AMOTool, a free solution to estimate the cost of metal additive manufacturing

What if you could estimate the production costs associated with additive manufacturing? This is what AMOTool, the new online tool developed by the Finnish company Etteplan, offers. It is actually designed for metal 3D printing technologies and would allow companies to quickly and safely calculate their manufacturing costs, free of charge. Etteplan has now been testing its solution for three years and, after obtaining sufficiently satisfactory results, has decided to finally unveil it to the world. AMOTool allows you to evaluate the cost of materials, the printing process itself and the post-processing steps. A useful tool for understanding the economic benefits of additive manufacturing before 3D printing anything.

While additive manufacturing offers many benefits, it represents a hefty investment for some, especially when it comes to metal technologies. The price of machinery is much higher than average, while the price of metals is rising rapidly. Therefore, it is not easy for a company to get started! Profitability is key for any business and it is vital to keep track of where the expenses are and how much money can be made. With this in mind, the Finnish company Etteplan has been developing its free software for three years now with the support of Business Finland.

The AMOTool solution enables the calculation of the costs of metal additive production.

How the AMOTool platform works

The solution is based on an algorithm developed by Etteplan’s Additive Manufacturing & Optimization (AMO) team, which has been used for many years for various applications. Riku Riikonen, Senior Vice President of Engineering Solutions at Etteplan, explains: “With this tool, our goal is not only to remove a major obstacle, but also to encourage our customers and the industry as a whole to use 3D printing technology and improve product competitiveness. The tool allows us to compare metal 3D printing with traditional manufacturing methods“.