Design For Additive Manufacturing
DFAM consists of designing a part so that it takes advantage of the Additive Manufacturing layering process, ensuring that the component delivers functional benefits that could not be achieved through conventional production techniques.
As long as the component is produced with subtractive manufacturing, the design of the part is limited to material removal only where accessible by CNC machining, followed by other steps such as welding and assembly to achieve the final product. Therefore designs have always revolved around the limitations of subtractive manufacturing.
The additive manufacturing process offers far fewer design constraints than conventional manufacturing; thus, it is often described as having design freedom. It produces parts by adding material only where required, enabling complex geometric shapes and optimising surfaces that can’t be reached by subtractive manufacturing.
The increased design freedom enables to place material around fixing points, on areas where higher strength is required and allows for lightening and hollowing of the part. It also allows for the development of freeform channels as well as the replacement of many components by one monolithic part.
Optimising features and shapes, building complex geometries or changing the internal topology to lighten your parts, are just a few examples of the ways our experience can benefit the production of your components.
