Rapid prototyping heralded as next industrial revolution
Rapid prototyping heralded as next industrial revolution
Rapid manufacturing is a process that employs additive fabrication
technology (aka rapid prototyping) to produce end-use items. Directly
from CAD data, components are manufactured without molding, casting, or
machining. The impact of rapid manufacturing is far-reaching, and the
opportunities and advantages are extensive. This is why rapid
manufacturing is heralded as the next industrial revolution.
Since
the earliest days of rapid prototyping, experts have envisioned the
application of the technology in the manufacturing process, and the
focus of this vision has been on the initial cost and time savings that
are realized when tooling is eliminated. Slashing hundreds of thousands
of dollars and months from a product launch are significant benefits to
manufacturers in all industries. However, the relative impact pales in
comparison to the wide-ranging advantages that exist when rapid
manufacturing is implemented.
Focusing only on the upfront benefits gained from eliminating
tooling, industry has failed to recognize many of the opportunities
that rapid manufacturing offers. Some will yield unprecedented
efficiencies; some will generate annual savings that far exceed the
cost of a tool; and others will facilitate new methodologies that
address age-old constraints imposed by conventional practices. Rapid
manufacturing will benefit nearly every discipline within a
manufacturing organization, and it will change fundamental business
processes. When adopted en masse, it truly will be an industrial
revolution.
Status quo
For the production of moderate- to high-volume quantities of metal
or plastic parts, molding and casting are the prevalent processes.
However, the tooling that is required demands a sizeable investment and
a significant commitment to the product and its design.
Rapid manufacturing is an enabling technology, since it eliminates
the upfront expense and expedites manufacturing. For example, injection
molds for small-to moderate-sized parts will often cost $20,000 to
$75,000 and take upward of three months to complete. This investment of
time and money is both a barrier to new products, especially for those
with low forecasted demand, and a drain on the cash flow and
profitability of a company. Obviously, since it eliminates the need for
tooling, rapid manufacturing facilitates new product launches and
improves the corporate bottom line. For many, this is enough
justification to pursue rapid manufacturing, but bigger gains are
derived from the freedom to change a product's design.
The rapid cycle times of tooling facilitate inexpensive
manufacturing of thousands, often millions, of parts. When amortized
over large part quantities, the cost of tooling becomes reasonable and,
often times, almost insignificant. However, this presumes that tool
will be operated for long periods of time; therefore, the tooling
becomes a liability. With the prospect of additional costs and delays,
product modifications are undesirable. Investing $5,000 to $20,000 for
tooling rework, or $20,000 to $75,000 for replacement, is an unwelcome
expense. Also, the losses grow since sales revenues are nonexistent
while waiting for tool repair. Wherever possible, the ideal situation
is to produce a perfect tool and keep that tool running for the life of
the product. With this aim, the release of a work order for a
production tool becomes a major commitment.
However, the commitment is not reasonable. Product life cycles are
shorter, consumer demand is more fickle, and the odds of redesign are
high. In effect, the commitment becomes justified only when perfection
is achieved. Without the perfect product, perfect design, and perfect
mold, the investment in tooling becomes a constraint and an undesirable
commitment. In many cases, when faced with less-than-ideal scenario,
companies will opt to continue manufacturing the product without
change. The cost and time of retooling outweigh the advantages of
redesign.
The fundamental problem with tooling is that perfection is elusive,
and striving for perfection is costly. It is unlikely that an
organization is capable of perfection in every part, every assembly,
and every product that it makes. Oversight, error, assumptions, and a
whole host of unquantifiable variables can occur. Additionally, product
demand may be overstated, and customer requirements may be
misinterpreted.
Tools such as rapid prototyping help companies to uncover flaws,
errors, and imperfections before releasing a production mold. And yet,
problems still arise, only to be discovered when first articles are
molded. In many cases, the problems are minor and can be ignored. In
others, the flaws are significant, but repair is not an option because
of cost and delays.
Tooling is commitment. The moment the order is released for tooling,
the design becomes frozen. There is little latitude for change and
alteration. The options are limited to reworking, retooling, or
building a stockpile of imperfect molded parts. Tooling is a constraint
to making better products with better sales results.
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