Page 33 - 3D Metal Printing Fall 2017

computer-aided design through com- puter-aided manufacturing strategy that included additive and subtractive. I thought that it was clear-cut, but it took another five to 10 years to implement the strategy.
“When you can see the possibilities,” he continues, “it’s hard to adjust for the fact that others may not. Therefore, you have to start from where they are—take several steps back, put yourself in their shoes and work forward. That takes a lot of time.”
This lesson applies to metal AM, according to Halliday. “You must arrange an awful lot of other things just to get your one thing sorted,” he says, “but the time to implement change largely is a people factor. The technology is just a vehicle. To implement change, we must start reorganizing how people think about the things they already are doing, and find someone brave enough to believe in what the change offers. The barriers most often are people-related— they are mental barriers or simply process or risk barriers.”
To succeed with metal AM, Halliday suggests managing those barriers by helping people find opportunities while addressing the potential risks that they may not see. This requires overcoming
This titanium 3D-printed Formula 1 concept roll hoop was optimized
for strength and weight.
two key forces: resistance that comes from people content
with their current process and who don’t see a need to adopt a new technology or process; and, according to
Halliday, a scarier force—the all-in believers that see metal
AM as a tool for everything, a solution that can solve all prob- lems. “I can sympathize with both
types of people, but don't agree with either,” says Halliday. “We must under- stand that managing change requires encouragement and support of people who were very happy with the status quo and don’t want to change. It is a hand-holding exercise where you walk alongside someone, rather than push them or expect them to follow you wher- ever you go.”
Walk, Don’t Leap
After breaking through the mental barriers of the resistors and the go-get- ters, the guidance continues when man- aging change and implementing metal- AM projects. Understanding, excitement and enthusiasm can lead people to attempt giant leaps toward the end goal. For example, the newly initiated may have set their sights on series produc-
About 3T RPD Ltd
tion with metal AM, when their starting point should be basic models in plastic. “Often, when I see someone attempt
a giant leap forward, they fail,” says Hal- liday. “And, if it is a high-profile metal- AM failure, they may turn their backs on the process and not revisit it for years. That can be a huge issue.”
To increase the odds of success, Halli- day recommends a steady progression, without skipping a step, which leads individuals through basic, intermediate and advanced concepts. “Although this progression may seem tedious, it is more likely to yield success,” he says.
Halliday adds that, understandably, nobody wants to accept anything less than what they currently have, at least initially. “In aerospace, you have a process [metal AM] that produces parts from the same material that look the same, yet you have to go right back to the beginning to prove that the parts actually are the same.”
Because of limited experience, employees may try to characterize every aspect of metal AM, often using established processes as the baseline. They don’t know what questions to ask or what parameters much be con- trolled. “Because they are unsure, quite understandably, they try to tie down a whole load of stuff that they don’t know much about. This holds up progress,” says Halliday. “In reality, all that’s need- ed is assurance that metal AM can repeatedly deliver the right material,
Grimm’s Tales 3D
3T RPD Ltd provides metal and plastic AM services globally. It focuses on AM production, providing a complete end-to-end service that includes design, new-product introduction to aerospace, R&D, training, AM build and all finish- ing and specialist post-processing requirements. It reportedly is the United Kingdom’s largest production-AM provider, supplying roughly 50 percent of the U.K. plastic-AM market and 40 percent of the metal-AM market.
3T RPD serves clients in several industries, including aerospace, architecture, automotive, medical, fast-moving consumer goods and marine.
The company earned AS 9100 Rev C registration for the production of metal parts using AM in April 2012. It also holds ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 Medical Devices accreditations, and is the first AM company in the United Kingdom to hold all three quality standards.
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