use case

Declutter raw material management

Request a demo

How manufacturing companies can simplify raw material management in their 3D printing processes?

Industry

Manufacturing
Energy & Utilities

Expertise

Low Code Application Development

Platform

Mendix

Deliverable

Virtual Tools
Development

Manufacturing companies have found solutions to their diverse requirements and field functions with 3D printing using lightweight components, cost-efficient services, and environmentally friendly materials. The flexibility in design, raw material efficiency, and low volume production might be some of the reasons why manufacturing giants have turned to additive manufacturing. However, successful optimization of the 3D printing process remains one of the biggest challenges. Managing 3D raw material behavior is central to optimizing the 3D printing process and is essential for companies to scale and successfully optimize their manufacturing costs.

The Context

Imagine workers in a manufacturing shop floor of 3D printing where they have to manage the raw materials manually. The workers have a high workload of handling multiple orders at a shopfloor coming in from disparate systems. They carry the onus of manually processing the raw material, loading, blending, unloading, performing manual quality checks, and recycling. Undoubtedly, there is a need to declutter the management of raw material used in the life cycle for 3d printing processes.

What if one could automate these processes to allow workers to optimize their efforts from raw material loading, processing, recycling, and tracking the same? Moreover, what if a platform enabled a worker to gain analytical insights on the material used to optimize the efforts, costs and reducing wastage?

Our low-code app development expertise can help manufacturing giants scale and optimize production processes.

Optimize 3d printing - automate raw material management – 3D printing

The Objective

Reduce the dependency on manual methods for raw material management. Manual methods often translate to reduced process efficiencies and a higher workload for the employees. For energy organizations using 3D printers, this means multiple orders are coming in from disparate systems on the shop floor. The raw material is to be processed and entered manually and subsequently transferred to the system.

The manual process often results in:

  • Longer production cycles,
  • Reduced recycling opportunities,
  • Increased material wastage and
  • Delayed timelines for the product to meet market demands.

 

Optimize 3d printing - automate raw material management – 3D printing

The Solution

Using our raw material management application built on Mendix, the 3D powder management can be digitalized, from managing the raw material, using it across the factory, recycling the material & tracking the quality of the material. Both Web and Mobile versions allow for the processing of orders in a seamless and optimized manner. The bar code scanning feature fetches compiled information around raw material consumed in individual hoppers and their next steps.

Optimize 3d printing - automate raw material management – 3D printing

Rendering a seamless user experience

Information
extraction

Ability to scan the physical printer labels and fetch all relevant and essential information for the raw materials to be used in the machine.

 

Low code app screenshot – raw material management

Seamless
integration

Manage & track process lifecycle. Integrate with client request management portal, to gain the value add of accounting for material recycle & order placement.

 

Low code app screenshot – raw material management

Monitoring
& Quality check

Ability to log all transactions done in raw material lifecycle & monitor the recycling revisions along with tracking the quality of the raw material.

 

Low code app screenshot – raw material management

Key Highlights

65% reduction in manual intervention;

The labor engaged reduced from 50 to 5 workers;

Approximately eight times more powder recycling;

Reporting view for every batch of powder, wastage, etc.

 
 
Partner with our experts at Nagarro to navigate similar challenges and discover new opportunities for Low Code-driven innovation. We can be strategic enablers thanks to our ‘solving for value’ mindset, agile delivery process, with innovation at heart. We can help ideate, assess, and deliver value-driven applications across leading Low Code application platforms such as Mendix, Outsystems, Microsoft Power Apps, Simplifier, and more, with end-to-end capabilities to inculcate a scalable digital-first mindset.