Design for AM: Basic Training

Mechanical engineers, designers, product engineers and business developers. This edition focuses on the needs of people in product design and development who want innovative, efficient solutions. You don't need any AM knowledge, but you should have basic engineering knowledge.

After the track you can:

• Spot where AM has potential in your company and your field
• Judge which technologies are relevant to you, from an independent standpoint
• Choose a suitable process and material for a given task
• Apply AM design guidelines and avoid build failures
• Estimate the cost of a metal AM part and design it cheaper
• Build products with unique selling points that AM makes possible

Six courses.

1. Introduction to Additive Manufacturing (about 45 min)

The definitions, the difference from other manufacturing technologies, and the main steps of AM. Then the potential and the limits.

You can: explain the main principle of AM, tell it apart from other manufacturing technologies, and relate its potential and limits to areas of application.

2. Benchmark of Different AM Technologies (about 50 min for metals, about 35 min for polymers)

Process classification and naming by ISO 52900, then the most widely used processes for metals and polymers. For polymers: powder bed processes, material extrusion (the base of most home, school and office printers) and vat polymerization (resin). Each technology comes with its working principle, strengths and limits, and the course ends by comparing them on key performance indicators.

You can: categorize AM processes, summarize how the major ones work, and choose a suitable process for a task using simple key performance indicators.

3. Applications of Additive Manufacturing (about 20 min, plus an exercise of about 60 min)

How AM can leverage your business. Business cases by category, with examples. Then an exercise: apply it to your own business.

You can: explain how AM may impact a business, categorize and analyze business cases for added value, and assess AM potential in your own environment.

4. Introduction to Design for Additive Manufacturing (about 25 min)

AM has outstanding design freedom, and still has design limits. Common restrictions, guidelines to avoid build failures, and the design tools for AM.

You can: understand typical AM design restrictions, apply the guidelines, and name useful design tools and methods.

5. Introduction to AM Material Properties (about 20 min)

Metal and polymer materials available in AM, typical accuracy and surface quality as built for each process, and the post-processing options.

You can: recall available materials, assess post-processing options, and select a process and material for specific requirements.

6. Cost Estimation (about 30 min)

The cost structure and cost drivers of AM: material, equipment, pre- and post-processing. Cost models, and how quantity and orientation change the result. With laser powder bed fusion as the example, plus "Golden Rules for design to cost".

You can: name the AM cost drivers, estimate the cost of a specific PBF-LB/M part, and apply the Golden Rules to improve its economics.