DfAM
The acronym DfAM – Design for Additive Manufacturing – has emerged in recent months to define all those practices and skills that enable a designer or an engineer to create objects which optimally leverage the geometric potential of additive manufacturing technologies.
These skills and practices include many software tools – often included in CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) programs as well as capabilities that are derived from personal experience. Next generation CAD and CAE software may provide support through a wide range of approaches. These include processes such as topology optimization – that is the ability to add material where it is needed and remove it where it is unnecessary – or the parametric generation of lattice and trabecular structures. There are highly intricate networks of structures that can confer a specific component the same or better mechanical properties than solid parts, using less material and thus reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, these types of structures can be produced only through layered additive manufacturing processes.
While these approaches are becoming adopted in advanced engineering, there were still largely unknown until just a few years ago, when only a handful of forward-looking creatives, artists and product designers began to experiment with them in combination with AM technologies. Today DfAM has grown to encompass concepts such as mass customization – the ability to serially manufacture custom products – as well as wearable technology and even personalized food manufacturing. These designers continue to show us the way products will be digitally and additively made in the future. Check out 3dpbm’s exclusive celebrity survey with some of the world’s greatest DfAM designers.
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PUNTOZERO 3D DfAM studio incorporates as innovative startup
The PUNTOZERO 3D team, known as a specialist studio in DfAM optimization, is now structured as an innovative startup in Italy. Based in Milan, and born from the idea of 4 professionals with passion and skills in the world of AM, the company develops new design methodologies to revolutionize the…
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General Lattice to develop next-gen combat helmet for US Army
General Lattice is developing a predictive modeling toolset to design and generate lattice materials based on real-world data, which will improve impact absorption technology for the US Army next-gen combat helmet. The yearlong research and development project is currently underway at General Lattice’s facility in Chicago, Illinois. The capabilities of…
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CASTOR raises $3.5 million seed+ round lead by Xerox
3D printing tech company CASTOR, which enables leading manufacturers to maximize additive manufacturing, opportunities, closed a $3.5 million seed+ round. The round includes two new investors — Xerox, a global technology company, which recently launched its ElemX 3D liquid metal printer for Metal Additive Manufacturing, and Spring Ventures, a Tel…
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Twikit launches Laddy on-demand lattice individualization tool
Twikit unveiled its latest cloud suite product, Laddy. The software solution was developed to enable more brands to capture the value of mass customization even further through lattice individualization. Twikit’s vision for Laddy is to use the power of AI to transform unique user input into individualized lattices with guaranteed…
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New nTopology 3.0 introduces real-time visualization via GPU
In nTopology 3.0, the third major update of nTopology‘s design software, the NYC company is introducing GPU acceleration for seamless interactivity. By enabling this new opt-in feature, nTop users will enjoy an instant 10x to 100x performance boost to workflows that use complex field-driven geometry. In other words, they will…
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Heath Townsend, Evol Components wins Make it Real challenge
Wevolver, in partnership with advanced materials company polySpectra, announced Heath Townsend as the winner of the Make it Real 3D Printing Challenge. Townsend, founder of Evol Components, will receive $25,000 worth of additive manufacturing services to realize his company’s idea for a motorbike bracket as a physical product. The bracket is…
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AM heralding new chapter for fluid flow applications
Making the most of additive manufacturing (AM) is not only about installing the technology. As with anything, the deeper the knowledge of the process, the more one can get out of it and the more applications can be developed. AM experts and application engineers are thus in a unique position,…
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Impact F1, what next-gen, parametric, 3D printed flip flops look like
The ability to leverage parametric online customization tools to create and personalize entire products is embedded in the potential of 3D printing as a production technology. Until now this potential has been only marginally exploited but the possibilities are rapidly increasing: more optimized products, more customized, more innovative, more sustainable:…
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SHINING 3D serially 3D prints DfAM metal bottle openers using Voxeldance Additive
Feng Tao, the vice general manager of SHINING 3D, first discovered the potential of VoxelDance Additive, a CAD-CAM software developed by VoxelDance, a young Chinese development firm specializing in AM-specific software. After an evaluation, SHINING 3D applied it to its EPlus3D EP-M150 and EP-M250 Pro printers. Since 2019, SHINING 3D…
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Stratasys and nTopology collaborate to simplify 3D-printed jigs and fixtures for manufacturing with DfAM
Stratasys and nTopology are collaborating to provide a series of accessible, customizable Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) workflows for their users. Stratasys manufactures FDM, PolyJet and stereolithography additive manufacturing systems. nTopology is an engineering software company that specializes in AM applications. The first release in the companies’ DfAM partnership is…
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