Replies to post #6036 on Arcam AB fka AMAVF

[charlie T colton]

"We could see a way to automate it."

Follow up on an earlier post (Inside GE’s Transformation).

"We could see a way to automate it." I wonder what he means by this statement? Best guess is that it's literal about how to improve the component throughput but we haven't heard anything about that from most of the AM machine manufacturers.

At odtmag.com - Manufacturing in Layers: 3D Printing's Impact on Orthopedics - 08.15.17

A brief section from a much longer article, all of which is worth reading:

As equipment and material capabilities advance, AM/3D printing continues to march closer toward the day it will routinely be used to make end-use parts and products at high production rates—a “Holy Grail” of sorts for orthopedic OEMs.

“The biggest challenge for converting 3D printing into production is machine speed,” said Andrew Reeves, business development manager for Vaupell Rapid Solutions, a Hudson, N.H.-based provider of prototyping services for medical devices. “At this time, the machines are just not fast enough to bring the cost down to the point of being competitive with traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing really fits best today for small volume runs and one-off design changes for production and prototyping.”

Other key factors that impact the overall economics of 3D printing (and therefore, commercial production of end-use parts) are part size, new materials, and software improvements, all of which are a keen R&D focus among AM equipment manufacturers.

“The industry is seeing an influx of innovation and investment by large organizations such as GE and HP, as well as numerous startups across machines, materials, and software,” said Greg Thompson, global product manager, 3D printing for Proto Labs, a Maple Plain, Minn.-based digital manufacturer of custom prototypes and low-volume production parts. “There is also considerable attention in the industry on reducing the labor required to support 3D printing, largely through software for setup and automation of the post-print processing required.”

[Tom Joad]

re: "We could see a way to automate it."

My wild-axxed-guess.

They believe that additive machine management using computers and instruments can be developed that automates what currently requires human supervision.