Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been considered an essential part of the factory of the future since the concept first appeared. Until now, no publication has discussed precisely the role that AM will play in the factory of the future.
The report, “Automation, Additive Manufacturing and the Factory of the Future,” provides the necessary raw data and analysis for marketers, product planners, general management, investors and users to take AM to the automated future.
For now, AM represents about one percent of the overall manufacturing and production landscape. Despite the well-publicized advantages of AM, there remain significant obstacles to AM’s adoption: slow processes involving multiple steps, high costs to scaling, shortage of skilled workforce, difficulty in controlling quality across the supply chain, and the immaturity of standards to facilitate regulatory conformity. All these challenges - and their resolution - are discussed in this Analysis report.
This report also examines the AM supply chain and its digitalization in a number of critical industries including electronic instruments, medical devices, transportation, industrial machinery and process equipment. In addition, the report takes a look at the critical issue of automation both of local AM processes and distributed AM networks. And while the report acknowledges the problems that arise in the context of bringing AM into the factory of the future, it also shows how AM will lead to lower fixed costs and smaller manufacturing footprints than traditional manufacturing. Two other areas that the report examines are design automation and post processing.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Plan and Methodology
Chapter Two: Automating the AM Workflow
2.1 Automation Trends in the Broad Manufacturing Ecosystem
2.2 Current Limitations of the 3D Printing Workflow are Limiting Growth
2.2.1 Design and File Processing
2.2.2 Part Selection and Management
2.2.3 Build Simulation
2.2.3.1 Process Optimization
2.2.3.2 Support Structures
2.2.4 Build Monitoring
2.2.5 Build Management
2.2.6 Post Processing and Inspection
2.3 Automating the Generation of Part Designs
2.4 Managing Digital Data will Become Increasingly Challenging
2.4.1 Stability of the AM Process and Technologies
2.4.2 Costs for Implementing End-to-End Solutions
2.4.3 Workforce that can Build, Interact and Leverage the Digital Thread
2.5 Production and Post Processing Need New and Augmented Solutions
2.7 Long-term Implications for Additive Manufacturing
Chapter Three: Acceleration of Factory of the Future
3.1 Overview
3.2 Current Supply Chain Structures
3.2.1 Complex Electronic Instruments and Medical Devices
3.2.2 Transportation Equipment and Industrial Machinery
3.2.3 Process Equipment
3.3 Factors Affecting Supply Chain Structure
3.4 Deployment of AM Across the Supply Chain and Its Digitization
3.5 Digitalization of AM Supply Chain
3.5.1 Advanced Planning and Scheduling Systems
3.5.2 Digital Procurement
3.5.3 Digital Twin - Virtual and Automated Verification and Validation
Chapter Four: Effects of Digitalization on AM Market Growth
4.1 Overview
4.2 Approach and Frameworks
4.2.1 Economic Growth Model
4.2.2 AM Digitalization Adoption Model
4.3 Productivity Improvements of AM Digitalization
4.3.1 Improvements from AM Network Digitalization
4.3.2 Improvements from AM Process Digitalization
4.4 Market Trends
Chapter Five: Automation in the Additive Manufacturing Sector - Company Overviews
5.1 Design and File Processing
5.1.1 Castor
5.1.2 nTopology
5.2 CAD Software Tools
5.2.1 Dassault Systemes (SolidWorks)
5.2.2 Onshape
5.2.3 PTC
5.2.4 Autodesk
5.2.5 Siemens NX
5.2.6 3YourMind
5.2.7 Authentise
5.2.8 Link3D
5.2.9 SAP
5.2.10 Materialise
5.2.11 Oqton
5.3 Build Simulation
5.3.1 ParaMatters
5.3.2 Ansys
5.4 Build Monitoring and Management
5.4.1 Additive Assurance
5.4.2 EOS
5.4.3 Renishaw
5.4.4 3D Systems
5.4.5 Addiguru
5.5 Quality Assurance
5.5.1 Senvol
5.5.2 Be Global Safety
5.5.3 Identify3D
5.5.4 Simba Chain
5.5.5 Granutools
5.6 Robotics and Post Processing
5.6.1 Aris Technology
5.6.2 PostProcess Technologies
5.6.3 DyeMansion
5.6.4 AMT
5.7 Equipment Manufacturers Using Automated Production
5.7.1 AREVO
5.7.2 Divergent 3D
5.7.3 EOS Shared Modules
About the Analyst
Acronyms and Abbreviations Used In this Report
List of Exhibits
Exhibit 2-1: Additive Manufacturing Automation Ecosystem
Exhibit 2-2: Example Company Call Out – Granutools’ Specific Material Characterization for AM
Exhibit 2-3: NIST AM Information Map
Exhibit 3-1: Manufacturing Readiness Levels for New Technologies
Exhibit 3-2: Major Factors Increasing Complexity in Electronics Industry Segment
Exhibit 3-3: Current State of Medical Device Segment
Exhibit 3-4: Current State of Transportation Segment
Exhibit 3-5 Major Factors Increasing Complexity in Transportation Segment
Exhibit 3-6: Current State of the Biopharmaceutical Segment
Exhibit 3-7: Major Factors Increasing Complexity in Biopharma Segment
Exhibit 3-8: Acquiring Resources for Emergent Manufacturing Technologies
Exhibit 3-9: Resources Affecting Structure of Supply Chains
Exhibit 3-10: Supply Chain Relationships for Contributed Resources
Exhibit 3-11: Expected Performance of Supply Chain Relationships
Exhibit 3-12: WACC for Industrials
Exhibit 4-1: Potential Adoption Rates for AM Digitalization Technologies
Exhibit 4-2: Productivity Improvements from AM Network Digitalization
Exhibit 4-3: Breakdown of Cost Reductions from AM Process Digitalization
Exhibit 4-4: Productivity Improvements from AM Process Digitalization
Exhibit 4-5: AM Digitization Trends for the Number of Industrial Metal Systems Installed
Exhibit 4-6: AM Digitization Trends for the Number of Industrial Polymer Systems Installed
Exhibit 4-7: AM Digitization Trends for the Revenue of Contract Manufacturers
Exhibit 5-1: Company Outline as Determined by Workflow Position
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- 3D Systems
- 3YourMind
- Addiguru
- Additive Assurance
- AMT
- Ansys
- AREVO
- Aris Technology
- Authentise
- Autodesk
- Be Global Safety
- Castor
- Dassault Systemes (SolidWorks)
- Divergent 3D
- DyeMansion
- EOS
- Granutools
- Identify3D
- Link3D
- Materialise
- nTopology
- Onshape
- Oqton
- ParaMatters
- PostProcess Technologies
- PTC
- Renishaw
- SAP
- Senvol
- Siemens NX
- Simba Chain
