Fundamental scaling relationships in additive manufacturing and their implications for future manufacturing and bio-manufacturing systems

The field of additive manufacturing (AM) has advanced considerably over recent decades through the development of novel methods, materials, and systems. As the field approaches a level of maturity, it is relevant to investigate emerging trends which may shed light on the fundamental scaling limits of AM systems to pattern matter from digital data. Here we propose a simplified mathematical model which describes process dynamics of many AM hardware platforms. In this model, the influence of several key parameters on total manufacturing time is examined and compared with performance results obtained from real-world AM systems. The model describes the dependence of volumetric build rate of many types of AM systemson their minimal feature size, and total build volume. Furthermore, we put forward a new framework for classifying manufacturing processes as "topdown" or "bottom-up," which differs from the conventional usage of such terms. Finally, we offer a geometric model for one type of "bottom-up" manufacturing, and the limitations of such systems are contrasted with the limiting factors for "top-down" manufacturing systems.