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Intellectual Property Protection and Security in Additive Manufacturing

2019-09, George, Abraham, Newell, Anthony, Papakostas, Nikolaos

Product data management along a product lifecycle is complicated due to a wide range of resources, stakeholders and technologies being involved. During the product development phase, complex information is exchanged among several engineering teams and legal entities. Product lifecycle management (PLM) systems streamline and control the product data shared with other engineering and manufacturing parties. In additive manufacturing (AM), however, as opposed to the conventional manufacturing (CM) data supply chain, the ease with which intellectual property (IP) can be compromised by theft or malicious attacks, creates a significant challenge. These attacks can lead to loss of revenue due to illegal counterfeiting, or even failure of mission-critical parts where design could be modified to a functionally impaired configuration. This paper outlines and reviews the current strategies and new approaches possible to secure IP in AM systems, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies.

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A novel paradigm for managing the product development process utilising blockchain technology principles

2019-04-25, Papakostas, Nikolaos, Newell, Anthony, Hargaden, Vincent

The product conceptualisation, design and manufacturing phases are becoming increasingly complex, since more available resources, stakeholders and sophisticated technologies are involved during product development. The exchange and management of product-related information is often a challenging task, affecting significantly the intellectual property protection process as well as the distinction of roles among stakeholders. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that utilises blockchain technology principles for managing product development information and processes with the goal of providing new approaches to extending the functionality of product data management systems. A test case focusing on products developed with additive manufacturing technologies is presented.

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Product Lifecycle Management Strategies Focusing on Additive Manufacturing Workflow

2019-09, Newell, Anthony, George, Abraham, Papakostas, Nikolaos

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a strategy enabling the efficient exchange of information between relevant stakeholders in a manufacturing network. Various approaches utilising PLM platforms have been developed and used by a range of companies and organisations in a number of manufacturing domains. Additive manufacturing (AM) will force companies to rethink their strategies to account for its implications across the entire product lifecycle. Current PLM approaches were designed for conventional manufacturing (CM) methods, such as machining and forming and are therefore not adapted to cope with AM. Despite its advantages regarding increased design freedom, customisability, lightweighting, consolidation of parts and faster deployment, AM also introduces challenges due to issues regarding repeatability and quality, build rate, cost of materials, process monitoring and control, as well as standardisation. This paper will review the implications of AM on current PLM approaches across the entire product lifecycle, as well as problems and opportunities for further progress.

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On Design for Additive Manufacturing: Review of Challenges and Opportunities utilising Visualisation Technologies

2019-06-19, Newell, Anthony, George, Abraham, Papakostas, Nikolaos, Lhachemi, Hugo, Malik, Ammar, Shorten, Robert

Design for additive manufacturing poses new challenges and opportunities for manufacturers to produce highly customised parts while reducing cost, production time and improving quality. Manufacturing constraints of conventional manufacturing methods, such as geometric complexity limitations and workpiece handling, have shaped the landscape of computer-aided design tools, which are therefore not suitably adapted to design for additive manufacturing. Furthermore, computer-aided design tools require a high level of training to produce appropriate models. Augmented reality and feedback technologies pose an interesting opportunity for design for additive manufacturing, whereby the interaction with 3D models in an augmented or virtual design space can provide intuitive feedback to engineers and designers, providing fast validation of designs, parametric modelling and opportunities for training and use in both professional and amateur designer communities. This paper will explore and review the opportunities this exciting new technology provides.

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Environmental impacts of conventional and additive manufacturing for the production of Ti-6Al-4V knee implant: A life cycle approach

2021-01, Lyons, Ronan, Newell, Anthony, Ghadimi, Pezhman, Papakostas, Nikolaos

This paper explores whether additive manufacturing (AM) is more environmentally friendly than conventional manufacturing (CM) for the production of medical implants. The environmental impact of manufacturing the femoral component of a knee implant made from Ti-6Al-4V material was investigated. One AM method (electron beam melting (EBM)) and one CM method (milling) were analysed for the production of this part. A cradle to grave life cycle approach was utilised for each manufacturing method focusing on the primary energy consumption (PEC) and CO2 emissions. It was found that when the entire life cycle of the implant is considered, EBM is a more environmentally friendly method of producing the implant. This is mainly due to the complex geometry of the implant. For complex geometries, lots of waste material is generated using CM processes, whereas much less material is wasted using the AM process. The production of the raw material, Ti-6Al-4V, has a high PEC and associated CO2 emissions, so the amount of required raw material for either manufacturing method is the most important factor from an environmental perspective. Finally, the article presents the plans for future work and some remarks are concluded.