Implementation of Metal Additive Technology on the Factory Floor

In recent years Additive Manufacturing (AM) has started to gain momentum in the medical and aerospace industries to manufacture production components. Metals AM has been growing significantly in the past decade, over 300 metal AM systems were sold in 2013 and even more in 2014. Metal AM processes such as Electron Beam Melting (EBM) and Selective Laser Melting (SLS) are powder bed fusion technologies that use alloyed powder and a focused energy source to melt and build 3D components layer by layer. Companies and institutes jump into the technology sometimes not fully understanding what is required to have a successful operation after making the large investment. They must also decide early in the process if they will focus on research, prototyping or production. We will try to explain the resources needed, such as facility requirements, people, and post processing investments needed to successfully have an operational process.