What factors should traditional manufacturers consider when transitioning to metal 3D printing?

一,Technological adaptability: a change in how we conceive about "alternative processes" to "value creation"
1. Choosing a process and matching a scene
There are more than 10 methods that make up metal 3D printing, including selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM), directed energy deposition (DED), and others. There are big disparities between the processes when it comes to how well they can adapt to different materials, how quickly they can produce things, and how much they cost. For instance, SLM technology works well for complicated structural parts like aircraft engine blades, but the equipment is expensive. The DED technique works well for fixing big parts like gas turbine blades, but the surface precision isn't as good. makers should choose processes based on the features of their products. For example, automotive component makers should use SLM technology to make their products lighter, while energy equipment businesses should use DED procedures to fix old equipment to save money on downtime.
2. Changing the way we think about design
Metal 3D printing defies the limits of traditional manufacturing when it comes to shapes, but it also means that design rules need to be changed. For instance, traditional designs use sharp corners and straight angles, but 3D printing uses rounded and chamfered shapes to lower thermal stress. Traditional moulds need reserved processing allowance, but 3D printing can use "net moulding" design. When printing battery pack shells for new energy vehicles, Luoyang Yingchuang Aurora changed the traditional sheet metal structure to a honeycomb lattice structure through topology optimisation. This made the shells 30% lighter while keeping them strong, and it cut the development cycle from 6 months to 45 days. In this situation, changing how we think about design is the key to getting the most out of 3D printing.
3. Quality control and post-processing
Most of the time, metal 3D printed parts need to go through extra steps like heat treatment, machining, and sandblasting to work properly. For instance, the titanium alloy structural parts that Platinum Force prints for large domestic aircraft require to get rid of internal pores using hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and then get surface accuracy of ± 0.05mm through five-axis linkage processing. To avoid a drop in yield because of problems with post-processing, traditional manufacturers need to check how well their current post-processing capabilities work with 3D printing techniques.
二, Cost control: an evaluation system that goes from "single item economy" to "full lifecycle value"
1. Investing in equipment that matches output capacity
There is a wide variety of prices for metal 3D printing equipment. Desktop-level equipment costs tens of thousands of yuan, while industrial-level equipment costs tens of millions of yuan. Traditional manufacturers need to choose equipment based on how many goods they need to make: for small batches of custom products with an annual output of less than 5000 pieces, they can employ single laser SLM equipment. To lower the cost of individual components for large-scale projects like automotive chassis that need more than 100,000 pieces a year, we need to use multi-laser collaborative equipment like the Platinum 10 laser system. Huashu High Tech used eight laser devices to create electric motorbike frames for Stark Future. This cut the printing time in half, from 72 hours to 36 hours, and lowered the cost per unit by 40%.
2. Making the most of material costs
The price of metal powder makes up 30% to 50% of the entire cost of 3D printing. The price is greatly determined by the purity, particle size distribution, and flowability of the powder. Traditional manufacturers can lower their expenses in the following ways:
Domestic substitution: The spherical titanium alloy powder made by Chinese companies like Xi'an Sailong is 20% more fluid and 30% cheaper than foreign powder;
Powder recycling: Screening and regeneration systems raise the recovery rate of unmelted powder to over 90%, which cuts down on material loss;
Multi-material printing: This method uses gradient material design to cut down on the number of expensive single materials utilised. For example, the InssTek rocket nozzle has an aluminium bronze inner layer and an Inconel 625 exterior layer.
3. Avoiding hidden costs
Here are several hidden costs that are easy to miss at the beginning of a change:
Cost of printing failure: One printing failure could waste tens of thousands of yuan worth of powder. To lower the costs of trial and error, digital twin technology needs to be used for process simulation. For intellectual property costs, 3D printing involves a lot of digital models and process parameters, so a data security management system needs to be set up to stop technical leakage.
Cost of certification: Fields like aerospace, medicine, and others need certifications like AS9100D and ISO 13485. The cost and time it takes to obtain certified should be part of the transformation budget.
三,Supply Chain Restructuring: Changing the way things are made from "Linear Manufacturing" to "Distributed Collaboration"
1. Network of production in one place
"Local printing, global distribution" is a type of production that works with metal 3D printing. For instance, Siemens Energy has set up a regional 3D printing service centre in Germany to quickly fix gas turbine blades for European customers. This cuts the delivery time from 6 weeks to 72 hours. By putting 3D printing nodes in critical markets, traditional firms may lower their inventory and shipping costs and make their supply chains more resilient.
2. Putting together a digital supply chain
The supply chain is changing because of the combination of 3D printing and the industrial Internet. Bolite's "Intelligent Manufacturing Cloud Platform," for instance, can keep an eye on the real-time operation status of more than 300 devices throughout the world, automatically assign printing assignments, and optimise process parameters. This raises the overall equipment utilisation rate to 85%. To make the supply chain more open and collaborative, traditional businesses need to create a digital platform that includes design, production, and logistics.
3. Building the ability to do reverse engineering
3D scanning and reverse engineering can swiftly turn physical objects into digital models for things like maintaining equipment and making spare components. For instance, when ArcelorMittal worked with TheSteelPrinters to make a five-outlet nozzle, they used 3D scanning to get geometric data from old nozzles and combined it with topology optimisation to make a new generation of products. This cut the development time from four months to three weeks. To improve their ability to digitally adapt old equipment, traditional manufacturers need to set up reverse engineering teams.
四,Talent and Organisation: The Challenge of Moving from "Skill Specialisation" to "Composite Capability"
1. Lack of talent in different fields
Metal 3D printing needs people with skills in a lot of different areas, like materials science, mechanical engineering, digital modelling, and quality control. For instance, Huashu High Tech's 3D printing engineers need to be able to do CAD modelling, SLM process parameter optimisation, and metallographic inspection all at the same time. To build a talent pool, traditional manufacturers need to work with schools (for example, by building additive manufacturing labs with universities), train their own employees (for example, by offering DfAM design training), and hire people from outside the company (for example, process engineers with 3D printing experience).
2. Restructuring the organisation
3D printing is changing how things are made from "serial" to "parallel," which means that companies need to be more flexible in how they are set up. Bolite, for instance, uses a "project-based+platformization" strategy, which means that it sets up vertical project teams in industries like aviation, medicine, and cars, and then shares equipment, supplies, and process databases to make better use of resources. Manufacturers that have been around for a long time need to get rid of departmental barriers, create cross-functional teams, and make the decision-making process shorter.
3. Managing change in culture
The "fast iteration" feature of 3D printing goes against the "risk avoidance" mindset of traditional manufacturing. For instance, one car company put off the project for three months after adding 3D printing because the design and manufacturing departments couldn't agree on who was responsible for "printing failure." To make their companies more innovative, traditional manufacturers need to change their cultures (for example, by setting up a "trial and error" system), change how they evaluate performance (for example, by adding innovation indicators to KPIs), and set up platforms for sharing knowledge (for example, by setting up internal case libraries).