The era of additive manufacturing industrialization has arrived. To realize this goal, an excellent navigator is crucial. Enterprises need to adapt different levels of automation technology for different business or specific application scenarios according to their actual situation. Improving production through additive manufacturing is a long and complex process that requires knowledge and experience in the areas of automation, connectivity, scaling, quality standards, process technology and materials, etc. The 3D printing process chain continues to evolve, improving the repeatability, yield and productivity of all aspects of additive manufacturing, from materials to product production. However, these technologies can only be fully effective if their application is aligned with the actual needs of the organization.

In the face of the complexity of industrial 3D printing applications, the AM I Navigator (Additive Manufacturing Navigator) program for additive manufacturing was born out of necessity to show the way for companies in the field of additive manufacturing at different levels of industrialization and with individual application needs.

© Siemens

How to Understand the AM I Navigator Program

At the recently concluded Formnext 2023 in Germany, Siemens, DyeMansion, BASF Forward AM, EOS, and HP have joined forces to launch the AM I Navigator program and release the Additive Manufacturing Industrialization Maturity Model to improve interoperability in additive manufacturing. The model defines the stages of the full industrial 3D printing process, from materials to equipment to automated production. Clarifying how the stages of industrialization are defined can help additive manufacturing users scale up additive manufacturing and integrate it into traditional production processes.

The factors that define the stages combine all aspects, beyond manufacturing:

Development strategy consisting of additive manufacturing strategy, applications and business cases

Organizational structure and corporate culture

Degree of automation and interconnectivity across the entire value chain from design and production to quality, maintenance and service, and related expertise

Developing an Additive Manufacturing Strategy Based on the AM I Navigator Program

Analysis of the current state of Additive Manufacturing can be achieved by examining the maturity of each company based on the framework structure of the AM I Navigator program. This is a structured analysis method that shows the current additive manufacturing maturity and optimization potential of the companies involved. The method is based on the experience of Siemens Digital Manufacturing, where companies require different "maturity levels" of Additive Manufacturing depending on their use cases and business models. Using this framework, additive manufacturing users can refine their current status and future goals into five levels, ranging from basic manual production to fully autonomous additive manufacturing.

Based on this structured analysis approach, the AM I Navigator program provides detailed recommendations for action on how companies can further optimize their production. It is particularly important that all steps in the process chain work together: only open and interoperable additive manufacturing technologies can add value to the entire production process. The results of the evaluation will not only serve as a reference for companies to develop future action strategies, but also as a basis for analyzing the development of the 3D printing industry.

Moving Forward to the Farther Future

Siemens said it welcomes more additive manufacturing technology suppliers from around the world to join the founding members and improve the AM I Navigator program. The program is open to all industries, which will be able to build products based on it.