Working on the Roadmap for Automation in additive manufacturing has brought together a few participants from the working group “Automation in Additive Manufacturing” in order to attend to an important detail: the definition of the “Digital Component File” as an information carrier. It includes data all along the whole process that is needed for production and that also guarantees documentation within the framework of quality control. The data refers to a component but it can also include data for the description of a building job, if relevant. As an example, this is the case in the description of nesting. Here, the amount of data needs to be considered. Parallel processes might also be described without detailed content through a suitable reference.
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In a first draft created by participants from a few industrial companies on December 19th, 2017, data points are listed under various categories. Among these are material, consumable material, process, and post-processing.
The requirements for process documentation and quality certification are very diverse depending on the user – thus, the content of a component file will be defined user-specifically. In the working group, process parameters are detailed as comprehensively as possible, then users can choose a selection, which might be defined in the component file as well.
With the documentation of desired value and actual value, the Digital Component File offers large potentials for optimizing processes. System boundaries are also outside of the scope of the Roadmap for Automation, as the Roadmap is meant to gather data from product conception up to the end user.
For a review of the criteria gathered, the working group has decided on the production of samples. The production allows for an assessment of the Digital Component File’s suitability as an instrument for automation and quality control in additive manufacturing within an industrial setting.
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