The different Additive Manufacturing procurement methods

Market data show that additive manufacturing technologies are gradually leaving behind the prototyping-only sphere and are managing to provide increasingly effective solutions also for serial production.  The reasons? They are closely associated with the advantages that can be obtained with these methods, although they vary from case to case.
The main advantage regards the fact that, in general, Additive Manufacturing makes it possible to resolve extremely complex manufacturing problems from an ever-increasing number of market sectors.  Hence the progressive development of 3D printing techniques that are adapting to all types of manufacturing companies.  

Additive Manufacturing: the advantages of outsourcing

Undeniably setting up additive manufacturing in-house involves costs, although they are on average lower than those involved in purchasing the machinery required for traditional manufacturing. Hence the increase in outsourcing for additive technologies, a process that is driven by several factors:

Access to specialist expertise: additive manufacturing requires specific knowledge and expertise to design and manage the 3D printing process.  By outsourcing, companies gain access to specialised providers with the experience and expertise required to achieve optimum results. This allows them to bypass the initial learning curve as well as guaranteeing efficient and high-quality production.
 
Lower investment costs: as mentioned previously, purchasing the equipment and machinery required for Additive Management can call for considerable investments. By outsourcing, companies are able to avoid committing considerable financial resources for the purchase and management of specific equipment. Instead, they can benefit from the services offered by industrial 3D printing providers, only paying for the pieces or parts manufactured.

Manufacturing flexibility: Outsourcing Additive Manufacturing allows companies to react quickly to fluctuations in demand and to specific production requirements, especially when it comes to serial production. This means that, when it is necessary to increase production capacity or manufacture new pieces, it will be possible to rely on external providers in order to satisfy these requirements without having to invest in further human resources.

Time-savings: On the one hand, traditional technologies require the fabrication of production tools entailing long waiting times, on the other, in-house Additive Manufacturing entails a certain time commitment for design, file preparation and print parameter optimisation. Outsourcing Additive Manufacturing allows companies to save valuable time by delegating these activities to service providers. Company management is therefore able to focus on its core expertise and accelerate final product delivery times.
 
Innovation and access to cutting-edge technologies: Cooperating with expert Additive Manufacturing providers means having access to cutting-edge technologies and materials. External providers often invest in research and development to improve their 3D printing processes and introduce new solutions. Identifying these providers allows companies to benefit from this innovation without having to invest their own resources in research and development.

Comparison between the different Industrial 3D printing outsourcing methods

Outsourcing options are varied and constantly-evolving.  They start with standard systems, to which many companies have already grown accustomed and that involve identifying an industrial 3D printing service as a result of an initial scouting process.  In other cases, third-parties are involved, such as consultancy firms or engineering firms, which act as intermediaries in the search for and identification of the company or companies that will take care of the development of the additive manufacturing. 
An undeniably time-consuming process - particularly the research phase - with the risk that the chosen manufacturer, despite having previously specialised in subtractive systems, may not have consolidated experience in industrial 3D printing. 
In some cases, the same company that intends to use Additive Manufacturing may take the gamble of directly purchasing 3D printers in order to start fabricating the first objects. This entails the risk of being bound to a certain technology, which is theoretically useful for a single project, but has already been superseded for others, despite having invested heavily. 

Then there are the purely transactional digital marketplaces, whose primary aim is to sell a service, but that do not cover certain focal aspects, such as the optimal design and final quality of the product to be fabricated, i.e. without offering any advisory service. 

Fortunately, there is a fully-comprehensive service: that offered by the Madeinadd digital platform, which fully satisfies the needs of its client companies. 

Why should Madeinadd be considered the most effective choice?

In this case, the approach is completely different to those listed previously: the company presents the project to be carried out and Madeinadd provides the most appropriate solutions, which are also those that are most advantageous for the client. 

The procurement steps according to the Madeinadd method

- The company that intends to carry out 3D printing of one or more parts uploads the project to the digital platform, specifying the requirements that the finished product must have, using a dedicated configurator.
Madeinadd will propose the best solution in terms of the technologies to be used, materials and design. This results in optimised costs and management time-savings for all processes for the quantity of pieces required. 
- The various aspects handled by Madeinadd also include redesigning the product according to the most appropriate Additive technologies.  
- The Madeinadd ecosystem is fully-comprehensive and covers production, post-processing and quality control.Delivery: the company will receive the validated finished product or products, through a particularly reliable and rapid logistics service.