OREANDA-NEWS. April 07, 2016. In additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, components are built up layer by layer – in other words as an additive process – on the basis of three-dimensional design data.

It works with plastics, metals and other materials. Additive Manufacturing enables complex objects and geometries to be implemented seamlessly, something that is not possible with conventional industrial production. In particular additive manufacturing makes it possible to manufacture three dimensional objects characterized by complex internal structures, such as, for example, a spiral shell shape or – in an industrial context – a turbine blade with irregular inner cavities for cooling.

Using conventional technology, on the other hand, it is necessary to mill two parts and then weld them together. Additive manufacturing, in contrast, allows a complex shape to grow in one seamless piece. Analysts are speaking of a revolution in manufacturing, and predicting that the global market for additive manufacturing will be worth around eight billion Euros by 2022 – that is for material, machines, software and services. This offers enormous opportunities for Siemens. “With additive manufacturing, we can link the real world, which Siemens will continue to strongly shape with its hardware, with the virtual world of digitalization,” explains Professor Siegfried Russwurm, Chief Technology Officer at Siemens.