Design World – August 2019

Additive Technology

As Robert Smith, COO of Optisys, a

leading aerospace/defense antenna-

system OEM, says, “I have been

designing and printing with additive

manufacturing for more than 15 years.

All that time, I’ve had to think about

whether or not the machine tool can

even access the support structures; if it

can’t, then the design isn’t compatible

with AM and it gets set aside. The ability

to manufacture without consideration of

support structures is transformative.”

Such a transformation will free you

from being bogged down by outdated

DfAM issues, allow your knowledge to

mature as you carefully explore all the

possibilities of AM, and enable apples-

to-apples comparisons of manufacturing

methodologies. Now you can focus

on those critical challenges mentioned

before: qualification and quality control.

Connect and discuss this and other

engineering design issues with

thousands of professionals online

WHAT DO

YOU

THINK?

56 August 2019 http://www.makepartsfast.com DESIGN WORLD

All of these questions need to be

considered, particularly if you are setting

up a manufacturing flow for mission-

critical, metal-AM parts. Addressed

properly they will enable faster part

qualification and quality controlled

production—and allow you to manage

the move from conventional methods

to AM in a way that will also fit your

financial goals. n

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