This webinar shall introduce some of the design benefits AM can offer, while demonstrating the digital workflow allowing CNC companies to expand into AM. The presentation will highlight the similarities and differences comparing AM to current CNC processing.

Introduction

Dr Laurence Coles – Senior Computational Research Engineer, Added Scientific Ltd.

AM has seen widespread adoption across many industries, from picking up the production of obsolete components, providing alternative supply chains for low volume production, and as technology continually improves an increase in end-use components to name a few.

Producing end-use metal components has picked up significantly in recent years as material processing and resulting performance has improved to near that of its billet equivalent. So, what can additive manufacturing offer alongside supply chain flexibility?

Metal AM has been commonly used for producing lightweight components designed via topologically optimisation or by the inclusion of lattice structures. It has also utilised many AM enabled design features such as internal cooling/heating channels, high surface to volume lattices for heat exchange and part consolidation to reduce complex assemblies. Ongoing research is even beginning to investigate how AM can handle soft / hard magnetic materials, and how the expanded design freedom AM offers can lead to optimised and light weighted electro-magnetic components.

How should we think about the adoption of AM and its workflow? Are there similarities between CNC machining and Additive Manufacturing when we consider process alignment? What does the implementation of AM technologies into traditionally subtractive businesses look like? While it has been termed a disruptive manufacturing technology, this is dependent on application and may not be strictly accurate. Instead, it should be considered as complementary with a not too dissimilar workflow.

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Q & A; Summing up and actions going forwards – Future Technology activities

Chaired by Dr Alan Arthur – CTO of GTMA

Questions can be emailed in advance to alan@gtma.co.uk or posted during the webinar in the ‘chat’ function, to be addressed during the Q&A session concluding the event.