Centre for Additive Manufacturing
3D printed lattice structure as part of research at the Centre for Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing Management

Additive Manufacturing (AM) Management is interested in operating AM technology in an efficiency-driven setting, such as a commercial business. 
 

This is usually involves creating, operating, and controlling an additive manufacturing system that takes in a variety of resources to make useful products.

Since additive manufacturing is different from other, more conventional, manufacturing technologies, there are a number of challenges to the successful operation of AM technology. 

The areas of AM management we are currently investigating include: 

  • Accurately measuring the financial cost of AM, taking into account the effects of using the available capacity and the risk of process failure
  • Measuring and minimising the energy consumed by AM systems and their waste streams
  • Organising the workflow of AM, usually based on advanced computational approaches, to find optimised solutions
  • Characterising the production losses that occur in AM and ensuring that these are minimised
  • Investigating the complexity of AM products and understanding whether this complexity can be created free of cost
 
3D PackRat build volume in additive manufacturing 3DPackRAT_Build_Volume
 
We have a long track record of research in this area, and we have worked with many industrial partners operating and developing AM technologies. We frequently organise and join workshops and outreach events on these topics. This has led to many practical improvements in industry as well as cutting-edge research ideas. If you are interested in the management of AM, please to contact us.
 

Centre for Additive Manufacturing

Faculty of Engineering
The University of Nottingham
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


email: CfAM@nottingham.ac.uk