The NPF had been tasked in October 2016 to develop a method to find out a enterprise case for Additive Manufacturing. They reviewed quite a few articles, business publications, and Division of Protection steering concerning AM and found there wasn’t a constant path for figuring out a enterprise case for AM.
“Despite the fact that AM has been round for some time, it’s nonetheless comparatively new for the Division of Protection and the Navy,” stated William Peterson, NAVSUP WSS NPF Operations Analysis Analyst and AMCAT Group Lead. “There’s a variety of info on the market on the place additive manufacturing can finest be used and what the advantages are, however there’s no settlement on what metrics have to be collected to find out a enterprise case or the price of additive manufacturing.”
The NPF shortly realized with a purpose to decide a viable enterprise case they needed to accumulate knowledge to assist calculate each AM price and time, in addition to, decide viable outcomes for an AM enterprise case.
“We would have liked to determine as a gaggle what knowledge we wanted to gather with a purpose to give you additive manufacturing price,” stated Peterson. “The last word aim of the software is to find out whether or not it’s more economical to make use of additive manufacturing or to make use of established provide techniques.”
The NPFs developed the AMCAT web-based software to supply the knowledge essential to make an knowledgeable worth choice. The software is designed round customary engineering processes achieved by DoD AM manufacturing websites throughout the US. AMCAT is a one-of-a-kind analytics software standardizing the gathering of AM knowledge, enabling metric reporting and gives a comparability between AM and conventional provide chain options.
“Presently NAVAIR and NAVSEA are our greatest proponents and have began utilizing the web-based AMCAT, and we proceed to collect knowledge,” stated Peterson.
Whereas different entities inside the DoD are engaged on related options, the NPFs consider the AMCAT ought to be accepted as the usual for price and time modeling as a strategy to decide return on funding.
“Our software captures every little thing and makes use of actual knowledge for issues like non-recurring engineering (labor hours and tools purchases), transport, contracting and transportation prices,” stated Peterson. “The intention is to seize all the prices of AM. Our software is the one one capturing all that knowledge.”
Because the AMCAT gathers extra knowledge, the software will present a extra correct enterprise case for using additive manufacturing. If the NPFs have their method, the AMCAT will play an integral function in figuring out the viability of 3D printing choices throughout the DoD.
To learn extra concerning the AMCAT and the PhD behind the event of the equations within the mannequin please see: NAVSUP WSS Navy Worth Fighters Put 3D Printing Prices On the Ropes > United States Navy > News-Tales and/or video: DVIDS – Video – NAVSUP WSS Navy Worth Fighters have 3D printing prices on the ropes (dvidshub.internet).
NAVSUP WSS is one in all 11 instructions below Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs a various, worldwide workforce of greater than 22,500 army and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Provide Corps conduct and allow provide chain, acquisition, operational logistics and sailor and household care actions with our mission companions to generate readiness and maintain naval forces worldwide to forestall and decisively win wars. Be taught extra at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.fb.com/navsupwss, and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.
