Additive manufacturing (AM) is not the answer to all of your production problems. Understanding the unique benefits this technology can provide, assessing which technology is right for your application, and finding a killer application that aligns with those unique benefits and processes, are all crucial factors in creating a successful business case for 3D printing.
We asked eight people with experience in building AM machines and business cases for their biggest pieces of advice on adopting 3D printing into your business
1) The biggest investment? Time
Maria Paparozzi Shipman, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, Diamond Centre Wales
"Is there true return on investment and have you got enough time to wait for the return? I think it can be very easy to look at the cost of a machine and work out how quickly you can break even, but the secret costs, such as lab equipment, post-processing, experts, continuous material, and consumable costs are often forgotten about and the time it takes to embed new technology into a workforce.
The biggest investment a company will make when adopting additive manufacturing is time. A clear understanding of your project’s timeframe to change from the research and development stage to the embedding stage and into profitable production needs to be agreed on from every level by all stakeholders, from technician to board of directors. Trying to balance turning a profit and delivering an innovative product or service that will transform either the industry, or your market share, takes time."
2) Think ahead
SJ Jones, Additive Manufacturing Expert
"In a period where we’re seeing rapid growth in not only the size of our machines, but also their capabilities, I’d build a business case tied to the technological and material roadmap of my printer partner. Simply put, the quote you get for parts today could rapidly change – for the better – in the few weeks/ months before your funding is allocated. Keeping an eye on future technological horizons will not only better your business case but also strategically align your manufacturing process for future success."
3) Know the problem you're trying to solve
Stacey M. Delvecchio, President, StaceyD Consulting
“It is critical that you know what problem you’re trying to solve which is very specific to each company and sometimes each application. The problems run the range from peak shaving when volumes exceed the capacity, to solving technical challenges that can’t be solved any other way, to needing a faster turnaround time, just to name a few. They can be a combination of several problems and will likely change with each application. Regardless, knowing what problem you’re trying to solve, and getting buy-in from leadership that it needs to be solved, is critical to success in building a successful business case. I’ve seen so many companies try to build a business case for additive simply because they see others doing it. That’s nota good reason. You need to find your why.”
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4) Innovate fast and often
Kristin Mulherin, President, AM-Cubed & Women in 3D Printing
"A strong business case for adopting additive manufacturing includes one important thing: future-proofing. Adopting additive manufacturing is no small task, and it doesn’t happen overnight, but there are several benefits that’ll be missed in the future if you don’t start thinking about it now. Speed of innovation is one such benefit. Yes, additive manufacturing can help mitigate supply chain risk, increase design flexibility, allow greater customisation, and sometimes even offer a more sustainable solution – all of which help future-proof your business. But if you truly want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to innovate fast and often. Additive manufacturing can produce parts in a matter of hours or days (versus weeks or months). This allows quick responses to changing markets and maximises the product’s potential by allowing iterations at any point in the product lifecycle. Faster prototyping, iteration-friendly bridge production, and scaled production - all with the same manufacturing technology - will ensure you are staying ahead of the competition now and in the future."
5) Rethink your Bill of Materials
Andy Langfeld, President EMEA, Stratasys
"When considering the possible business opportunities that additive manufacturing is able to deliver, looking at the Bill of Materials (BOM) of any product is generally a solid starting point. A classical paradigm today is that if you have one product of, for example, 1,000 components you would probably be able to produce around 300 of those components with AM. Of these, you’d end up with maybe 50 to 60 components where this makes economic sense, and those components usually give you a very fast return on investment. Fortunately, there are software solutions out there that will conduct this BOM analysis and advise manufacturers which AM technology would fit each viable component. The bigger challenge is for manufacturers to expand this effort and rethink the BOM looking for design changes that could bring AM into play. With some redesign of the remaining parts, manufactures can open new opportunities and strengthen the overall case for AM – ultimately opening the door to even more of the benefits that it delivers."
6) Metrics matter
Dr Phil Reeves, Managing Director, Reeves Insight
"When building a business case for AM adoption, the most important thing you need to have is a metric. More than one metric is even better. Having something to measure AM against is the most crucial part of any business case-building activity. For example, that metric could be cost reduction, weight reduction, increased fl ow rate, reduced operating pressure, or reduced part count. The critical consideration is understanding how the metric impacts business performance and customer value. Does a lighter-weight part cost the customer more to purchase but save money to operate? Does reducing part count through design for AM save money in production but drive up the spare part cost? The other parallel consideration should always be whether this is still the best manufacturing process for this component or whether we should look towards traditional manufacturing processes and supply chains."
7) Embrace AM's unique capabilities
Dr Parastoo Jamshidi, School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham
"Additive manufacturing approaches allow a greater design flexibility than traditional subtractive manufacturing methods with further advantages of cheaper and less wasteful manufacturing process, saving on material waste and energy, for various industrial applications. Therefore, in any business case where there are needs for a faster and less expensive production run for fully customised parts and also a need for adding further value and functionality to the components via AM design flexibility with an attempt of positive impact on the final product yield, adopting AM into that business is a great opportunity."
8) Does it meet or surpass quality of current processes?
Andy Middleton, Vice President, XJet
"Firstly, we must understand the motivation behind bringing in AM. Assuming the aim is not ‘to be a visionary’ with no real business need, most companies we speak to are looking for flexible production – to produce thousands of parts as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of parts generally produced by ceramic manufacturers. AM solves that problem, without the cost of the intensive, labour-heavy processes used by the ceramic industry today. To make the business case, companies must show that AM can meet, or surpass, the quality of parts made by the incumbent technology. For successful adoption, manufacturers absolutely will not compromise on quality. In ceramics, this is often about material properties, such as performance at high temperatures, chemical resistance and electrical insulation. In addition, the process must be as automated as possible. To compete with the standardised methods manufacturers have been using for decades, AM cannot use labour-intensive post-processing, it must be competitive."
