Innovation at Siemens | Press and Analyst Event | December 8, 2015
Additive Manufacturing
Siemens is industrializing 3D printing
Additive Manufacturing – from software through to automation
 Siemens’ goal is to anchor additive manufacturing firmly in the industrial production process, which means industria lizing 3D printing. Siemens has a strong starting position as world market leader in the field of control an d automation
technology. As a partner to mechanical engineering and manufacturing companies across the globe, Siemens is in a
unique position to develop tailored components and solutions for additive manufacturing and thus tap the market
potential of this innovative technology.
 Additive manufacturing will bring about a sea change in production. Often referred to as 3D printing, it is the process
of making workpieces and products by welding, sintering or bonding layer upon layer of specific materials. It makes
the production of goods considerably more flexible and makes it possible to develop innovative products.
 The advantages of additive manufacturing are numerous, as are its application areas. It can be used not only to man ufacture tailor-made products, but also to enhance and refine conventionally mass-produced articles through the addition of personalized components. Similarly, it enables spare parts to be produced when they are needed, thus nega ting the need to keep corresponding supplies and reducing logistics costs. In addition, additive manufacturing techniques can be used to make workpieces with structures or topologies that cannot be achieved with conventional
methods. For instance, components currently manufactured in solid form will be produced in an additive manufacturing process with the required cavities already integrated. They will not only be as strong as their current counterparts,
but also much lighter and require less material.
 Siemens has been an active user of additive manufacturing since 1989 and is promoting the development and industrialization of the technology. It is the only maker of industrial equipment worldwide to offer an end -to-end portfolio
for 3D printing that combines automation and digitalization. The portfolio includes: computer aided design (CAD)
software for the design of products to be manufactured additively; control, automation and drive systems for additive
manufacturing machinery; and the comprehensive digital modeling of all processes. The portfolio enables users to
constantly monitor production quality and to optimize their processes.
 With its wide-ranging expertise, Siemens can help its industrial customers to implement the entire value chain, from
the original product idea through to the implementation of additive manufacturing equipment and the manufacture
of high-quality products. Siemens is addressing a number of different action areas simultaneously in order to advance
the industrialization of additive manufacturing.
 Siemens will expand its range of PLM software. The goal here is to establish an end-to-end process chain for the design of products and machinery for all customers and industries in order to tap the potential of additive manufacturing right from the product design (i.e. computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided engineering phases (CAE) to
computer aided manufacturing (CAM). Creating links to production simulations in the design phase paves the way for
reliable and efficient production. Above all, Siemens will rely on its existing PLM applications, enhancing them to include appropriate functions.
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 Siemens will leverage the experience it has gained in conventional applications and industries (aerospace, autom otive, energy) in the fledgling market for additive manufacturing. Reliability and high availability are the watchwords
when it comes to machinery in industrial environments. End-to-end automation with real-time measuring and control
technology can make an essential contribution here, and this is an area in which Siemens has many years’ experience.
Ideas shaping the market today – such as totally integrated automation (TIA), for example – were developed by
Siemens back in the 1990s and have since become firmly established in the international mechanical engineering i ndustry. Intelligent automation also has an important role to play in the industrialization of additive manufacturing,
ensuring smooth material flows, efficient production processes and the high availability of machinery in constant use.
Siemens wants to remain the preferred partner of industry in this area as well.
 Siemens will integrate additive manufacturing in its portfolio of software products. Siemens’ Digital Enterprise Software Suite offers applications that meet all the requirements of the industrial value chain. It includes a range of software solutions that can improve the integration and management of product data or can plan production from start to
finish. Overall, the Digital Enterprise Software Suite makes it possible to digitally model all the processes involved in
additive manufacturing, allowing enterprises to meet quality standards, for instance, and continuously improve their
production methods. Siemens is currently the only company in the world to cover the entire value chain of additive
manufacturing.
 Siemens will keep up its research into the development of new materials. The continued success of additive manufacturing hinges on the development of new materials with specific properties. Ultimately, additively manufactured
products will have to meet the same customer requirements and certification criteria as all other industrial goods. In
order to keep pace with developments in this area, Siemens is carrying out its own research into the development of
new materials. At the same time, it is developing new techniques for processing such materials. As an innovation
leader for additive manufacturing, Siemens is pushing the limits of what is possible.
Further information
Press feature | Innovation at Siemens:
www.siemens.com/press/innovation-at-siemens
Picture of the Future | Additive Manufacturing:
www.siemens.com/pof-additive-manufacturing