3-D PRINTING OF METALS IS A PROCESS FULL OF UNKNOWNS;
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS CAN FILL IN MANY OF THE GAPS.
BY TIMOTHY W. SIMPSON
When I started working in additive manufacturing three years ago, I thought 3-D printing of metals would be easy
because I had worked with 3-D printed
plastics for nearly two decades. I could not
have been more wrong. AM is rewriting the
rules of how we design, make, and qualify
parts, and 3-D metal printing needs all the
help it can get from mechanical engineers.
Wrench flats and
machining guides
are 3-D printed in
a part as aids to
post-processing and
assembly.
Image: Penn State
CIMP-3D
DESIGN FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
F30
