How to combine additive and subtractive manufacturing in the production line?

In recent years, additive and subtractive manufacturing has gained popularity, making a significant impact worldwide. Thanks to many technological advances, a wide variety of industries are already benefiting from so-called “hybrid manufacturing” for the creation of final parts. Although there are differences between the two production methods, they can be used in a complementary way to get the most out of them. However, it is important to know in detail what these technologies consist of in order to be able to implement them in a company. To address this issue, we spoke to three experts from the manufacturing industry. They gave us their opinions and tips on how to implement additive and subtractive manufacturing optimally in the production chain.

First up is Peter Genovese, 3D printing application engineer for SolidCAM Additive. He has been working with additive technologies for almost a decade and draws on his professional experience to determine how additive technologies best fit into various manufacturing environments. Elena Lopez works as head of the additive manufacturing department at Fraunhofer IWS. She is also an assistant professor of additive manufacturing and represents Women in 3D Printing as Regional Director for Europe. Finally, Brian Kristaponis, is the General Manager of the Hybrid Division within Phillips, a leading provider of manufacturing solutions and new technologies for a wide variety of markets.