What is
Copyright 2008 by Wohlers Associates, Inc.
Increasingly, additive manufacturing (AM) technology is being used for the production of finished, end-use parts. With direct digital manufacturing (DDM), also referred to as rapid manufacturing, it becomes feasible to decentralize manufacturing operations and produce parts more quickly, less expensively, and with far more flexibility. Even the manufacture of custom parts becomes a practical option. With this approach, it is possible to manufacture parts—from CAD data to finished production parts—in two days.
F1 air duct produced on a
laser
sintering machine from 3D Systems
Without the constraints imposed by tooling, designers are given the freedom to create new designs that before were impossible or impractical to manufacture. DDM presents a dramatically different way of thinking and the future implications are staggering. True just-in-time manufacturing becomes a reality because companies can produce parts, as they are needed, rather than in large batches as they are done today.
