6 essential skills for additive manufacturing

1. Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Computer-aided design (CAD) is the backbone of AM, since you use the output from the 3D modeling software to create or reproduce your geometric form.

That's why spatial object design is one of the most critical skills in AM — designing, modifying or improving an existing 3D model. The creativity and knowledge of a skilled CAD designer is not something easily replicated.

While CAD design software has become more accessible and user-friendly, anyone using it still needs to be skilled in:

• Design thinking

• Computational modeling

• Analysis

• Engineering

Because of the sheer number of different competencies involved, CAD can often be the most difficult of the AM skill sets for prospective operators to master.

2. Design thinking (Design for Additive Manufacturing or DAM)

AM builds (or prints) from CAD models by adding materials layer by layer. This process is a very different approach from most traditional forms of manufacturing, which remove or subtract material to form the desired shape — often with the desired shape modified for the best means of machine mass production in mind.

AM frees designers from this mass production mindset. The layer-based additive nature allows for higher degrees of customization and complex geometries. These provide you with the flexibility to integrate features into complex parts without the simplification needed for most conventional mass production methods.

This freedom and flexibility mean that designers can conceptually think much differently when working in AM, offering more of an opportunity to design from a "blank slate."

However, AM still has its own considerations, whether it is the materials selection, support or build strategy, or choice of which process to use for a given project. The most important aspect of design for AM is to identify and take full advantage of the tools (generative design, topology optimization, consolidation or lattice structures) that best leverage the benefits of the additive process.

3. Finishing

Additive manufacturing is not only about designing and preparing your project for 3D printing. A distinguishing professional feature is the level of post-processing skills needed to make realistic and accurate model representations:

• Support removal

• Grinding

• Sanding

• Cutting

• Filling

• Painting

• Coating

• Polishing

Finishing is especially important when creating 3D printed production parts, because they provide different challenges than conventionally machined parts. The layered 3D printing processes of some machines may not be as accurate as some traditional production methods. That's why you may still need to employ traditional computer numerical control (CNC) machining in the 3D finishing process, which can provide the high level of dimensional accuracy required for production parts.

Ultimately, the material and technique chosen for finishing 3D printed pieces depends on the application requirements (prototype, presentation model or functional parts). It's essential to understand and master the various post-processing finishing methods available to meet the desired outcome of the part design.

5. Reverse engineering

An attractive feature propelling the adoption of AM for many companies is the prospect of utilizing 3D printing for their obsolete or replacement parts inventory. A high degree of reverse engineering may be required to both directly replicate legacy parts and incorporate any part improvements enabled by AM. Tight tolerances and high-resolution 3D laser scans capture difficult geometries, requiring quality control and testing before production.

And not every re-engineered part will be a good candidate for AM production. A well-versed designer is aware of the methods and limitations of AM, as well as other manufacturing processes, and can choose the most appropriate solution, or even a hybrid manufacturing solution combining traditional machining with the complex geometries of AM.