OPTIPAM - Optimized process for additive manufacturing

This projects aims to meet the challenge of industrializing Additive Manufacturing (AM, 3Dprinting) in metal, for Swedish industry, in order to make them more competitive on an international market focused on shorter lead times, flexible production and customization. The project consortium is well balanced between academia, institutes and industrial partners, and the challenge is strongly supported by all consortium partners. Although one can argue if AM will develop into the ´3rd industrial revolution’, it has indeed developed from prototyping to a process able to compete with traditional methods, such as casting. Several initiatives has been launched in other countries in order to promote AM as a manufacturing method and the lessons learned are that new knowledge in the area is needed in order to fully utilize AM. Major gaps in the knowledge of “AM for production” have already been identified. The project will deliver procedures of knowledge, so-called “Design for Additive Manufacturing”,and procedures for non-destructive testing methods since these kinds of verification methods are essential for AM products, because the nature of the additive approach inherently can introduce voids and other defects in the material. The main objective in this project is to verify that AM is a competitive alternative when it comes to manufacture metal components, in particular as an alternative for currently cast components. The project expects that production lead times, from sale to delivery, will be reduced with more than 50%, as compared to casting and the main goals for this project are to shorten the product development and production lead times, to improve the process from design to quality control and to reach weight reductions.

The work is part of the strategic innovation programme Produktion2030, a joint effort by VINNOVA, The Swedish Research Council Formas and The Swedish Energy Agency.