POTENTIAL INVESTIGATION AND ANALYTICAL MODELING OF ADDITIVE LAYER MANUFACTURING PROCESSES FOR METAL TOOLS COMPONENTS PRODUCTION

Abstract

Current research into the development of additive layer costs shows that this technology is economical in producing small batches with ongoing centralized manufacture; however improved automation may contribute to cost efficiency in distributed manufacturing. Due to the difficulty of which additive production costs are calculated, the reach of the current studies is small. Many of today's studies analyze single-part development. Many that look at assemblies prefer not to look at the impact of the supply chain, such as inventory and shipping prices and lower probability of interruption. Analysis currently also shows that the expense of content is a significant part of the cost of a commodity made using additive layer. Technologies may, therefore, also be compatible, with two technologies being implemented side by side and advantages larger than if independently adopted. Growing usage of additive processing may contribute to a decrease in raw material costs through saving in scale. This could result in further implementation of additive layer processing through the decreased cost of the raw material. The expense of raw materials will often save on a scale if specific materials are more popular than a host of other materials. The production method for additive layers is still a significant cost driver, but this cost has decreased continuously. The average price dropped 51% between 2001 and 2011 after inflation changes