Techno-Economic Analysis for Metal Powder-Bed AM

Specialty Workshop Series: Techno-Economic Analysis for Metal Powder-Bed AM

With support from AFRL and in collaboration with America Makes, the 4th ASTM AM CoE Specialty Workshop, will be held on Aug 27-28, 2024, in Washington DC.  The workshop will supplement the techno-economic analysis of powder bed AM that Wohlers Associates conducted as part of America Makes Project 68.

The U.S. Air Force (AF) is challenged with determining how best to allocate resources needed to have the greatest impact to drive the adoption of metal powder bed additive manufacturing (AM) to ensure mission critical components are available throughout their lifecycle. Potential AF investments in metal powder bed AM technologies and materials that could improve the speed, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing new make and sustainment components are under consideration. However, the AF wants further investigation in techno-economic analysis to ensure resource allocations provide the biggest impact on its mission.

The objective of the techno-economic analysis is to gather data by conducting expert interviews, perform process improvement simulations, and, conduct analysis and synthesis intelligence for the AF. Wohlers Associates Powered by ASTM International is performing the Techno-Economic Analysis which will provide guidance to the U.S Air Force for its investments in metal powder bed AM. Wohlers Associates will identify the needs and gaps as well as study the areas of high return on investment and dissemination of findings and information to the supply chain. The team will leverage the expertise of industry experts as well as those in the Air Force with backgrounds in metal AM. An important goal is to communicate a strong understanding of investment returns, with a techno-economic analysis as the foundation.

The project team would also like to include the wider AM community in its efforts via this workshop to help build consensus on where the AF can invest to make the biggest impact. Ultimately, the project team will provide the AF with adequate recommendations for where to invest in outcomes that make metal powder bed AM more efficient with the lowest $/cm³ of consolidated material that will boost adoption.

Background:

As the field of additive manufacturing (AM) quickly evolves, the critical use of the technology in defense is ever more crucial to impacting the readiness of the armed forces. The U.S. Air Force (AF) is challenged with determining how best to allocate finite resources to have the greatest impact on its mission in metal additive manufacturing (AM). The AF would like to invest in new metal AM technologies and materials where processes could help improve the speed, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing for aerospace and defense applications.

Scope:

This workshop will focus on Techno-Economic Analysis to guide the U.S Air Force in its investments in Metal AM. In a project funded by America Makes, Wohler’s Associates has leveraged its market intelligence capabilities. The effort also gathered information and insight through literature review and 1-on-1 interview with industry experts to identify needs and gaps as well as areas of high return on investment. This workshop will bring leading frontiers and users of AM to further discuss best practices and brainstorm viable approaches for techno-economic analysis in AM.

Approach:

This workshop is a two-day event encompassing a series of technical talks and a panel discussion on Day 1 followed by an invite-only Road mapping exercise. Invitees will break out into smaller groups to discuss topics of interests.

Objectives:

The main objective is to identify and receive a broader perspective from DOD and industry experts to expand further from AM/AFRL Expert survey conducted during initial phase of Impact Topic 9 project on following topics:

• Sustainability
  • Sustainability of Industry – Supply chain resiliency – Health of the Contract Manufacturing base. Role of Tier 1 support.
  • Understanding Material changes with respect to AM.
  • Understanding / Use of Part Classification.
• Additive System (machine) Developments
  • Using In-Situ Monitoring to reduce cost.
  • Automation for lights-out operation Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
  • Optimize Materials and Process to lower cost.

Outcomes:

One outcome of this workshop will be a strategic report that captures the input of defense branches to identify and prioritize future solutions, and specific actions regarding metal powder bed AM to implement following the workshop. This work will be leveraged for prioritization of future AFRL R&D efforts, qualification, and adoption of technology.

Day 1 Agenda: August 27, 2024

Day 2 Agenda: August 28, 2024

During the second day, 6 breakout sessions will be held, each focused on a high-priority topic. During each breakout session, attendees will meet in small groups to discuss the topic, develop consensus on key questions, and document lessons learned, needs, and next steps. The groups will then reconvene to establish consensus across all attendees and use the small group takeaways to inform roadmap development as a larger team before progressing to the next topic.

The capacity of this event is limited. To ensure participation from attendees with a range of perspectives, we are asking interested participants to register for the waitlist using the following survey link.

All submissions are placed on a waitlist until your participation is confirmed via email by ASTM.