Optimization of multi-part 3D printing build strategies for lean product and process development

Abstract

In recent years, the engineering community realized the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) technology to be a game changer in product development and manufacturing. The capability of AM to build tailored products within short lead-time can make it a key contributor to Industry 4.0 in a lean manufacturing perspective. This paper aims to assess how additive manufacturing can enable the implementation of lean product and process development practices, within a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) perspective. We propose the use and the implementation of Design of Experiments (DoE) in a PLM tool to evaluate how part orientation, nesting and support strategy affects the total costs and time for product development and manufacturing. Then, we use the results of DoE analysis to optimize the multi-part 3D printing build strategies, to reduce waste of raw material and increase the overall quality of the final component. Finally, we foresee the integration of this work in a wider multidisciplinary approach to comprehensively evaluate the use the of AM in the design of systems as early as at the conceptual design phase. In this paper we present one of the case studies experimentally tested and validated.