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- Additive manufacturing is the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing, in which an object is created by cutting away at a solid block of material until the final product is complete.
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technologies such as 3-D printing that use computers and lasers (= narrow, powerful beams of light) to create three-dimensional (= solid) objects by adding layers of material one on top of another: High-strength metal alloys can be produced by laser additive manufacturing.
- What Is Additive Manufacturing?
- How It Works
- The Advantages of Additive Manufacturing
- Issues with Additive Manufacturing
- Additive Manufacturing Versus Conventional Manufacturing
- Possible Industries For Disruption
- 4-D Printing and Other Applications
- Ready to Go Deeper?
- The Expert
Additive manufacturing is the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing, in which an object is created by cutting away at a solid block of material until the final product is complete. Technically, additive manufacturing can refer to any process where a product is created by bu...
To create an object using additive manufacturing, someone must first create a design. This is typically done using computer aided design, or CAD, software, or by taking a scan of the object someone wants to print. Software then translates the design into a layer by layer framework for the additive manufacturing machine to follow. This is sent to th...
Additive manufacturing has some distinct benefits. With traditional manufacturing, the entire supply chain can take months and require an investment — sometimes millions or billions of dollars — that can only be recouped by high-volume production. With additive manufacturing, much of the supply chain’s intermediate steps are removed. “The speed at ...
Additive manufacturing has its share of challenges, too. Additive manufacturing machines are expensive, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. Using them to create large lot sizes takes longer than with traditional manufacturing. And many objects that are additively manufactured require some post-processing to clean and smooth out rough edges,...
Despite all the advantages of additive manufacturing, “I don’t see traditional manufacturing being replaced,” said Roemer. That is because, aside from specific use cases, traditional manufacturing is still faster and less expensive. This is especially true when creating granular products. The smaller the layer size, the slower the manufacturing. Wh...
There are a few industries where 3-D printing parts or products makes more sense than manufacturing them traditionally. Aerospace, racecars, and the medical field are all industries where additive manufacturing can make inroads. That is because they are all industries where function is more important than price. Or where small lot sizes or customiz...
With typical additive manufacturing, machines build a 3-D object that is fixed. 4-D printing creates 3-D objects that have the ability to change or transform over time, without human interaction. There are several applications for 4-D printing. One is extreme environments, such as space, where self-configuring materials would be useful. Another is ...
Read “Getting Past the Hype About 3-D Printing” in MIT Sloan Management Review or “3-D Printing and Additive Manufacturing,” a peer-reviewed journal that covers the rapid changes to the field. Watch “An Introduction to Additive Manufacturing” from MIT professor John Hart and “The Emergence of 4-D Printing,” a Ted Talk by MIT assistant professor and...
Thomas Roemer is a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan in operations management and the executive director of MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations Program. He is interested in the intersection of engineering and management and the value creation during the design, manufacturing, and delivery of products. He has taught classes in operations management and s...
- Rebecca Linke
Aug 21, 2024 · Additive manufacturing describes the manufacturing process that uses technologies to create 3D objects by adding material through an automated process. It’s achieved by adding layers atop layers by depositing material, hardening material, melting a powder, or binding a powder.
- David Budiac
Sep 17, 2024 · noun. : 3d printing. Instead of the old approach of carving a usable part out of a large block of material, additive manufacturing builds an object up layer by layer. Larry Greenemeier. Examples of additive manufacturing in a Sentence.
Sep 29, 2023 · Additive manufacturing is a revolutionary manufacturing process that builds three-dimensional objects layer by layer using various materials like plastics, metal, or ceramics.
Jan 1, 2018 · Additive manufacturing (AM) is fundamentally different from traditional formative or subtractive manufacturing in that it is the closest to the ‘bottom up’ manufacturing where a structure can be built into its designed shape using a ‘layer-by-layer’ approach rather than casting or forming by technologies such as forging or machining.
Apr 12, 2023 · “Additive manufacturing is the process of building physical parts and products from digital data,” says Professor Hart. “Increasingly, it describes an ecosystem of technologies and knowledge that allow one to digitally produce physical goods.”
