Supply Chain Modifications to Improve Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers unique production characteristics which among those, toollessness and production of complex geometries are potentially significant to operations efficiency. Previous research has illustrated the potential sufficiency of this technology to affect the supply chains‟ arrangements and enabling decentralized production configurations. While, one of the important advantages of AM enabled distributed production is the increased flexibility, which is a necessity in today‟s competitive and ever changing global supply chains, number of obstacles have kept this method from wide implementation. In this paper, we study the possible supply chain modifications to decrease the cost of an AM-enabled decentralized production system. In other words, we perform a cost-benefit analysis on various AM supply chain strategies in a spare parts context to realize the independent operational factors affecting the implementation cost of additive manufacturing. Moreover, we analyze the ways to adapt the supply chain management to enable full potential of AM considering the present technology.Mechanical Engineerin

Additive Manufacturing of Slow-Moving Automotive Spare Parts: A Supply Chain Cost Assessment

This study develops a cost model for the additive manufacturing (AM)-produced spare parts supply chain in the automotive industry. Moreover, we evaluate the economic feasibility of AM for slow-moving automotive spare parts by comparing the costs of the traditional manufacturing (TM) spare parts supply chain (SPSC) with centralized, outsourced AM SPSC. Data from a multiple case study of an OEM in the automotive industry regarding SPSC is utilized. The supply chain costs of 14 individual spare parts were analyzed, and the total SPSC cost for the AM and TM, were compared. Three of the fourteen parts showed potential for cost-savings, if they were produced with AM instead of TM. In this context, AM polymer parts showed greater potential than metal to replace TM as the more economical option of manufacturing from a total supply chain cost perspective. This study shows that the AM competitiveness to TM, from a financial perspective, increases for spare parts with low demand, high minimum order quantity, and high TM production price. The SPSC cost model included: cost of production, transport, warehousing, and service costs. This study contributes to the emerging field of part identification for AM and the existing literature regarding cost modeling in SPSCs

Digital Twin : Vision, Benefits, Boundaries, and Creation for Buildings

The concept of a digital twin has been used in some industries where an accurate digital model of the equipment can be used for predictive maintenance. The use of a digital twin for performance is critical, and for capital-intensive equipment such as jet engines it proved to be successful in terms of cost savings and reliability improvements. In this paper, we aim to study the expansion of the digital twin in including building life cycle management and explore the benefits and shortcomings of such implementation. In four rounds of experimentation, more than 25,000 sensor reading instances were collected, analyzed, and utilized to create and test a limited digital twin of an office building facade element. This is performed to point out the method of implementation, highlight the benefits gained from digital twin, and to uncover some of the technical shortcomings of the current Internet of Things systems for this purpose.Peer reviewe

Additive manufacturing in the clothing industry

Funding Information: This work was supported by Direct Operations Project under Grant 323831. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The clothing industry is among the most polluting and waste-generating industries in the world, and it is responsible for the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases. The industry’s massive size and significant environmental footprint with regard to water and energy consumption and waste generation make it a valid improvement candidate. While in recent years, global clothing brands and retailers have taken steps to reduce their ecological footprint, there still is a lot of room for improvement. In this research, we view this sustainability issue from a lifecycle perspective and study the new business models (NBMs) that may arise from the utilization of additive manufacturing (AM) technology. AM is emerging as a method of production for final parts. Moreover, as the range of material and available production processes expands, it is increasingly important to study the potential impact of this promising production technology and potential NBMs enabled by it on the clothing industry. Additionally, the obstacles to AM utilization in the clothing industry are explored. We utilize secondary data related to relevant implementation cases to theoretically study the NBMs that AM can enable to improve sustainability. Three NBMs of “clothing as a service”, “collaborative consumption”, and “direct sale/distribution” were envisioned through the study of current AM applications in other industries, as well as current fashion trends. The results of this research have implications for the sustainability of the fashion industry while also providing directions for AM technology development.Peer reviewe

Improving Additive Manufacturing Enabled Operations – A Forward Looking Empirical Study

Taking a forward-looking empirical approach, this dissertation pinpoints improvement areas and formulates solutions for additive manufacturing (AM) operations in situations where AM is used for the production of functional parts. Specifically, this work investigates AM-enabled operations management solutions for spare parts supply chain management, new product launch, and kitting of parts for simplified production materials handling. The contribution of this dissertation is directed to the field of operations management by answering the question of how the specific AM-enabled production and operations can be improved when AM is used for functional parts production. The specific AM-enabled production and operations involve several areas, namely the decentralized production of spare parts, the hybrid production for new product launch, and the digital kitting for production materials handling. The results achieved three objectives, which are (a) to specify the conditions for the decentralized production of spare parts with AM and the expected improved performance outcomes in specific conditions; (b) to present a heuristic for new product launch to determine the switch-over point between AM and conventional manufacturing when hybrid manufacturing is used; and (c) to demonstrate experimentally specific circumstances where model-based digital kitting is feasible and can improve supply chain performance

Manufacturing Digitalization and Its Effects on Production Planning and Control Practices

Part 3: Knowledge Based Production ManagementInternational audienceAdvent of additive manufacturing (AM) as a final-parts production method has the capacity to impact the supply chains radically (The Economist, 2012). This effect extends from raw material procurement to production management and further towards distribution and the final customers. Digitalization of production as for the other industries such as automotive and aerospace reduces the operational complexity, while embedding the complexity in the digital components of the system. For instance, the production planning and control for an AM-enabled manufacturing may be distinctly different compared to conventional production methods. Production routing, loading and scheduling can become simplified as steps of production are combined through AM utilization. Moreover, production dispatching, reporting, inspection and corrective actions require development of novel effective practices. In this paper we investigate the in-depth impact of digital production technologies (e.g. additive manufacturing) on the production management practices. Our methodology is based on conceptual modelling intertwined with case data

Production Capacity Pooling in Additive Manufacturing, Possibilities and Challenges

Industries such as aviation tend to hold large amounts of capital tied to spare parts inventories to insure a high availability [1]. One effective approach to increase the efficiency in inventory management has been resource pooling [2]. However, the emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) enables the new paradigm of production capacity pooling, which varies from current ones. AM’s inherent characteristics may realize capacity sharing among distinct industries, alleviate the need for high safety stock levels and enable better customer service through the reduction of transshipments for spare parts. The advantages can be extended to the broader fulfillment reach of the firm in other geographical areas without expanding its existing production capacity or inventory (and other benefits from a distributed production setting). However, issues with inter-organizational agreements, testing and production reliability may slow down the pooling process while the required facilities are in place. This paper aims to extend the existing literature on implications of this growing phenomenon on inventory management practices. Study methodology is conceptual analysis.Peer reviewe

Additive Manufacturing as an Enabler of Digital Spare Parts

The topic of spare parts is always challenging for operations, with the need to balance service provision with cost minimization for the full lifecycle of the product. This chapter provides a detailed discussion on the application of 3D printing for the manufacture of spare parts. It examines the characteristics which make 3D printing a viable proposition, and highlights the many constraints which much be considered when using 3D printing both now and in the future.Peer reviewe

Additive manufacturing as a platform for introducing cyber-physical services

Additive manufacturing (AM) is increasingly used for the production of functional components. This process is based on digital design model and can produce customized components with no additional cost (toolless process). AM is an inherently model-centric approach to manufacturing which provides a starting point for extending product-centric control and services to tasks and operations beyond manufacturing. In this paper, we investigate a method to assign a unique identification to each part using AM and the additional product-centric services enabled through it, are discussed. The use of a unique identifier in the form of ID@URI which is additively manufactured (from the design file) on the parts enables additional services throughout the parts' lifecycle. Assembly, delivery, aftersales services, and maintenance, as well as product improvement, are the major product-centric services benefiting from identification introduced through the use of AM.Peer reviewe