Design processes based on human development for additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing has the potential to impact on the life of everyone through the manufacturing of complex parts in a single process. Additive manufacturing involves building parts layer by layer, rather than cutting away material which happens with conventional manufacturing processes. To fully realise the potential of additive manufacturing new ways of undertaking engineering design need to be developed. The conventional way of educating engineering designers limits the opportunities additive manufacturing offers. The overall aim of this project is to develop new design processes based on human development for additive manufacturing. There are many similarities between human development and additive manufacturing and this project will exploit these similarities to develop new design rules. In the project a study will be undertaken to understand how the medical device industry currently designs implants and determine their uptake of additive manufacturing processes and the barriers to using the technology. The analogy between human development and additive manufacturing will then be investigated to help create a new set of design rules for additive manufacturing. Finally the new design rules will be tested. The main output from this project will be a new set of design rules for additive manufacturing that can be used to produce cost-effective parts.

This project will develop new design processes based on human development for additive manufacturing and it has the potential to have wide impact and benefits in a number of different sectors.

Societal beneficiaries:

1) Industry engaged with design will have design engineers with an increased education and set of tools for developing new designs of parts for additive manufacturing leading to more efficient designs being produced

2) End users of components produced using additive manufacturing will have a greater choice. For example, joint replacement implants could be made patient specific.

3) Policy makers such as the Department for Business Innovation & Skills will have a clearer understanding of engineering design for additive manufacturing and the need for more apprenticeships in this area.

Economic beneficiaries:

1) The manufacturing industry will benefit through improved designs for additive manufacture leading to shorter manufacturing lead times that will reduce costs through the use of less material and energy consumption during manufacture

2) End users of components produced using additive manufacture, such as the National Health Service for joint replacement implants, will benefit through reduced costs associated with the purchase of implants.