Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly advancing technology that’s changing manufacturing. There is a strong desire to move faster, but there is this gap between knowledge and capability that limits users in realizing the technology’s full benefit. As the technology advances in AM, users need a better way to evaluate the feasibility of producing additively manufactured parts amidst the constantly changing field of machines, materials and processes. SME and our partners through ITEAM are building a new prototype AM Rapid Virtual Evaluation Platform, SAM-CT, that will answer the million-dollar questions:
- Can I print it?
- Should I print it?
- What's the best machine, material and process for a particular part?
This platform is being developed and tested by the ITEAM consortium in collaboration with Dr. Michael Grieves, renowned expert at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), along with GM and other major industry users in automotive and aerospace. The open platform will provide a virtual repository of AM machine/material capabilities with evaluation tools to enable users to determine their parts’ suitability to be manufactured additively against the available machines and materials.