FAME Blog: Strategic Part Identification for Additive Manufacturing: A Continuous Journey

Strategic Part Identification for Additive Manufacturing: A Continuous Journey

A FAME Blog by Kalle Lepola, CBO, Select AM

 

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the way we design and produce parts, no doubt about that. By building objects layer by layer, voxel by voxel, AM offers unprecedented design freedom and the ability to create complex geometries that were previously impossible or prohibitively expensive to manufacture. Parts can be re-designed and lightweighted to consume less material and even perform better than their predecessors. However, the true potential of AM lies not only in its technical capabilities but also in its strategic and business implications.

When FAME asked me to write about the topic I felt I didn’t just want to present what we do at SelectAM, but also give you some food for thought to assess your readiness and capabilities of truly harnessing the benefits of AM and to implement on-demand manufacturing strategies that include AM.

Beyond the hype: A strategic approach

While AM has captured the imagination of many, it’s essential to approach its implementation strategically and with business in mind. One crucial aspect is strategic part identification, a continuous process of evaluating parts to determine their suitability for AM. This involves considering factors such as part complexity, material requirements, production volumes, service lifetimes, stock/inventory, and lead times. It should not be limited to the process know-how of a few individuals at your organisation, but rather it should be a bias-free and data-driven assessment of components.

 

A continuous assessment

Strategic part identification is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing process that requires regular reassessment. As AM technologies evolve and new materials emerge, the pool of suitable parts expands. Additionally, changes in production demand, supply chain dynamics, supplier changes, and business strategies can influence the optimal manufacturing method for specific parts.

 

From reactive to proactive: embracing on-demand manufacturing

Many companies still view AM as a solution for urgent, one-off needs or only suitable for rapid prototyping and urgent spare parts. While this approach can be beneficial in certain cases, it limits the full potential of AM and gives it a “bad reputation” more often than not. A more strategic approach involves actively working on on-demand manufacturing strategies, where AM is integrated into the regular production workflows. By identifying parts that can be produced on-demand, companies can reduce inventory costs, improve supply chain agility and resilience, increase customer satisfaction, and accelerate time-to-market.

The importance of data quality

To truly run a data-driven approach for part identification and to successfully execute on-demand manufacturing strategies, companies must prioritize data quality. Accurate and reliable data on part designs, material properties, supply data, and production parameters are essential for efficient part identification processes. By investing in data management and data quality controls, companies can streamline their operations, make the right decisions with data-driven approaches, and ensure that business benefits are obtained.

To quote a former customer (CIO of a large corporation) of mine: “You are as good as your data is”, which in this context means that you can run a part identification process on a poor data set, but the analysis will only yield false positives and hide the valuable cases. This will only increase the resistance from management to invest more into the AM endeavours.

 

A To-Do list for part identification

To effectively implement a strategic part identification process, consider the following steps:

1. Assess current part portfolio: Analyse your existing product portfolio to identify parts that could benefit from AM. These so called “low-hanging-fruits” will make “business-sense” all across the organisation, and management will be happy that you’re saving costs and increasing customer satisfaction.
2. Evaluate AM technologies and materials: Stay updated on the latest AM technologies and materials to determine their suitability for your specific needs. For this there are no shortcuts, but a tool like SelectAM’s can surely help in weighing the options and narrowing down on suitable materials and technologies. We usually work with our customers in streams, for example in plastics and in metals.
3. Establish clear criteria: Define clear criteria for part selection, such as part complexity, material requirements, production volume, and lead time. Some of our customers start from certain material groups to reduce plastic waste for example, whereas others look for shorter lead times for high-value parts. This is up to each organisation to decide.
4. Collaborate with internal stakeholders: Involve your design and engineering teams in the part identification process to ensure early considerations of AM. Work with spare parts managers, purchasers, product owners, and process owners to get a 360° view into a parts TCO.
5. Develop a data management strategy: Implement robust data management practices to maintain accurate and up-to-date part information. Your data-driven part identification hinges on this.
6. Pilot AM projects: Start with small-scale pilot projects to gain experience and refine your identification processes. Best is to work with a department or business unit at a time to pilot the approach.
7. Fill the knowledge gaps with external help: Normally organisations focus and dedicate their personnel to a few materials and manufacturing technologies. It’s no shame admitting that you don’t possess the know-how to assess your full library of parts for all available on-demand manufacturing technologies. That’s why solutions like ours exists.

By embracing strategic part identification and on-demand manufacturing strategies, companies can unlock the full potential of AM and gain a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving market.

Hope you found this interesting, and feel free to reach out to hear more on the topic. We help our customers get it right with on-demand manufacturing strategies.

 

Kalle Lepola // SelectAM // kalle@selectam.io // +358505124278