Advancements in Data Management for AM Production

Conference Abstract: Between material genealogy, printed model, print orientation, support structures, distortion compensation, manufacturing process parameters, support removal, heat treatment, tensile testing, metallography, fatigue testing, surface finishing, and metrology - an unwieldy amount of data and decisions go into delivering a successful, certifiable print. Additionally, a significant amount of resources are lost when prints fail. As the AM industry matures, we’re better able to differentiate between what is a shortcoming of AM as a manufacturing method and what is simply a lack of defined process for successfully capturing and utilizing data.

In this talk, we'll discuss advancements in Production Management processes for AM with real world examples. This includes capturing earned knowledge (selection of process parameters, optimal print orientation), their corresponding results (CMM data, NDT), and leveraging both to improve consistency and cost-effectiveness in production.