Additive manufacturing is a method of producing parts, building them layer by layer, rather than cutting material from solid stock or forming it with molds or dies. It represents a new approach to part production. But can it help manufacturers automate production and reduce labour costs? 

The answer is yes. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can consolidate many traditional process steps, multiple machining operations, long assembly routines, welding, and brazing into a single cycle inside the 3D printer. 

This cycle can run fully unattended overnight, during weekends, or throughout the workday, allowing technicians to focus on higher-value tasks. The 3D printer manages the entire build without constant human involvement. This makes additive manufacturing not just a different machine, but a broader form of automation on the shop floor. Implementing a 3D printer can provide benefits similar to cobots or other automation technologies. It allows employees’ skills to go further and enables manufacturers to augment their workforce efficiently.

 Once the build starts, a 3D printer can operate for hours or days with minimal operator involvement, enabling shops to run overnight or during weekends. This ability to run unattended makes additive manufacturing functionally similar to robotic automation.

At Paanduv Applications, we approach AM not only as a manufacturing technology but as an automated, data-driven ecosystem that can be optimised through deep physics-based simulation and scientific R&D. Our simulation platform AM PravaH® helps manufacturers predict process behaviour, minimise operator dependency, and achieve consistent, high-quality builds.

AM as an Automated Workflow

AM consolidates several conventional manufacturing steps into a single process, including:

• Multiple machining operations

• Manual setups

• Fixturing and tool changes

• Welding and brazing

• Assembly of multiple components

With AM PravaH®, these automated runs become even more predictable. Engineers can virtually study:

1. Heat flow

2. Laser-material interaction

3. Melt pool dynamics

4. Microstructure evolution

5. Potential defects

This dramatically reduces trial-and-error experimentation and helps stabilize production.

Case Study: General Pattern

A plastics specialist in Minnesota, General Pattern, provides a clear example of how AM acts as an automation tool. Originally a pattern-making business serving foundries, the company evolved into model making for the toy industry and injection molding of plastic parts. To keep up with fast product development cycles, General Pattern built its own mold tooling capacities and invested heavily in CNC machining equipment.

Today, the company runs 85 injection molding presses across multiple facilities in Blaine, Minnesota. Most of the mold inserts for these presses are produced in-house on 62 CNC milling centers.

However, not all inserts are machined—some are produced using a Mantle 3D metal printer that prints mold inserts using a metal paste. The printed components initially come out as soft “green parts,” which are then sintered in an oven to become solid, dense tooling ready for an injection mold.

3D printing is now one of more than a dozen methods the company uses to make tooling, but it is also the most automated. When tooling is made through machining:

• Operators must reposition workpieces for the next cut
  
  

• Tools may require multiple machine transitions
  
  

• Human involvement is required between setups
  
  

The 3D printer eliminates these manual steps. Engineers design molds using CAD (just like for machining), slice them, and send the file to the printer. The machine builds complex geometries completely unattended, allowing operators to focus on other tooling tasks while the part prints.

These global trends demonstrate why industries increasingly rely on simulation-led automation to scale AM, a space where Paanduv Applications plays a significant role.

Addressing Labour Shortages Through AM

Like many manufacturers, General Pattern faces a labour shortage. 10% of its workforce is toolmakers, highly skilled professionals, but most are nearing retirement. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, over a quarter of the current durable goods manufacturing workforce is 55 or older, and 6% are over 65.

As experienced workers retire, there will not be enough incoming toolmakers, machinists, programmers, or fabricators to replace them. Here, the 3D printer plays a critical role. Denny Ryland, third-generation owner and CEO, noted that the printer increases throughput and allows skilled technicians to achieve more with their expertise.

At General Pattern, 3D printing does not replace mold-making expertise, it enhances it, allowing mold makers to design inserts while focusing on other aspects of the mold simultaneously.

Simulation, such as the modelling offered by AM PravaH®, further supports this transition by helping teams understand process physics instantly rather than through long and costly trial-and-error cycles.

Potential of AM as a lean manufacturing method

Additive manufacturing helps lean manufacturing through minimizing waste, making workflows easier, and shortening production cycles. Since AM fabricates parts directly based on the digital models, that is, with no tooling, no multiple setups, and no changes of the fixtures are required, many non-value-added steps of conventional machining or fabrication are removed.

1. Waste Reduction in Materials and Processes  

AM only uses the material it needs to make its part; scrap is minimal as opposed to subtractive processes. It also eliminates tooling, and therefore, there is no material waste of tool wear, trial blocks, and setup corrections.

2. Reduced Process Steps and Lead Times 

Conventional processes include machining, welding, brazing, and assembly. These are combined into one build by AM through consolidation, and also, waiting times, handling, and movement among workstations are minimized. This will result in shortened, predictable lead times.

3. Reduced Inventory Solutions

AM makes it possible to manufacture on demand. Businesses will be able to store online records rather than keep products, which will help minimize storage expenses and eliminate overproduction, which is one of the fundamental wastes in the lean approach.

4. Better Utilization of Resources

AM machines require no one to monitor them during long working cycles, thus the skilled operators do not need to spend much time on manual repetitive tasks. They are able to concentrate on inspection, refinement of design, or optimization of the process, and hence enhance the overall labor productivity.

5. Embedded Production Changeability

Digital change of part designs is possible without changing physical tooling. This facilitates quicker iteration, low-volume manufacturing, and customization without interfering with the production process- some of the prerequisites of lean, flexible factories.

6. Increased Quality with help of simulation and digital R&D

Lean manufacturing is focused on the prevention of defects. Manufacturers can anticipate the thermal behavior, distortion, porosity, and other defects before printing with the help of simulation tools, like AM PravaH. This eliminates re-work, enhances first-time-right builds, and stabilises the production process.

Together, AM and simulation-driven automation enable waste-free, predictable, and highly flexible manufacturing processes.

Where Automation Needs Human Intervention 

While AM provides substantial automation benefits, some steps still require human involvement:

• Support structure removal 

• Surface finishing

• Process parameter optimisation

• Mitigate structural  distortion

• Build orientation considerations

Without proper planning, the time saved during printing can be lost in post-processing. This is where Paanduv Applications delivers significant value.

How Paanduv Applications Enable Scalable Automation in AM

AM PravaH® Digital Automation for Additive Manufacturing PravaH® transforms complex physics into actionable insights:

• Predicts melt pool behaviour

• Identifies porosity, lack-of-fusion, keyholing, and warpage

• Simulates LPBF and WAAM processes

• Reduces failed builds and manual rework

• Accelerates parameter optimisation for novel materials

• Acts like a “virtual lab” for researchers and manufacturers

By complementing physical experimentation, AM PravaH® enhances reliability and augments automation across the production lifecycle.

 Considerations: Is AM Really Automation?

Yes, AM is a form of automation. But true automation is achieved only when the process becomes predictable and repeatable. AM introduces new capabilities as well as new complexities, and without careful planning, time saved in printing could be lost in post-processing.

For General Pattern and many others, 3D printing is becoming a dependable automation tool that boosts production efficiency and supports workforce scalability. Paanduv Applications enables this shift with advanced simulation, HPC tools, and scientific R&D support.