype but materials such as reinforced PLA that can be used to support the entire product lifecycle. There is no longer any need to undertake protracted, trial and error based processes to get the correct print settings to produce a part. Instead, a company can select the pre-developed profile and hit ‘print’.