Streamlining Post-Processing in Additive Manufacturing

Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. On a pan-industrial basis, manufacturers exploit the fact that through the use of AM they can not only build complex parts, in one piece, which were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter-weight parts, reduce material consumption, and benefit from assembly component consolidation across a range of applications. These advantages have all been well documented during the last 10-20 years as AM has emerged as a truly disruptive technology for prototyping and production, and are invariably seen as being enabled by the additive hardware that builds the parts. In reality, however, this is a partial picture, particularly for serial production applications of AM. AM hardware systems are actually just one part - albeit a vital part - of an extensive ecosystem of technologies that enable AM, both pre- and post-build.

By focusing just on the AM build process, a fundamental part of the production process chain is often overlooked, namely the post-processing steps once the part is out of the AM machine. Manufacturers using (or considering using) AM for serial production applications need to first identify the appropriate additive process for their targeted application. From there the post-processing requirements must be identified and focused on, otherwise the use of AM as a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing processes may end up being negated completely.