3D printing to speed up manufacturing supply chains An EU-funded project has contributed to the acceptance of 3D printing as a reliable and economically viable manufacturing technology with the development of robust supply chain management tools. Industrial Technologies © RyanKing999, Thinkstock 3D printing – or additive manufacturing (AM) – covers a multitude of production technologies, including stereo lithography, selective laser melting and fused deposition modelling. All these technologies work along the same principle of adding layer upon layer of hardening powders and fluids. With 3D printing, only the material required is used, and additional benefits include near-zero waste. As 3D printing has potential as a cornerstone technology that will allow the manufacturing industry to reach new heights, it is important to organise both the manufacturing process and the supply chain. This was the aim of the EU-funded project MANSYS (Manufacturing decision and supply chain management system for additive manufacturing). Twelve partners teamed up to develop e-supply chain management tools and facilitate the mass adoption of 3D printing, enabling businesses to move beyond current successes with plastic products to metal products. The supply chain management system accounts for all steps and options in the supply chain, providing a one-touch turnkey solution. The new supply chain management platform brings together independent companies – possibly from different locations or even countries – to deliver high-value products to the global market. The project team, then, focused on ensuring quality across 3D printing machines, articulating post-processing protocols for metal AM parts and furthering optimised parts creation. MANSYS resulted in a decision support software assisting designers and engineers that don't necessarily have AM background or experience to decide whether 3D printing is applicable for specific metal AM parts. It outlines the concept of an integrated supply chain network based on new high-performance processes, methods and tools. The advantages of the new platform for metal 3D printing include cost savings of around 30 % in production and importantly, improved responsiveness to customer needs. Especially, European small and medium-sized enterprises will be able to adopt AM quickly and offer customised products more rapidly, through better scheduling and manufacturing. Keywords 3D printing, supply chain management, additive manufacturing, MANSYS, decision support
