Integrated Additive Product Development for Multi-Material Parts

Current resource and energy requirements call for the use of most beneficial materials with suitable design at the right place as well as appropriate manufacturing technologies and associated process chains. Additive manufacturing (AM) can play a key role for prospective multi-material components, particular with its versatile advantages in design-driven flexibility, customization, and lightweight design. However, obstacles to industrialization are less due to the technology itself rather than to the actual process chain integration, from conception to production and testing. Accordingly, this contribution discusses an application example and arising problems with the integration of AM in product development. The authors highlight the most demanding steps of tailored constructive development methods, efficient manufacturing, post-processing and finishing as well as quality and lifetime management by continuous non-destructive testing.