DfAM & PPE Part 3: IS AM THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB?
by John E. Barnes (TBGA) & Buck Helfferich (TRONIX3D)
The Barnes Group Advisors (TBGA) and TRONIX3D have teamed up as small businesses to provide a unique perspective on how Additive Manufacturing (AM) can support COVID-19 efforts. In our previous two blogs (DfAM & PPE Part 1: More Than a Shape & Part 2: The Need for Speed), we explored the roles of requirements and Design for AM (DfAM) in achieving results that matter to medical PPE. In this third installment, TBGA and TRONIX3D examine the prickly question:
IS AM THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB?
What happens when you apply business and supply chain criteria as requirements for the product? Scale and timing are critical to making current PPE supply chain decisions, so let us examine the role those two factors play in PPE production.
Manufacturing is a very robust and diverse industry. AM is disruptive and has great potential, but it is still a smaller player with very little production capacity compared to legacy manufacturing. So, what factors need to be in play for AM to be the right tool?
Timing – When We Need It Now
When timing is an issue and we need PPE today, AM is the only answer. The TRONIX3D face shield (from Part 1 of this series) is an excellent example.
If we had more time to product face shields, then a legacy approach like injection molding is the answer. To get to the lower cost option, tools must be designed and made with delivery lead times of weeks and months. Once made, PPE can be made in the thousands per day at a significantly reduced cost.
In an emergency where articles are needed in days, AM is the clear and only choice. Also, if the need is short term or for limited quantities, AM is also the right answer due to both delivery time and cost.
Will it Scale?
To assess the scalability of a solution, we must inevitably take a hard look at cost. To understand the relationship of cost per unit and volume of units manufactured, two curves are shown in Figure 1. This graph from TBGA’s Purdue AM Certificate online course compares the trade-off curves for AM and conventional manufacturing.
Trade-off curve graph from the Business & Economics course in the Purdue AM Certificate.
There are three important, and very relevant, points for reflection:
1) Learning Curve – Each line represents a “learning” curve approach. Legacy manufacturing, with less automation and more touch labor, has ample room to learn and make the process better. AM, however, is more automated with less touch labor; the learning is still there but is not as impactful.
2) Upfront Cost Reduction – AM has a lower upfront cost due to the avoidance of tooling.
3) Impact of a Fixed Design – There is a quantity function where legacy manufacturing has the lower cost advantage when the design is not going to change. You then have the time to amortize the upfront cost across the life of the program.
PPE like the face shield are urgently needed today. The current supply cannot meet the demand, so the market can absorb a high price. As the demand subsides and/or as supply flows via traditional means, the price will drop. At some point, AM will become unaffordable for this application.
What Will We Learn?
AM is serving an important purpose in the fight against COVID-19. We are actively observing AM’s role in current supply chain economics. The pandemic is showing us that products can be made quickly with multiple design optionality using expert DfAM skills and flexible AM processes. The ultimate scale of the need likely requires a mass production answer in the long term, but the overall question remains:
What will we learn?
Will we adjust our supply chain thinking to account for new areas where AM is the right tool for the job?
ABOUT TRONIX3D
Tronix3D is greater Pittsburgh’s first high-volume 3D/additive contract manufacturer and innovation center. The company provides concept-to-finished product design and development expertise and collaborates with companies in the aerospace, automotive, medical and electronics industries to deliver high-volume 3D printed end-use parts and rapid prototyping services. Whether you’re just beginning to explore the power of 3D printing or have been harnessing its potential for some time, we invite you to bring us your challenge. We will help you produce one prototype part to validate your design or hundreds of strong, functional end-use parts.
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tronix3d/about/
Website: https://tronix3d.com/
Email: info@tronix3D.com
ABOUT THE BARNES GROUP ADVISORS
Formed in 2017 due to the rapid expansion in additive manufacturing (AM), The Barnes Group Advisors LLC (TBGA) seeks to fill a market gap in seasoned engineering and strategy specifically suited to the field. The advisors have a combined experience of 130 years in additive manufacturing, aerospace requirements, research and development and highly complex product development. We have participated in world’s first endeavors and OEM qualification. We offer specialized services in Materials, Systems, Techno-Economics, Digital, Economics and Strategy for advanced manufacturing, specifically, AM.
Materials
From metal powders, to wire, each feedstock brings its own requirements and each materials system its own processing sweet spot. We bring deep and intimate knowledge of where the material feedstock comes from, what the risks are and who are the major players as key to a successful engagement in AM. This includes powder production, system optimization, metallurgy, and post processing with an eye on part requirements.
Systems & Process Economics
An AM factory is a system of systems. TBGA offers advice on factory layout, machine selection, parameter development and machine customization to improve economics. We can help with quantifiable, analytical advice. TBGA can model your system to identify growth scaling issues, cost impacts and sensitivity guidance to help you achieve shorter development times and better process economics.
Digital
TBGA offers modeling and simulation support to reduce risk and offer insight to multiple processes. TBGA can assist in projects to capture existing data and make better use of it.
Professional Services, Strategy & Communications
Currently, companies know they want to participate in the value being created with additive manufacturing, they just don’t know exactly how. TBGA can use its profound knowledge to help you with your strategy. TBGA provides advice for the VC and equity markets on trends in the industry and which groups have the magic to travel the distance. Lastly, because we understand the depth and breadth of the AM market, we can help shape the communications strategy and bring efficiency to the message AM companies intend to bring.
Workforce Development and Training
TBGA develops AM specific workforce development strategies and deploys on site and online training.