The Future is Additive… Or Is It?
Lee Johnston 05.17.2017
The big buzzword in the industry right now is additive manufacturing. Everyone is talking about it. If you believe some of the hype you would think that additive manufacturing is going to replace all manufacturing and that traditional manufacturing is a dinosaur, a relic, a thing of the past. But the reality is very different. Before we talk about that let's define what additive manufacturing means. Quite simply “additive” means machines that add or build up material to create parts, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing where you use milling or turning tools to remove existing material.
Some Interesting Facts
Recently I attended the RAPID + TCT conference in Pittsburgh, PA. I was really impressed by a presentation titled “The Future of Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing,” given by Terry Wohlers, Principal Consultant and President of Wohlers Associates. Mr Wohlers revealed some facts that are quite interesting. For example: in 2016 the additive manufacturing industry (machinery and supplies) was worth over $6 billion. While no small number, this was less than 0.05% of the overall manufacturing industry. That market share is estimated to grow to over $24 billion over the next 6 years - to around 0.25% of the market. So, while the technology is growing in use, it’s by no means displacing the traditional manufacturing industry.
A Common Misperception
There are a lot of myths out there about additive, including the common misconception that components made using an additive process are ready to use. In most cases this is not true, and the components in question require some degree of subtractive machining or post processing. A turbine blade will still require its root and top surfaces to be machined before being installed. A motor shaft will require its bearing surfaces to be machined. A mold that is repaired will require machining to restore the original surface profile.
Subtractive is Still Needed
What additive can do is change the way things are made or make things possible to be made. Take for example the now famous GE Fuel Nozzle. This component would have taken 18 individual parts to make with traditional machining. But with Additive it was reduced to 1 mind boggling part. Of course, this fuel nozzle needs subtractive post processing before it can be installed on an engine.
Combined Manufacturing
Today we have work cells that contain both additive and subtractive processes. Okuma partners with RPM Innovations to create this kind of system (pictured above), which includes RPM’s laser deposition machines and an MU-6300V 5-Axis Vertical Machining Center.
Additive + Subtractive
While additive manufacturing is very exciting and does allow the manufacture of many things that would otherwise be impossible, it will continue to complement and depend upon traditional subtractive machining - not replace it. The exciting future of manufacturing will be additive plus subtractive.
Lee Johnston is Applications Engineer, Okuma America Corporation.
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