Implications on design of rapid manufacturing

TLDR

Designers have traditionally been taught to create geometrically restricted parts for ease of manufacturing, but rapid manufacturing removes geometry as a limiting factor. The study examines how rapid manufacturing will alter design practices, affecting individual designers and the overall design process. Rapid manufacturing enables re‑entrant shapes, eliminates draft angles, allows variable wall thickness, removes split lines, reduces part count, and simplifies assembly, thereby lowering stock.

Abstract

During the last few decades, designers have been educated to develop designs with restricted geometry so that parts can be made easily. The revolutionary aspect of rapid manufacturing will be that geometry will no longer be a limiting factor. The introduction of rapid manufacturing will have a number of effects on design. It will be possible to have re-entrant shapes without complicating manufacturing, no draft angles, variable wall thickness, no split lines and fewer parts, leading to easier assembly and lower stock. The individual designer's method of working will change with the introduction of rapid manufacturing and also there will be changes to the overall design process.