Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a layer-by-layer deposition of material for the production of the desired product. The design flexibility associated with AM is much more when compared to the conventional manufacturing process. To manufacture a part with AM, two things play a critical role: the designing of the part and the other is the placement of the part in the build volume. As already mentioned, design flexibility associated with AM is much more when compared to the conventional manufacturing process. However, to correctly implement the design flexibility, we need a knowledge base at our disposal so that appropriate features can be used for the part production. The AM feature taxonomy forms the backbone of the knowledge base. The taxonomy comprises AM features classified based on different categories, which helps us understand every feature's importance. Talking about the part placement, we know that optimal placement is the key factor that makes the AM process economically feasible.
TopIntroduction
Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to the automated production of parts from their CAD model. In AM, the desired physical model is achieved with the help of layer-by-layer construction of raw material as required form the CAD model by a controlled material-additive process. Rather than AM, the subtractive manufacturing is a process in which raw material is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The advantages with AM are immense, including the drastic decrease in the production time, reduction of wastage, assembly can be produced as single part. AM process has been primarily evolved from the Rapid Prototyping process, which in their holistic sense confer to the Rapid Production of parts. Parts produced with AM are thus possible to be made in hours and not months or weeks, which is primarily associated with conventional production methods. There are different phrasings utilized at present that could be viewed as options in contrast to the globally perceived term of AM, like 3D Printing, additive fabrication, layered manufacturing, layered free-framing, freeform manufacture, layer-based manufacturing, and rapid manufacturing. These wording varieties have come about because of different points of view that show up from the industry and academics that utilize the systems. For convenience, we will be making use of the term AM and 3D Printing throughout this report.
1.1 Historical perspective of Additive Manufacturing
The advances in AM, popularly known as 3D Printing, have opened the doors for some highly significant innovations in almost every perceivable field. 3D Printing refers to the art of producing a wide range of complex geometries from their 3D CAD models. The discovery of 3D Printing can be credited to Charles Hull in the early 1980s, with it being initially called Stereolithography (Schubert et al., 2014). The process involved printing layers of work material one over the other to get the desired 3D object. Over a while, the process of 3D Printing has evolved tremendously and now many more techniques such as Fused Deposition Modelling, Powder Bed Fusion and Inkjet Printing are regularly used to produce complex geometries and objects (Bandyopadhyay et al., 2015). The process of 3D Printing has been using in various fields such as construction and manufacturing. Also, it finds an application in rapid prototyping, which is the rapid production of the model, faster than the normal process (Ngo et al., 2018).
1.2 Applications of Additive Manufacturing
With the developments taking place, researchers are constantly looking for new avenues where the 3D printing process can produce a significant difference. One of the key advantages of 3D Printing is the accuracy and precision associated with the process (Mandrycky et al., 2016). Since the entire production process is automated, the models produced are accurate and precise, involving minor human errors. Apart from this, the repeatability associated with the process is very high, which means we can produce the same model repeatedly while maintaining the same level of accuracy and precision. Over a while, 3D printing technology has taken an upward curve, and the primary driving force for that increase is the reduced cost and enhanced efficiency of the 3D printers, which means the increased accessibility to the masses. The initial use of the process was limited to producing models by engineers and architects until very recently, when it is used in mass production began (Berman, 2012). 3D Printing offers us the unique property of mass customization wherein each subsequent product is different from the other without incurring any increase in the cost because mass production is still taking place (Ngo et al., 2018). All this while the cost of the first item and the last item remaining the same, providing us with a better approximation of the costs associated with the entire process.
Due to the advantage associated with 3D Printing, various manufacturing industries can incorporate their use. The most prominent users of the technology include the automotive and aerospace industry (Lim et al., 2016). The efficiency of the process in prototyping is what primarily promotes its use in the industries. Apart from that, as discussed above, the ability to produce intricate, complex geometries while at the same time being able to perform modifications on the design without having to incur any additional costs make the use of the process an almost game changer. Other industries that have benefited immensely from the developments in the process include the jewellery industry and medical (Murphy & Atala, 2014; Yap & Yeong, 2014).