Medical Device Hybrid Manufacturing: Translating the Coordinate System From Metal Additive Manufacturing to Subtractive Post-Processing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has transformed not only how parts can be realized but also their design. Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) has increased AM's utility toward the manufacture of functional products. This has been seen in several industries including medical device, aerospace, and the automotive industries. The main limitation of MAM continues to be the part dimensional tolerances that can be achieved, and the respective surface finish produced. Hybrid manufacturing processes have been used to address these limitations; however, there remain challenges of how to translate the component's coordinate system from AM to subtractive post-processes. This paper explores this topic through a medical device case study. A translatable coordinate system was produced by first designing features to serve as a datum reference frame (DRF). These features were introduced by MAM and then finalized with wire-electrical discharge machining (EDM). The produced DRF features successfully prepared the component for translation from the MAM to subtractive post-process. The completed medical device component met the expected requirements with a less than 1% difference on key part nominal dimensions. In addition, the hybrid process exhibited a potential for sustainable manufacturing with a buy-to-fly ratio of 6:1. The study demonstrated that a coordinate system can be translated effectively in hybrid manufacturing by designing part features informed by both AM and wire-EDM processes.