Additive Manufacturing technologies are experiencing a moment of strong growth both in terms of research investments and industrial interest. Nonetheless, the degree of use of these technologies in the industrial sector is still limited compared to their intrinsic potential.
This technology is seen as a significant opportunity to reduce time to market, provide new products and therefore increase companies’ economic opportunities.
The advantages linked to the adoption of this innovation concern: complexity and performance, time to market, cost reduction, customization and eco-sustainability (optimization of raw material consumption and reduction of the supply chain).
The main challenges linked to the increase in the adoption of AM technologies are: techniques, skills, sustainability, design and software integration (i.e. the need for platforms that allow the printing machines to communicate with the management tools and the latter with the design support).
GOALS:
the 3DREAM project aims to define a methodology that allows:
1 – (OR1) the study and development of an advanced module, called DfAM, to be inserted within the LeanDESIGNER tool, aimed at Design for Additive Manufacturing.
This tool will be able to identify any design errors through a detailed analysis of a 3D CAD model, in order to solve the problem or increase the effectiveness of the project.
2- (OR2) the study and development of a software module, called DtC, to be inserted into the LeanCOST tool for rapid cost estimation of products made using Additive Manufacturing technologies.
Through an analytical approach, the system is able to make a detailed evaluation of all the phases of an additive process (from pre-processing to post-processing) based on a relational database containing all the process parameters.
From the analysis of the state of the art relating to the software systems on the market the following conclusions can be drawn:
On the market, there are software that are difficult to apply, or that lack integration with topology optimization and multi-objective analysis. The project, therefore, aims to resolve these problems.
SOLUTION:
It is believed that the software tools designed in this project are capable of increasing the potential of current additive manufacturing technologies, through intervention in the design phase. They will be tools capable of reducing time-to-market, supporting multifunctional design and increasing product performance. Ultimately, they will allow companies that adopt them to increase their competitiveness in the market through the effective adoption of innovative software solutions.
Scientific articles:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732527X22001390/type/journal_article
https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/proceedings/IMECE2021/85604/V006T06A015/1132701
