Printing the Future: From Prototype to Production

Printing the Future:
From Prototype to Production
To reap the full benefits of additive manufacturing, organizations need
a strategic plan and roadmap that ties 3-D printing technologies and
techniques to key business case imperatives, accelerating their time
to market by reaping essential product design, operational and market
differentiation advantages.
• Cognizant 20-20 Insights
Executive Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained prom-
inence as one of the leading transformative
technologies within the manufacturing space.
There are signs that additive technologies are
evolving from mere prototyping to applications
that are used to validate designs, in essence
becoming a core component of the manufactur-
ing process. By harnessing additive technologies,
industry leaders worldwide can reduce the time
to market of their products, improve quality,
shorten their supply chains and achieve produc-
tion at scale.
Getting there, however, has its share of challenges.
This white paper outlines the key obstacles and
associated opportunities that surround AM adop-
tion. Most manufacturers still see AM as a niche
opportunity associated with prototyping and
remain skeptical about moving the technology
to assist with volume production. To help over-
come these concerns, this white paper introduces
a maturity model and an assessment framework
to enable manufacturers to make informed deci-
sions on AM adoption for volume production.
Through this framework, manufacturing com-
panies can understand the implications of AM
adoption on the business and identify potential
deployment areas. The framework also offers
a direction to choose potential areas of focus,
depending on the business impact and readiness
of the organization’s infrastructure.
The Evolution of Additive
Manufacturing
AM is the process of making a three-dimensional
(3-D) object from a computer-aided design (CAD)
model through an additive method, where layers
of material are layered on top of others. 3-D print-
ing differs from traditional machining techniques,
which rely on the removal of material by methods
such as machining, cutting, drilling, etc.
Broadly put, these processes1
include:
• Fused deposition modeling: extrusion
techniques.
• Granular materials binding: selective laser
sintering or direct material laser sintering.
• Laminated object manufacturing.
cognizant 20-20 insights | november 2015

• Photo-polymerization: stereo lithography or
digital light processing.
The biggest change within the AM space is in its
end use. Historically, AM was used primarily to
create visualization models, prototypes for fit
and function testing, as well as for patterns for
prototype tooling. Figure 1 depicts the evolu-
tion of 3-D printing applications, revealing where
organizations are now focusing their energies —
for example, on making parts that go into final
products.2
AM Opportunities and Challenges
Leading manufacturers have begun to introduce
AM into mainstream use — for instance, leading
diversified manufacturers such as 3M and General
Electric are leveraging 3-D printing in prototyping
as well as in direct parts production. GE’s Aviation
division has deployed 3-D printing technology to
print nozzles for its LEAP engines, which has
reduced material waste, made parts lighter and
yielded significant fuel savings for airlines. By
2020, GE Aviation projects that it will have print-
ed more than 100,000 additive parts3
and used
AM technologies and techniques to cut the pro-
duction costs of specific parts, such as ultrasound
probes, by up to 30%.
Airbus plans to produce aircraft parts weigh-
ing 30% to 55% less than existing components,
while reducing raw material used by 90%. The
latest Airbus A350 aircraft has more than 1,000
parts printed, which has enabled the company to
reduce production time and costs.4
Thanks to 3-D
printing, the production time for Ford’s cylinder
head, used in its fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines,
has been reduced from approximately five to
three months, shaving off 25% to 40% of pro-
duction time.5
Similarly, German auto giant BMW
achieved significant cost and time savings by
using AM for jigs and fixtures rather than conven-
tional CNC machining.6
Gartner forecasts 3-D printer shipments will
more than double every year between 2015 and
2018. Overall, end-user spending on 3-D printers
is expected to increase from $1.6 billion in 2015
to about $13.4 billion in 2018.7
McKinsey predicts
3-D printing will generate an economic impact
of $230 billion to $550 billion per year by 2025,
the vast majority originating from consumer uses
and direct manufacturing applications.8
Given the upside, manufacturing hubs in the
European Union and China have formed councils
involving government, universities and corpora-
tions to boost AM skills.
As 3-D printing continues to grow, new processes
and technologies are changing the shape of the
industry. 4-D printing, characterized by structures
that can be preprogrammed to respond to stimuli
and change their shapes into desired patterns, is
cognizant 20-20 insights 2
1960 1990 2010
1980 2000
• Early research in
additive technologies.
• Patents on 3-D
fabrication concepts
through layer by layer
manufacturing.
• Growth of 3-D printing
techniques viz. stereo-
lithography, laminated
object manufacturing,
fusion deposition
modeling, etc.
• Investments for
opportunities
beyond prototyp-
ing applications.
• Wide acceptance of
3-D printers for
rapid prototyping.
• AM seen as potential
alternative to CNC.
• Solution to complex
geometric applications.
• Leap into mass manufac-
turing and service parts
production.
3-D Printing’s Evolution
Source: Cognizant
Figure 1

emerging as the next frontier of innovation. This
technology has far-reaching impact on a wide
variety of industrial as well as consumer products
that need to change behavior in response to heat
or moisture. Similarly in healthcare, biocompat-
ible components such as cardiac tubes can help
create new types and forms of products which
were not possible before.
The adoption of AM is expected to impact every
stage of the manufacturing value chain, starting
with prototyping and extending through order ful-
fillment. This is expected to yield a wide range of
benefits (as outlined in Figure 2).
Clearly, AM holds huge potential. However, each
organization needs to thoroughly understand the
challenges and evaluate the
costs and potential benefits
of adopting AM for its own
unique requirements.
AM Adoption Challenges
While AM technologies have
evolved quickly over the past
two decades, many issues
remain in terms of materials,
processes, applications and
commercialization.
Complex parts and geom-
etries will necessitate that AM is carried out in
multiple stages and iterations to produce the final
parts. Occasionally, AM requires final post treat-
#
2
AM’s Alluring Advantages
Flexibility in Design
• Increase in focus on functionality and innovation compared with conventional man-
ufacturing where there is a greater need to confine manufacturability to providing
enhanced functionality.
• Enables flexible production and mass customization as designs can be changed
quickly.
• Ease in redesign without downstream impact.
• Ability to custom design final assemblies at the dealerships.
Optimal Capacity
Planning
• The integration of CAD with manufacturing systems provides the ability to better
plan capacity, manage and automate factory loads, offer accurate delivery dates to
customers and schedule factory capacity.
Shorter Time from
Design to Pilot Batch
• Reduced dependency on computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems to predict
performance under actual conditions since the approach can be used for experi-
mental purposes.
• Reduced lead time from design to prototyping and ability to produce finished prod-
ucts with material properties often better than cast applications.
Efficient Production
• Easier manufacturing of complex products that combine various materials, con-
currently (i.e., enabling the integration of components with varying levels of
toughness, flexibility, temperature resistance, flexibility, color and transparency).
• Eliminates the cumbersome process of planning effort and set-up time.
• Eliminates the waste of raw material by “adding” or building-up parts in layers.
• Raw materials can be reused for multiple builds, keeping a check on their
properties.
• Reduces environmental impact for manufacturing sustainability.
• One machine — many product lines: produces variety of products using the same
set-up.
Lean Supply Chain
• Minimizes the amount of material used to produce products, resulting in reduced
procurement efforts and length of supply chain.
• Enables small batch production faster, thereby reducing overall inventory costs.
• Reduces the size of components with its potential of applications in vehicles and
aircrafts, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
• Reduces unit cost of product and lead time associated with tooling with on-demand
manufacturing.
• Spare parts production on demand at the distribution leg, thereby reducing service
lead time.
• Faster packaging through direct production of containers.
Figure 2
4-D printing,
characterized by
structures that can
be preprogrammed
to respond to stimuli
and change their
shapes into desired
patterns, is emerging
as the next frontier
of innovation.

ments before they can be used. Existing CAD/E
systems have limited functionality to model com-
plex geometries made of functionally gradient
materials and biological materials. Integration
with computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) will
require new capabilities such as additional param-
eter support for cutting depth, feed, etc.
The shift in control of production will also pose
serious infringement issues that cannot be direct-
ly addressed by current intellectual property
(IP) strategies. Current IP protection law in the
industrial sector states that it is illegal to repli-
cate products by any means for commercial gain.
Hence, designers, manufacturers and end-con-
sumers need to be aware of the way in which IP
rights are created, either as design rights which
protect the shape of products, trademarks that
protect branding or patents for innovation.
Another huge challenge facing manufacturers
and designers working with AM technologies
is the relative lack of standardization across
the industry concerning materials and process-
es. Establishment of related standards for AM
remains very much a work in progress.
While many of these technical challenges are the
areas of active research, the primary challenge
remains the incorporation of AM technology into
conventional volume production. The framework
proposed in the subsequent sections aims to help
companies evaluate the opportunity and struc-
ture an action response to move to AM volume
production.
Our Additive Manufacturing
Adoption Framework
Our approach, called Cognizant’s Additive
Manufacturing Adoption Methodology C(AM)2
,
consists of three phases:
• Assess business impact: Organizations
should evaluate AM adoption implications
on the business and identify potential areas
for implementation. This should ideally be
an outcome of the business drivers within an
industry segment. Based on our experience
working with manufacturing organizations,
we’ve developed a set of initial recommen-
dations to help organizations within various
industry segments get started assessing
business impact (see Figure 3).
Aerospace
Automobile
Industrial
Machinery
Medical
Electronics
Typical Candidates
for AM
Industries
in Focus
Economy
of Scale
Design
Flexibility
Product
Customization
Lean Supply
Chain
Green Mfg.
(Sustainability)
Shorter Lead
Time: Design
to Mfg.
• Aero-Engine
Components
• Repair & Overhaul
• Metal & Polymer:
> Direct Parts
> Prototyping
> Repair, Service Parts
• Precision Components
• Repair, Service Parts
• Medical Devices
• Implants
• Prosthetics
• Electronic Components:
> Transistors, Printed
Applications, etc.
• Displays
High Medium Low
KEY BUSINESS DRIVERS
3-D Printing’s Business Impact
Figure 3

3-D printers can
print in a multitude
of materials ranging
from plastics to
stainless steel,
few are capable of
allowing the user
to switch back and
forth between modes
and materials.
After assessing the impact of AM on the busi-
ness, manufacturers can shortlist potential
areas for implementation. For that, the man-
ufacturing enterprise must understand the
functional and nonfunctional IT requirements
to integrate AM with existing CAX/ERP/MES
systems.
• Evaluate level of adoption: The paper
classifies AM adoption maturity into three
broad categories — packaging and service
parts, components production and core manu-
facturing. Depending on their process maturity,
the impact on the business and readiness of
infrastructure, manufacturers can then choose
to implement AM where they are most evolved
and impactful (as shown in Figure 4).
To expand AM from mere prototyping to actual
part production, organizations must evaluate
the operational level impact of adopting an
additive technology strategy. Areas to consider
include:
>> Design and material selection: Under-
standing the intended application and need-
ed material characteristics is important to
the material selection process. Also, the rate
of production/speed of printing is dependent
on the speed at which the printer head can
extrude the raw material used. While 3-D
printers can print in a multitude of materials
ranging from plastics to stainless steel, few
are capable of allowing the user to switch
back and forth between modes and materi-
als. Primarily tensile strength is the param-
eter that determines material strength (i.e.,
the pressure the part can withstand), but for
extreme application toughness, durability
and temperature must also be considered.
Design and simulation parameters, there-
fore, will change.
>> Production: Even through the technology is
able to produce high-quality products, add-
ing printers to the production line will im-
pact the existing layout, routing, set-up tim-
ing, part storage, etc. Changes are therefore
required to existing CAM systems that are
capable of generating code for computer nu-
meric control (CNC) machines that work on
the principle of subtractive manufacturing.
Additional treatments,
or finishing, must be
performed on the
printed parts since
tolerance levels are
typically low. Mixing
various materials with
different shelf lives to
achieve the desired
properties is critical.
As a result, unmanned
printers require fre-
quent maintenance.
>> Supply chain: AM re-
quires a dedicated and controlled environ-
ment for storing and retrieving raw materi-
als. The inbound supply will be redefined
for high-grade materials, but in general 3-D
printing can process locally-sourced materi-
als, reducing procurement lead time. Chang-
es are required to inventory levels, interme-
diate storage facilities, dedicated shipments
and networks. Production and assembly of
components and finished goods on demand
reduces the length of the outbound supply
• MRO, repair and rework
service parts production at
distribution.
• Manufacturing of parts for
obsolete models, parts no
longer stocked or produced.
• AM leveraged for
specific components,
potential replacement
to subassemblies.
• Revamp manufacturing
strategy for certain
lines/products and move to
manufacturing using AM.
Deconstructing AM Maturity
Figure 4

chain. Tighter integration with all production
processes from sales and operations plan-
ning (S&OP) through project management
is required, as well as greater collaboration
between the customer and suppliers.
>> Quality management: Well-known, estab-
lished methodologies exist for quality in-
spection on parts using conventional man-
ufacturing methods. Complex geometries
produced through AM will not require the
existing quality stages such as tolerance
checks, fitment analysis, etc. on individual
parts and on the assemblies. But complex
geometries for parts using AM envisage in-
ternal voids and structures not accessible
from outside. As a result, conventional test-
ing concepts including yield strength and
ultimate tensile strength require a different
test environment.
Assessing adoption for core manufacturing is
a long-term strategy and requires thorough
analysis of business strategy, operations and
planning, and organization changes. It requires
complete redesign of supply chain and produc-
tion layout. Whereas manufacturers can easily
deploy AM for repair or rework with minimal
impact to the production set-up in the short
term, they should use these pilots to evaluate
the longer-term benefits across the enterprise.
Depending on the initial effectiveness of AM,
manufacturers can then fine-tune their expan-
sion plans based on their intrinsic maturity
levels.
• Defining an implementation roadmap: An
implementation roadmap for 3-D technologies
requires the development of a high-level plan
that weaves together all the aforementioned
areas to facilitate a successful transformation.
Once the desired level of maturity is assessed
and constraints are identified, a detailed
roadmap can be devised. The critical consid-
erations while defining a roadmap are the
business impact and the supply chain changes.
The roadmap must be phased according
to required adoption timelines, taking into
account the organization’s level of process
maturity, existing standardization and stake-
holder readiness.
The initial phase should focus on monitoring
the production technology and piloting signif-
icant length runs on the products to test the
quality of newly introduced materials. Moving
to part production will cause some changes
to product design but will emphasize mate-
rial management, production processes and
quality.
In the next phase, production capability will
be extended to components or subassemblies.
The decision for this investment will be linked
directly to the market and product characteris-
tics. The types of products that are suitable for
AM adoption are those with a degree of cus-
tomization and of low volume. This will shift
design stage focus to provide additional flex-
ibility in manufacturing and will eliminate the
tooling, production gauges and fixtures design.
Design optimization will be needed to evaluate
possible production scenarios, machine consis-
tencies, materials to provide better properties
and capabilities. Only when the desired maturi-
ty is reached, do we recommend manufacturers
bring additive technologies to core production.
The entire supply chain must be redesigned to
accommodate the changes and modifications
to the underlying IT landscape will be required
to support this strategic move. Typical changes
would include upgrades in manufacturing exe-
cution systems to adapt to AM techniques and
printers. Also needed are upgrades to prod-
uct lifecycle management (PLM) systems to
accommodate accelerated product introduc-
tion and changes to prototyping phases.
The timelines for implementation and assess-
ment parameters vary from industry to
industry, and depend on the level and complex-
ity of AM adoption.
Looking Forward
AM technologies have the potential to power a
new industrial revolution. To do this, manufac-
turers must define an AM strategy and roadmap
based on a solid business case to fully realize
its operational benefits. As noted above, the
aerospace, automotive, medical and electronics
industries are most promising for additive man-
ufacturing considering the impact on the key
business drivers.
The roadmap must be
phased according to required
adoption timelines, taking into
account the organization’s
level of process maturity,
existing standardization and
stakeholder readiness.

To start with, manufacturers can create the foun-
dation to embrace AM by:
• Identifying the most appropriate materials and
processes for the product requirements.
• Understanding costs associated with using
printers.
• Benchmarking third-party vendor technologies.
• Assessing the impact of cultural changes AM
would entail.
The impact of AM adoption varies in each indus-
trial segment, and hence organizations must
evaluate the benefits of AM adoption based on
their unique business challenges and supply
chains to reap faster growth. Even though there
is no standard way to implement additive tech-
nologies, the high-level framework presented in
this white paper offers implementation guidance
to help organizations more painlessly achieve
the market advantages this potentially disruptive
technology offers.
Footnotes
1
Institute of Defense Analysis — Emerging Global Trends in Advanced Manufacturing.
2
Ibid.
3
http://www.ge.com/stories/advanced-manufacturing.
4
http://3dprint.com/63169/airbus-a350-xwb-3d-print/.
5
http://mashable.com/2013/06/09/ford-3d-printing/.
6
http://www.stratasys.com/resources/case-studies/automotive/bmw.
7
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2887417.
8
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/disruptive_technologies.

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out-
sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over
100 development and delivery centers worldwide and approximately 219,300 employees as of September 30, 2015,
Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked
among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow
us on Twitter: Cognizant.
World Headquarters
500 Frank W. Burr Blvd.
Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA
Phone: +1 201 801 0233
Fax: +1 201 801 0243
Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277
Email: inquiry@cognizant.com
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London W2 6BD
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7297 7600
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Email: infouk@cognizant.com
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© Copyright 2015, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is
subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. TL Codex 1560
About the Authors
Nipun Sankar is a Senior Consultant within Cognizant Business Consulting, focused on the manufactur-
ing and logistics domain. With six-plus years of combined business/IT consulting and manufacturing
experience, Nipun has worked on multiple engagements for various clients in the operations, supply
chain, sales and marketing domains. He can be reached at Nipun.Sankar@cognizant.com.
Karthik Natarajan is a Senior Consulting Manager within Cognizant Business Consulting, focused on the
manufacturing and logistics domain. He has led numerous critical business transformation and strate-
gic projects across a full spectrum of business processes. Karthik’s experience includes supply chain
consulting, process reengineering and IT strategy. He has over 14 years of combined technology and
business consulting experience advising clients on strategy and process transformation. Karthik can be
reached at Karthik.Natarajan@cognizant.com.
Ganesh Iyer is a Senior Manager within Cognizant Business Consulting’s Manufacturing Consulting
Practice. He leads the Industrial Manufacturing business unit and his primary areas of expertise include
supply chain management and manufacturing. He can be reached at Ganesh.Iyer@cognizant.com.
Anand Kalathil is a Consulting Manager within Cognizant Business Consulting’s Manufacturing and
Logistics Practice. He has 10-plus years of experience working on supply chain consulting engage-
ments for discrete and process manufacturing companies. Anand has extensive experience in process
and product reengineering engagements for leading Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at Anand.
Kalathil@cognizant.com.

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