EPSRC has launched the DfAM network in the UK for greater collaboration on AM design research

The Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) officially launched its Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) Network in the UK last week. The project aims to bring together a community of DfAM academic researchers, industry and others in the field to increase communication, collaboration and to develop future research opportunities. DfAM as a concept is not new, a notable example is topology optimization. Additionally there have been recent examples of DfAM, such as RMIT and five-axis additive manufacturing. Still, it has not been used to its full potential in the AM sector even. This network aims to remedy this, bringing together people who will collaborate, discuss and promote DfAM through the UK.

What is DfAM?

Design for AM is not a new concept. It aims to optimize a product design in order to make it easier to produce, whether that is by making it cheaper, faster or more efficient. It builds off of a concept present in traditional manufacturing, design for manufacturability or DFM. One well-known example in 3D printing is Topology optimization, a part of numerical design which allows users to find, thanks to mathematical formulas, the optimal material distribution in a given volume subjected to mechanical constraints. In recent years, we have increasingly seen examples of DfAM in the additive manufacturing sector. Recently, for example, we saw it implemented by RMIT when they experimented with design in order to develop patterns that allowed for stronger concrete 3D printing. Another recent development is the new research study in the Journal of Additive Manufacturing on five-axis additive manufacturing, a concept recently developed to allow manufacturers to build parts without printing support structures.

An example of 3D printing process without supports (photo credits: Xinyi Xiao, Penn State)

However despite these advancements, the concept is still underutilized in the AM sector, despite the fact that DfAM is of great importance to the field. This is because it it allows AM to reach its full potential with cheaply and efficiently produced parts that are able to use more imaginative designs. The creation of the DfAM network marks the first time a network dedicated to the promotion and use of DfAM has been created in the United Kingdom.