Abstract
Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is a term that describes the usage of additive manufacturing technologies for production or manufacturing of end-use components. Although it may seem that DDM is a natural extension of rapid prototyping, in practice this is not usually the case. Many additional considerations and requirements come into play for production manufacturing that are not important for prototyping. In this chapter, we explore these considerations through an examination of several DDM examples, distinctions between prototyping and production, and advantages of additive manufacturing for custom and low-volume production.
Many times, DDM applications have taken advantage of the geometric complexity capabilities of AM technologies to produce parts with customized geometries. In these instances, DDM is not a replacement for mass production applications, as customized geometry cannot be mass produced using traditional manufacturing technologies. In addition, since the economics of AM technologies do not enable economically competitive high-volume production for most geometries and applications, DDM is often most economical for low-volume production applications. Two major individual-specific medical applications of DDM will be discussed, from Align Technology and Siemens/Phonak, as well as several other applications that make use of the unique design freedom afforded by AM techniques. This will be followed by a discussion of the unique characteristics of AM technologies that lead to DDM.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Wohlers T (2014) Wohlers report 2014: additive manufacturing and 3D printing state of the industry, annual worldwide progress report. Wohlers, Fort Collins
Masters M (2002) Direct manufacturing of custom-made hearing instruments, SME rapid prototyping conference and exhibition, Cincinnati, OH
Masters M, Velde T, McBagonluri F (2006) Rapid manufacturing in the hearing industry, chap. 2. In: Hopkinson N, Hague RJM, Dickens PM (eds) Rapid manufacturing: an industrial revolution for the digital age. Wiley, Chichester
Wohlers T (2008) Wohlers report: state of the industry, annual worldwide progress report. Wohlers, Fort Collins
Hopkinson N (2005) Two projects using SLS of nylon 12, 3D Systems North American Stereolithography User Group Conference, Tucson, AZ, April 3–7
Wohlers T (2013) Wohlers report 2013: additive manufacturing and 3D printing state of the industry, annual worldwide progress report. Wohlers Associates, Inc., Fort Collins
Make Magazine (2013) http://makezine.com/2013/06/27/how-to-3d-print-a-video-game-figurine/
Hastings B (2007) The transition from rapid prototyping to direct manufacturing, SME RAPID Conference, Detroit, May 20–22
Johnson PL (1993) ISO 9000: meeting the new international standards. McGraw-Hill, New York
Pham DT, Wang X (2000) Prediction and reduction of build times for the selective laser sintering process. Proc Inst Mech Eng 214(B):425–430
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gibson, I., Rosen, D., Stucker, B. (2015). Direct Digital Manufacturing. In: Additive Manufacturing Technologies. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2113-3_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2113-3_16
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2112-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2113-3
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)