A new DFM approach to combine machining and additive manufacturing

Design for manufacturing (DFM) approaches aim to integrate manufacturability aspects during the design stage. Most of DFM approaches usually consider only one manufacturing process, but product competitiveness may be improved by designing hybrid modular products, in which products are seen as 3-D puzzles with modules realized individually by the best manufacturing process and further gathered. A new DFM system is created in order to give quantitative information during the product design stage of which modules will benefit in being machined and which ones will advantageously be realized by an additive process (such as Selective Laser Sintering or laser deposition). A methodology for a manufacturability evaluation in case of a subtractive or an additive manufacturing process is developed and implemented in a CAD software. Tests are carried out on industrial products from automotive industry. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.