IndAM – Industrialization of additive manufacturing of final metal components in SMEs in the manufacturing industry
Problem Statement:
Additive manufacturing processes have initiated a revolution in the manufacturing industry. However, the widespread use of additive manufacturing processes is hampered by high variable manufacturing costs as well as uncertainties on the part of companies with regard to the qualification and comparability of additively manufactured components. To date, the use of the technologies has been strongly characterized by manual activities. To reduce manufacturing costs and ensure quality, industrialization of the entire value creation process is necessary to map indirect effects and uncover optimization potential.
Aim of the research project:
The goal of the research project is to identify and evaluate industrialization approaches along the additive value chain. The identified industrialization approaches are to be evaluated with regard to their contribution to the optimization of the value stream as well as the improvement of the economic efficiency of additive manufacturing. To achieve this goal, a generally applicable value stream for additive manufacturing with metal will be created, with which industrialization approaches will be analyzed. The solution approaches developed in collaboration with industry will be evaluated and their impact on the competitiveness of companies will be assessed. In order to ensure the transfer of the results to industry, an IT tool will be developed that summarizes the insights gained. The tool enables companies to receive recommendations for action for the industrialization of additive manufacturing of metal parts, based on their individual needs. The industrialization of additive manufacturing can contribute to making an investment in this new manufacturing technology more attractive for SMEs as well. Through standardization of processes and their implementation, better efficiency can be achieved, and manufacturing time and the associated costs can be reduced.
Industry partners:
The needs of SMEs will be elaborated in representative expert discussions, regular workshops and meetings of a research project accompanying committee with SMEs and large companies. If you are interested in participating in the research project, please contact the persons listed below at any time.
Benefits for SMEs:
The solutions to be developed by the research project offer SMEs a transformation concept for the industrialization of their own additive manufacturing according to the selected use case. The concrete benefits for SMEs within the research project are:
- Access to scientific research without additional financial costs Topic-specific exchange with other companies
- Realization of competitive advantages through the use of an IT tool for strategy development and profitability assessment
- Transfer of knowledge about the current state of research
- Active influence on the research project and future research priorities
- Cooperation for company-specific studies/theses.
