ABSTRACT
Tremendous amounts of documented case studies exist that describe additive manufacturing (AM) saving cost, weight, and lead time in a variety of industries. This chapter provides real case examples of the trials, tribulations, and systemic challenges faced when implementing AM within companies. In the aerospace industry, there are numerous continuous improvement efforts going on at any given moment that look at changes to how parts are produced and procured to reduce costs. When the AM team begins the process of developing cost estimates for these parts, they realize that some of the valve bodies and heat exchanger manifolds don’t pack efficiently within – a few are even larger than – the in-house equipment, and only one or two can be manufactured at a time. During the project kickoff, dramatic opportunities for design improvement of the entire system in which the Linkage operates are suggested by expert AM engineers.
