Is Now the Time to Try Direct Digital Manufacturing?

Over the past 20 years additive manufacturing technology has migrated from use in rapid prototyping to a full-fledged manufacturing solution, which is referred to as “direct digital manufacturing” (or rapid manufacturing).

Increasingly, companies are applying it to manufacturing applications, and with each success, they prove that it is a viable alternative. While the general concept of additive manufacturing is the same as when it was introduced 20 years ago, the change is in its intended use: production, not just prototyping.

So while the concept has been around for a while, in the minds of many, direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is a new thing and difficult to understand.

Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is the generic name given to processes that create a part by building it up in layers – as opposed to milling or machining, which are subtractive processes.

Additive manufacturing was developed as a way to automate the creation of prototypes, and it was therefore originally known as rapid prototyping. It also goes by various other names, including 3D printing, which is one of the most popular.