What is Direct Digital Manufacturing? Part 1 - Stratasys - #1

DIRECT DIGITAL MANUFACTURING PART ONE: FORTUS

WHAT IS DIRECT DIGITAL MANUFACTURING? 3d production systems

By Scott Crump, CEO, Stratasys, Inc.

After 20 years, the future has become a reality. Additive fabrications technologies, which until recently have been relegated to rapid prototyping applications, have entered into the manufacturing realm. The use of additive fabrication processes is what differentiates direct digital manufacturing (DDM) from conventional manufacturing methods, and it is from these technologies that unique advantages and opportunities arise. Direct from 3D digital data, a component is manufactured—layer-by-layer—without machining, molding or casting.

A common question that is asked is, "What is DDM?" The question arises because consensus on many aspects of the process, including what to call it, is lacking. Over the past few years, the term direct digital manufacturing has become more commonplace. Yet, alternatives are still routinely used. When discussing DDM, many will use terms such as rapid manufacturing, additive manufacturing or free form fabrication; all of which are synonymous to DDM. Stratasys, Inc., has elected to adopt DDM because this terminology clearly distinguishes the technology from all others. Additionally, this decision supports the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), which has endorsed DDM as the preferred name for this unique manufacturing approach.

As the name implies, DDM is a process that uses additive fabrication technologies, such as FDM, to manufacture parts. In other words, DDM produces the components that go into the products that a company sells. Yet, the concept is still maturing so there is some disagreement as to what the scope of DDM is and how to define it. However, at Stratasys, DDM is defined as a process that is used to perform one of the following three manufacturing functions:

• Manufacture end-use, sellable goods: The manufactured items are the components and subassemblies that go into the products that a company sells to its customers. (Figure 1)

• Produce end-use items that are used by the manufacturer: Rather than making a company's products, the process is used to manufacture devices that aid in the production of the sellable products. These fabrication and assembly tools include jigs and fixtures. (Figure 2)

• Create tooling for the molding, casting or forming of products: This application can be either the direct production of tooling, or the indirect creation of tooling from a pattern, that is constructed from an additive fabrication technology. (Figure 3)

The shift away from the term rapid manufacturing is due to two factors. First, many conventional processes have begun using the term "rapid manufacturing" to describe the activity whether or not it incorporates additive fabrication technology. This has rendered the term somewhat meaningless. Second, and more importantly, DDM offers much more than an acceleration of the manufacturing process. An emphasis on "rapid" can lead to oversight of the numerous advantages delivered throughout the manufacturing process. DDM is not a simple revision of existing manufacturing methods that makes the process faster. It is a radical departure that fundamentally changes manufacturing.

With the enormous shift will come new ways of thinking, new processes, modified work flows and innovative procedures. DDM presents a radical departure that allows designers, engineers and manufacturers to do what was previously impractical or impossible. DDM has opened the door for new product designs, new markets and new business models. It is a radical departure that affects more than design and manufacturing engineering. It has broad impact throughout the entire organization. For these reasons, DDM has been labeled as the next industrial revolution.

For DDM to live up to this vision, for it to become the next industrial revolution, it has to be positioned properly and implemented correctly. DDM must be viewed as an alternative to traditional manufacturing methods rather than a replacement technology. DDM is not a global replacement for manufacturing processes that are performing as needed, expected or desired. DDM is not a cure-all or a magical solution to all of the ills on the manufacturing floor. Rather,