Additive Manufacturing - Business and Technology Support

If you have a design, part, or product that you think could be enhanced and improved, our team at NMIS can work with you to assess and review your ideas and determine how they could be manufactured by additive manufacturing (AM) techniques.

Our team will assess the viability of the product(s) for AM including:

• Size & shape​
• Materials​
• Production volumes​
• Establish whether it needs a new design or can be adapted for AM
• Product-specific requirements​ - e.g. critical regions, other properties, etc.

NMIS will produce an assessment and follow up on any additional details required before providing a shortlist of possible AM solutions that could be used. 

A tailored introduction into the fast-paced world that is Design for AM. We will guide you through your journey by explaining the capabilities and possible directions that suit your needs. You will be able to tap into our cross-discipline team whose expertise will give you the most direct and straightforward guidance and support. 

We will take your product through the development sequence of: concept, preliminary, and detailed design. 

We can also offer support in the selection of appropriate software to design products for AM, and are able to demonstrate how AM can be used to facilitate other product design through the use of concept models and prototypes.

Process selection is intended to provide a systematic and robust way of evaluating processing options and identifying which might be the best applied to your product or design.

If your product or design could benefit from additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, our team is on hand to review your idea and shortlist potential technologies and concepts for you to take forward.

Having gained insight into your company and current situation, we will then provide a detailed summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each process and implementation option including taking into consideration a number of internal and external factors, before finally providing you with a detailed recommendation for which version of AM process to pursue and how to obtain this.

In addition, our journey assessment can help you understand the steps needed to get to your final product. 

As part of process selection, the NMIS team will assess the whole additive manufacturing sequence, from concept and raw materials, through to the final product. 

This assessment will look at:

• Raw Materials​
• CAD design & modelling​
• Feedstock(s) material​
• Process and machine settings​
• AM manufacturing​
• Post-processing​
• Inspection & build validation​

 NOTE: Routes may vary for different AM processes and part requirements.

With the increased pace of newly available technologies in manufacturing, businesses are under increased pressue to evolve their manufacturing processes to become more competitive, sustainable and cost effective. 

We recognise that for many smaller companies however, the time and resource needed to consider new ways of working isn't always feasible. That's why, our team of experts can provide support and guidance on how to make a business case for the use of additive manufacturing on your design, part or product.

We can work with you to provide a business case which will incorporate:

• Benchmark against conventional manufacturing methods
• Financial considerations
• Flexibility
• Timescales
• Customisation etc. 
• Resource efficiency and sustainability

By getting to know the needs of your business and that of your market, our team can develop appropriate additive manufacturing processes to suit your requirements which may range from process and material development to production qualification. Working with you, we can carry out experimental work developing new materials or steps in the AM production, right through to preparing parts for standard production. As with any manufacturing development, control, qualification, and validation of the end result is an important part of the process. 

Examples of the topics may include:

•     Problem-solving on existing AM manufacturing​ - for example, how to produce a challenging part/feature/properties​ 
•     Optimisation of an existing manufacturing route​ 
•     Improving efficiencies (time, material use, costs, etc.) 
•     Support testing/measurement facilities – both in-house or externally 
•     Feedstock verification​ 
•     Assessing the requirements for your product(s) & the intended usage​ 
•     Monitoring process control ​ 
•     Reviewing production system, machine, and facility qualification​ 
•     Carrying out individual build and part verification ​ 
•     Testing & measuring requirements to perform this process control​ 
•     Providing guidance for purchasing validated AM parts​ ​

Improving resource efficiency by developing and implementing ways in which to update practices to make businesses more sustainable is a key priority across the manufacturing industry. 

Our team at NMIS can work with you to review appropriate environmental and resource impacts​ taking into consideration: 

• Assessment on lifecycle sustainability​
• Assessing environmental benefits​
• Resource security​
• Reshoring skills/manufacturing​

If you are thinking of implementing AM into your facility but need to consider how to update your current space, or plan a new factory/facility around this, we can provide you with assistance as you go along this journey.

We can offer guidance as to what is needed to bring AM into your facility in order that you can create a production site that operates smoothly and efficiently.

At this point in your AM journey, you may be wondering how to ensure that your processes and products stand up to the stringent standards and regulations set by industry bodies whilst above all, meeting your business's requirements and expectations.

The NMIS team can provide assistance in this area by identifying the correct approvals/certification for your situation​ and working with you to add AM to your existing facility and company systems.