October 2020

| 20 | September/October 2020 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | STRATEGIES | B e it due to a breakage or malfunction of tooling or a part, if you’re a manufacturer, you will likely acknowledge that it’s not unusual for one or more production line(s) to be down, waiting for a replacement item at any given time. Fortunately, with additive manufacturing (AM) / 3D printing, there are ways to minimise this downtime, especially, but not only, when the culprit is tooling. Depending on the industry, the cost of an idle line is very high. In the food industry, the costs can be hundreds of thousands of pounds a day, while in the automotive industry the number is close to £17,000 a minute per line. That’s over £1 million an hour. No wonder manufacturing managers will go to great lengths to get lines back up and running quickly. In extreme cases, they may fly someone to get a spare part and return with it on an additional purchased seat. The reliability, consistency, and predictability of tools and spare parts is key for avoiding such measures. Not only can AM help, it’s also more affordable than an airfare for two. With AM manufacturers can quickly and cost-effectively 3D print tools on demand at or near their facility. An inventory of one is also possible to make the switch even faster and still replenish with AM. This ensures the line is down for the absolute minimal time and a replacement tool is on hand at any time – something simply not possible with any other manufacturing technology. The great thing about tools is that they are designed and controlled by the manufacturer so the move to AM is an internal decision. Providing the tools are produced in a consistent manner, this move will reduce the cost of tooling and lower the line’s downtime – a win-win situation. For tools that need replacing often, it’s possible to go a step further and keep one or two 3D printed tools on hand, and when they’re being used, 3D print another. A breed a part AM can also help overcome other production line headaches like missing spare parts, which are another major cause of unproductive lines. Unlike tooling, machinery manufacturers own the designs of these parts, and they can offer them as digital assets that can be consistently produced on demand and in limited quantities close to their production line. Such an approach can significantly reduce downtime. Some hardware manufacturers may go even further. In some cases, AM can produce a replacement part but it is not as robust as a part manufactured in the traditional way. In this case, the equipment manufacturer can offer a 3D printed emergency spare part to keep the line going until the regular part arrives. Like this, two short part replacement efforts can avoid weeks of downtime. The key is to get the line back up quickly without compromising quality. This comes down to consistent, repeatable tools and parts (across time and across production lines). Thankfully, there are Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that can protect such items from being altered, output on the wrong printer or accessed by an unauthorized party. This ensures correct, repeatable, and consistent production of the tool or part, which is a necessary ingredient to the shared goal of manufacturing managers everywhere: a functional line that’s always (or almost always) running. Certification In addition to its ability to help minimise downtime, a fundamental benefit of AM is its inherent flexibility that allows for the manufacturing of different parts and products, sometimes on the same printer bed. However, this flexibility creates a challenge when it comes to certification – something that is a must in many industrial sectors. Typically, within conventional manufacturing, normal practice is to certify the production line of the particular part or product made on it. The line is then used only for the certified production of this specific part. In most manufacturing techniques, this is a one-time certification that can last for up to a year and permits the line to produce the certified part during that period. To complete the part’s certification, the material the part is made of is also usually certified as a prerequisite. In conventional manufacturing, certifying the material and the production process can be enough to certify the product. In more exacting certification cases, the workflow and other Thanks to its recognised efficiency-enhancing benefits, additive manufacturing is a technology increasingly integrated within the production operations of companies around the world. *Lee-Bath Nelson looks at how, with the right software solutions, manufacturers can enjoy safe, repeatable and trackable production while also ensuring that fundamental certification requirements are adhered to. Securing, certifying and increasing production with additive manufacturing