Accelerate the development of advanced applications and innovative additive manufacturing solutions.
Innovation and Expertise
The Application Innovation Group (AIG) is a broad team of engineers and experts that enable our customers to adopt technology and solve their additive manufacturing challenges faster with a complete tailored solution. We have decades of experience across all technologies and broad experience in different industries and provide a state-of-the-art solution.
The AIG team collaborates closely with our customers to solve complex design and additive manufacturing challenges. These application requirements guide the hardware, materials, software, and services tools developed and deployed collaboratively with our team, accelerating and unlocking greater value and giving you a competitive edge, both as your organization grows with additive, as well as scaling towards production.
We accelerate the development of advanced applications and innovative additive manufacturing solutions. If you are just exploring or have some experience in additive manufacturing, the AIG, regardless of the stage you are at, is here to help you get to the next level in your AM journey.
Our Professional Services
We are focused on solving challenging design and manufacturing problems with additive manufacturing solutions. We are focused on delivering solutions to high criticality applications. We believe that the solution needs to be bespoke to the application journey as well as our customers’ journey in additive. What makes us unique is that we are not only a supplier of material, software, hardware, and services but we are key users as well. We live and breathe in the same industries and applications as our customers, allowing us to truly partner with them, to expedite path to market, remove risk, and improve ROI.
Your Additive Manufacturing Journey
| AM Maturity | Full Strategic Application | - | - | yes | yes | yes |
Departmental Application | - | yes | yes | yes | - | |
Experimenting and Testing | yes | yes | yes | - | - | |
Little Training/ No Training | yes | yes | - | - | - | |
Identify Need | Joint Innovation | Prototyping | Low Volume Production | Full Production | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Maturity | ||||||
Our Approach
From Exploration and Implementation to Qualification and Scale
Explore
The Application Innovation Group aims to identify customer needs and opportunities for AM. 3D Systems’ application experts collaborate closely with you to funnel your needs into concrete AM application opportunities through a systematic screening approach to start working on a tailored solution.
Innovate
The learnings from the exploration phase are further leveraged in the innovation phase. In this phase, 3D Systems’ application engineering experts work closely with you, offering support in defining a phase-gated blueprint for an application-driven and integrated AM solution of hardware, software, materials, and services. 3D Systems’ profound expertise in Design for AM (DfAM) enables customers to overcome technical product challenges or leverage the AM freedom of design to enhance part functionality and performance.
High density vertical stacking for Figure 4® industrial printing. A five step software workflow allows for saving time with high volume batch cleaning. High volume post curing is achieved in one step.
Develop
At this stage, the Application Innovation Group guides you through an application/product development process called Quality by Design, moving your application from pre-prototyping to a proven tailored and integrated AM solution meeting application requirements. This proof of concept is delivered based on the Quality-by-Design process, which includes developing and optimizing the AM product design, defining process workflows and Critical-To-Quality (CTQ) attributes. Delivering this proof of concept forms a solid basis for further validation.
3D Systems 3D printing solutions help formerly known Renault Sport, now Alpine F1 Team, overcome engineering challenges using SLA, SLS, and direct metal 3D printing for wind tunnel parts, investment casting patterns through to on-car parts to add driving speed between every race.
Validate
After the develop stage, the Application Innovation Group offers training, consulting and direct support for your qualification of the tailored and integrated AM workflow. The AM qualification process follows a risk-based approach through process validation, equipment validation, and product validation to reach a qualified production process for serial manufacturing. The Application Innovation Group relies on decades of experience delivering qualified AM products in heavily regulated industries like medical device and aerospace. Our training and qualification services comply with state of the art AM-specific and industry-specific standards and Quality Management System (QMS) practices.
One key AM-enabled feature that Point Designs uses is a live hinge, which is printed as an assembly in situ and allows rotation for more natural movement.
Produce
The Application Innovation Group is fully committed in assisting you through your complete AM Journey. This includes alpha launch and bridge manufacturing of your parts in our Advanced Manufacturing plants, based on the proven and repeatable workflows our Application Innovation Group develops in earlier steps. This flexibility gives you the chance to ramp up your applications at your own pace and with the potential to transfer production to your facilities or a preferred partner all within an ISO 13485, AS9100 and ISO 9001 environment.
NuVasive capitalized on 3D Systems’ expertise and the advantages of AM to go from design to market in just over one year with the 2017 launch of Modulus®—now a full implant line.
Scale
The Application Innovation Group collaborates with you to transfer the knowledge gathered through the process, along with the technology toolbox, to scale the solution to meet your business requirements, including starting full production at your site or at a certified partner.
Brackets printed in LaserForm Ti6Al4V grade 23 titanium material.
Application Courses
Develop the skills to meet the challenges you encounter every day with our world-class application trainings. Our instructors provide an immersive experience where you can learn best practices on AM applications, design, and the printing process.
Check out more!
Download our catalog to view our full offerings on application development trainings and services, and machine operator trainings.
Need printer operator training?
AIG is dedicated to application development training. In addition to helping you adopt additive manufacturing, we also have a complete set of printer operator courses available. Check out our Training & Knowledge page to discover how you can quickly become an expert operator on your specific printer!
