A question from an audience member about competing production rates for a forged metal part that might be made through additive manufacturing instead got Pete Zelinski thinking about production rate in general, and what this rate does and does not tell us about productivity overall.

Additive can win a production “race.” An example involving a 1,000-piece production run of parts otherwise made through molding was documented by Formlabs (more info below). However, is a head-to-head comparison like this the measure by which additive must succeed? Pete explores this question.

Find photos, related links and the transcript for this episode on AdditiveManufacturing.Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

• From Formlabs, 3D printing vs. injection molding for a 1,000-piece run.
• Our report at Big Metal Additive on directed energy deposition for Navy projectiles.
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