Advanced Design for Additive Manufacturing Course

Producing unique and optimized designs is a key differentiator for additive manufacturing, compared to conventional manufacturing. This course provides foundational information, special methods and approaches to design, and hands-on practice.

Topics covered in this three-day course include consolidating many parts into one, topology optimization, and lattice/mesh structures. The course includes considerations for metal, polymer, and composite materials, the creation of custom parts, and reducing the need for time-consuming and expensive support material. Presentations and hands-on exercises cover these and many other topics.

The course presents best practices and includes DfAM guidelines that have been created over many years. Included are design rules and guiding principles for most AM processes and materials, with an emphasis on building quality, functional parts. Examples include minimum wall thicknesses, smallest diameters for pins and holes, the building of screw threads, clearances for moving parts, and overhanging features. Participants will gain valuable hands-on experience by designing complex parts and building them on industrial AM equipment.

Participants experienced with CAD can use any design software for the course, although CAD familiarity is not mandatory. One of several group exercises includes the 3D scanning of a person’s anatomy (e.g., face or hand), which is then used to design and 3D print a personalized product. A panel of DfAM experts will answer detailed questions and provide additional information and perspective.

This course was created for designers, engineers, managers, and others interested in learning and practicing the best approaches to DfAM. CAD users will gain valuable hands-on experience, although CAD skills are not required to learn a great deal in the course.

Click here for the three-day course outline. We have received top scores from the many courses offered in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, South Africa, and the U.S.

When: September 28—30, 2022
Where: America Makes | 236 West Boardman Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44503 (map)
Registration fee: $2,995. ASTM International and America Makes members receive a special discount. For group discounts, contact wa@wohlersassociates.com.

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If you have questions concerning online registration, please contact us at wa@wohlersassociates.com.

At The Conclusion Of This Course, You Will Be Able To:

• Describe when, why, and how to use AM to add value to your products
• Apply CAD data to part production workflows for AM
• Discuss the economics of AM and the design factors that can influence part cost
• Identify what causes residual stress in a part and how to counteract it through good design
• Simulate the AM build process to locate and correct areas of potential failure
• Design for AM using guidelines for metal and polymer powder bed fusion, material extrusion, binder jetting, and vat photopolymerization
• Reduce material and weight using support material and topology optimization and lattice-structure software
• Consolidate many parts into one to reduce part numbers, manufacturing processes, inventory, labor, certification paperwork, post-processing, and maintenance
• Use AM to produce more efficient or less expensive tooling
• Peer into the future of AM applications, systems, and trends

What Participants Had To Say About This Course

“I really enjoyed the practical aspects of the course, doing the design exercises, and working in Magics. I like the discussion of next-gen design topics like latticing and topology optimization. Thank you for offering the course!” —Stryker

“The course included a lot of very useful information that we could use to help improve our processes. Learning about how metal printers work will be especially useful for when we get ours. You guys were great.” —L3Harris

“The most useful was to learn when to use, and not use, additive manufacturing. The software on topology optimization and generating lattice/mesh structures was great.” —NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

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Participants need to book their own travel, including renting a car, taking an Uber or Lyft, or hiring a driver to get from the airport to America Makes’ headquarters (236 West Boardman Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44503).

The following are the closest regional airports to Youngstown, Ohio with times (in a personal vehicle):

• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) (1h to America Makes)
• Cleveland International Airport (CLE) (1h 10min to America Makes)
• Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) (1h 10min to America Makes)

Lodging

Lodging is not included within course registration and participants will need to book their own accommodations. The only hotel within walking distance is the DoubleTree by Hilton Youngstown Downtown. Phone 330-333-8284 and request the special America Makes rate of $95 + tax.