Developed for a SaaS client selling into manufacturing orgs transitioning toward additive workflows. This article bridges industrial process theory (TPS, muda) with AM implementation benefits. I wrote it to convert abstract operational efficiency into something search-relevant, credible, and accessible to plant-level readers.
Role: Lead writer
Audience: Ops directors, manufacturing process leads
Use Case: SEO discovery + SaaS brand authority
There are a dozen words to describe it, but lean manufacturing is focused on eliminating waste. In the pioneering Toyota Production System, this was described as muda, and there are seven elements that firms strive to eliminate when improving their processes: stock management, waiting, lead time, over-processing, motion, transportation and defects. The primary means of addressing these have been through administrative, process or routine changes.
Additive manufacturing is a revolution in reaching lean process goals because the methodology allows for changes throughout the manufacturing process, from part development to assembly and finishing. The versatility can be demonstrated with the metaphor of a sculptor working on a piece of marble versus one working with clay: one chips away or cuts out pieces to make parts in traditional methods, while additive manufacturing begins from a blank “canvas”.
Stock Management, Waiting and Lead Time
The major goal of most manufacturing concerns is “just-in-time” production, without lead times and reliance on suppliers, domestic or overseas. At the time of this writing, the Covid-19 pandemic had significantly impacted the shipment and delivery of products around the world, but the muda of waiting on parts is critical regardless of global conditions. Additive manufacturing provides for keeping material on site or ordering in batches that can be completed based on orders.
This helps to minimize the stock of parts so that only what is required for immediate run is on hand at any one time. By reducing the need for secondary suppliers, the chain becomes smaller and less variable. In addition, for parts that may deteriorate or require significant storage requirements, this reduces costs in terms of temporary holding where lighting and cooling costs are reduced over time.
Over-Processing and Motion
Traditional machining requires parts to be either extruded using custom molds or tooled using machining for metal components. Every additional feature in a component adds another step to be completed by an employee or a machine, leading to increased motion in any manufacturing process. In the example of metal components, every additional bend or curve must come with an additional step in the process, even if it can be done on the same machine.
Additive manufacturing limits this by using a single process to produce components and only using the material needed to create that part. No additional waste is incurred except where necessary in specialized and intricate designs. This reduces the need to work one or more parts several times in order to be ready for assembly.
Motion is another part of the manufacturing process that is often overlooked. Having to package components from other suppliers, spillage and risking any accidents along the assembly line can significantly increase costs and increase time of production. Additive manufacturing of components allows them to be placed where they will limit motion during the production process. In addition, the safety margin around printing devices can be much smaller than those for metal-cutting and metal-bending, allowing their placement closer to other portions of assembly.
Transportation and Defects
Limiting the number of defective components, and therefore wasted materials, is one of the principal contributions that additive manufacturing can provide for lean processes. Since there is only a single process in use to create the component, there is little or no waste, except occasionally when it comes to finishing the product. This, however, would be similar for pieces made using traditional manufacturing processes as well.
Using production management software that can streamline and analyze processes can also help additive manufacturing reduce defects. Engineers can review production design for any potential issues, yet even when there are concerns, the material can simply be re-inserted into the printing devices, rather than go to waste in a scrap pile.
In that same vein, transportation is often a concern for manufacturing due to the disparate supply chains required to put together complex products in a single location. The use of additive manufacturing processes allows many parts to be produced on site without having to outsource to other suppliers. This reduces costs of transportation from energy usage to emissions.
Key Takeaways
It’s true that additive manufacturing can help reduce waste in assembly of a variety of components. However, that does not mean that on its own, it can be a panacea that solves all issues without diligence and repeated inspections. Using the right quality management system can help detect flaws in initial layers of an AM piece. This allows for changes in design or whatever else you need to ensure that repeatability of components is feasible.
To learn more about what can happen when QMS is used in additive manufacturing, check out some of our customer success stories.