December/January 2019

| 32 | December/January 2020 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | APPLICATIONS | E very week seems to bring news of some technological breakthrough or other that has been made possible as a result of 3D printers and additive manufacturing (AM). Take, for example, the recent announcement by the US army that, in addition to using AM for maintenance, it is now planning to use the technology to produce spare parts on demand, including in combat zones. Certainly, with new frontiers constantly being pushed, few would deny that the opportunities presented by 3D printing/AM are aplenty. These include possibilities around virtual inventories and even on-demand manufacturing – just as the US army is doing – advantages that can deliver cost-savings, increased responsiveness and flexibility to customers. And without the need for huge investments. After all, the weak link in any supply chain is the physical inventory; it has no benefits and is a burden for companies that pay enormous amounts of money to maintain it. Adopting these digital models may seem like a no-brainer, but they carry risks that are untenable if they are not eliminated. For example, how do the big brands seize such opportunities while protecting their intellectual property (IP), maintaining consistency and quality – and ultimately upholding brand integrity? Sizing up the opportunity If you consider some of the issues around spare parts in the industrial manufacturing world, it’s easy to see how a virtual inventory model enabled by additive manufacturing offers many 3D printing /additive manufacturing is enabling manufacturers to overcome many of the limitations of traditional manufacturing processes – from phasing out physical inventories to bringing batch-size-one customisation within reach of a greater number of companies. Yet, with these new opportunities come new threats that must be eliminated if manufacturers are to unleash the full potential of the medium, says Lee-Bath Nelson, Co-Founder and VP Business of LEO Lane. Unleashing the full potential of additive manufacturing