Most of the mechanical products that we use in daily life or various industries are made by assembling multiple parts. In the traditional manufacturing process, each part is designed individually and is then joined together to get a whole product. The whole process is laborious, requires a lot of material, and is time-consuming. Additive Manufacturing is a recent technology that is now being utilized during manufacturing. In this innovative technology, different materials are deposited layer-by-layer to produce a 3d object.
Incredible AM Pvt Ltd located in Pune is a well-equipped manufacturing unit that utilizes 3d printing technology for all the specific and accurate solutions for AM technology. Let’s see how additive manufacturing is helpful in part consolidation.
What is part consolidation?
Parts consolidation is a process that utilizes computer-generated designs to merge several parts. The process allows for bringing changes in the design without hampering the functionality of the part. The consolidated parts have several advantages but are complex. Producing such complex structures through conventional manufacturing is not feasible. Thus, we use additive manufacturing technology that makes the task not only easier but also cost-effective. At Incredible, the parts consolidation process is done in 5 steps. These include:
Selecting assembly: First of all, we select the assembly that requires consolidation.
Finite Element Analysis: In the next step, engineers decrease the number of parts to develop faster and more efficient products. The process analyses the functionality and strength of the object.
Redesign Assembly in Software: With specialized software packages, designers redesign the assembly and make appropriate changes in it to enhance its functionality and performance.
Finite Element Analysis for Validation: Validation is crucial to keep a check on the quality of the engineering solutions. It is required to show that assembled parts are the true representations of the problems at hand.
3d printing: Finally, parts are assembled using 3d printing to obtain the consolidated product.
Benefits of parts consolidation by additive manufacturing
- Improves performance: AM helps in making better performing components parts by producing complex geometries that are desirable but the conventional manufacturing methods fail to produce them. Some of the characteristic features of products created from AM technology are high-strength to weight ratio; heat transfer, fluid flow, and energy absorption.
- Lowers risk failure: Part consolidation helps in reducing or eliminating many risks. The higher the number of parts, the greater is the risk. AM by producing multiple parts as a single unit greatly reduces the risk. It eliminates the risk of suppliers who may not be able to supply the parts in question. Moreover, In addition, it also eliminates the risk of obsolescence, that is the state when a part has to be discarded due to its becoming no longer functioning, then the remaining inventory has to be disposed of as well.
- Less use of material: The increasing complexity of parts generally increases the part cost in the conventional manufacturing methods. Contrary to this, in AM technology, the increased complexity of parts leads to less use of material.
- Lower production cost: If we analyze the above details, it is evident that part consolidation by AM not only increases the efficiency of the components, makes assembly faster but also lowers the production cost. Thus, through the process, you are able to lessen many hidden costs and projects delay. It also optimizes your supply chain, which eventually helps in cost reduction.
Conclusion
With AM technology, part consolidation has become fast, accurate, high-quality, and cost-effective. Thus, it’s time to think and rethink to adopt the innovative technology to manufacture complex engineering components, consumer products, etc. Don’t wait but embrace the newest technology to ease yourself. We’re there for you to help you at each step. 3D Incredible AM Pvt Ltd helps manufacturers to design lighter yet efficient components with a 3d printing mechanism. For our products and services, we have earned ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and AS 9001 D certificates. For the last 45 years, we have been working towards improving our process to produce the highest-quality product.
