One incredible manufacturing method that has great potential in the UK is Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D Printing. Currently, this number of AM systems going into companies, greatly outnumbers the amount of skilled workers available! In the 2018-2025 National Strategy document created from AMUK (the Additive Manufacturing UK trade associations), they emphasise that by 2025 the UK has the potential to capture £3,500M GVA of the global AM Market. However, for this to happen the Government needs to endorse and invest in this technology, to make these predictions, a reality.
The Benefits of AM
1. The entire process from concept to print, can all be accomplished in a single environment.
2. Through the inclusion of true parametric geometry, AM allows manufacturers to design and create uniform lattice structures to perfection.
3. With the capability to derive large amounts of actionable data from the printers, designers are able to intensify potential manufacturing issues early on, so there are less surprise problems.
4. Teams can build, track, validate and manage each job and store them for future use which cuts down on repetition, wastage, time and money.
5. Being able to connect to the i.materialise service bureau provides access to over a hundred metals and finishes to enable designers the ability to instantly know the visual and financial impact of their models.