What is direct digital manufacturing?

Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is the process of going directly from an electronic digital representation of a part to the final product via additive manufacturing.

Initial successful applications have been seen in the aerospace, medical and motorsports industries. When the production volumes are low and/or part complexities are high, these technologies have been found to be a very economical choice. Parts that have internal features, complex geometries or sculpted surfaces realize the greatest cost/benefit ratio from DDM.

Efforts are currently under way to advance direct digital manufacturing processes into high-volume production methods, thereby competing directly with traditional manufacturing processes.

What is additive manufacturing?

That material can be in a powder, sheet or liquid raw state. As a result of the material deposition and processing operations, the digital electronic model is converted into a physical part or product.

Unlike subtractive manufacturing where excess material is removed until the final product is achieved, most additive manufacturing processes do not yield excessive scrap material. Additive manufacturing typically does not require large amounts of time to remove unwanted material, consequently reducing time and costs.

Additive manufacturing enables the creation of parts and products with distinctiveness, which could not have been produced via subtractive or forming manufacturing processes. This allows for greater complexity, freedom in design and increased flexibility in the features and function of the end product.