Developing an Understanding of the Cost of Additive Manufacturing

This chapter provides a concise and practical introduction to the estimation and modelling of the cost of Additive Manufacturing (AM), which is usually required as a starting point in assessments of commercial viability of the technology. The chapter begins with an overview of cost models in general and specific to AM. This is followed by a step-by-step practical presentation of how such models can be constructed and a discussion of the utility of unit cost functions in breakeven analyses. The chapter also discusses a range of recurring issues in the assessment of the cost performance of AM. These include the capacity utilisation problem, integration with other manufacturing processes, the cost impact of process failure and the requirement to explore the effect of design changes when considering different processes. To provide the reader with some rough, yet readily applicable, information on absolute cost performance, the chapter closes with a presentation of specific cost estimates for a number of AM technology variants and materials.

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