AM engineering guides
Practitioner-level articles on the formulas, databases, and trade-offs behind additive manufacturing. No fluff — straight to the math.
How to calculate the cost of a 3D-printed part (with formulas)
A bottom-up breakdown of AM part cost: machine hourly rate, material, labor, post-processing, and margin. Includes worked examples for LPBF metal and FDM polymer parts.
Carbon footprint of additive manufacturing: why every database disagrees
ecoinvent, IDEMAT, ICE (Bath), and GREET give different emission factors for the same metal powder. Here's why, which one to cite, and what it means for your LCA.
AM certifications guide: what's required, by industry
ISO/ASTM, AS9100D, NADCAP, FDA, CE — which additive manufacturing certifications you actually need, what they cover, and how to get them. Roadmap by company stage.
Free alternatives to Ansys Additive for early-stage AM design
Ansys Additive costs more than most startups spend on equipment. Here are the free and open tools — browser-based calculators, open-source simulators, and academic software — that cover 80 % of early-stage needs.
Design for Metal AM: the practical rules engineers actually need
Self-supporting angles, minimum wall thickness, internal channel geometry, support minimisation, and build orientation — the DfAM rules that matter for LPBF and EBM metal parts.
AM post-processing: the complete guide for metal parts
Support removal, stress relief, HIP, heat treatment, surface finishing, and inspection for LPBF and EBM metal parts. What each step does, when it's mandatory, and what it costs.
How to reduce the cost of 3D-printed metal parts: 8 engineering levers
Practical cost reduction for LPBF and SLS metal parts — build orientation, nesting, support minimisation, parameter tuning, batch strategy, topology optimisation, and when to switch process.