What is the economic feasibility of manufacturing a metal-metal- polymer composite part compared to other technologies?

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyse the manufacturing factors that affect the cost of manufacturing a part. Nowadays the cost of equipment used for metal 3D printing, as well as metal powders, are still very expensive. The cost of additive manufacturing of metal parts is mainly dependent on the volume of printing, therefore, reducing the volume of printing can lead to a significant reduction in the cost of manufacturing the part. Manufacturing of a metal shell, the cavity of which is filled with a cheap metal polymer, can be an excellent alternative to an all-metal part. The article provides a method for calculating the cost of manufacturing a lever part using various technologies: subtractive, additive, and composite part manufacturing technology. According to the calculated data, the dependence of the cost of manufacturing a part on piece time has been built, which can be interpreted as the amount of machining. The constructed linear dependence can give an idea of the effectiveness of the application of a particular technology for obtaining a part. In addition, non-economic factors affecting the possibility of using various technological processes for manufacturing a part are described.