Knowledge based process planning and design for Additive Manufacturing (KARMA)

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to provide great advantages over traditional subtractive manufacturing. One of the most important benefits is in cutting costs related to building parts due to a significant reduction in material waste. In addition, certain other manufacturing constraints are removed such as those related to the way in which the part is actually fabricated using a traditional process. This gives designers the opportunity to create their products in ways which were previously considered impossible to manufacture, for example, by defining the internal geometries of a component. However, this flexibility brings a new challenge; there is great skill required to make effective use of AM technology, and given the wide range of systems and processes available, expert knowledge is often in short supply. Without this knowledge, attempts to use AM often result in disappointment for the end user as the products may fail to deliver what is expected in terms of form, fit or function. This paper describes the creation of an easy-to-use tool which enables a wide range of users to access and assess the strengths and weaknesses of AM process for manufacturing products.