If you use service providers to additively print your designs, get ready to see the results even faster. SAP SE and UPS are collaborating to transform 3D printing into a seamless, on-demand manufacturing process from order through manufacturing and delivery.
The collaboration, announced at the 28th annual SAPPHIRE NOW conference, will integrate supply chain solutions from SAP with UPS’s additive industrial manufacturing and logistics network. The goal is to give users access to on-demand manufacturing with the touch of button.
By accelerating and standardizing the process, both companies believe a significantly greater number of industrial 3D print-ready production parts can be approved and certified and can be ordered through UPS On-Demand Manufacturing with full integration into SAP manufacturing and procurement processes.
The tools of SAP and UPS will help users calculate the costs in real time, including tax calculations, shipping costs, bill of materials, and so forth. This capability will enable real-time decisions on the optimal supply chain path for every parts order.
UPS end-of-runway manufacturing can get most orders sent by 6:00 p.m., manufactured and delivered anywhere in the United States by the next morning. Per the agreement, users will track their order from their SAP software system.
To ensure quick delivery, UPS will launch a distributed, on-demand manufacturing network that links its global logistics network with 3D printers at The UPS Store in more than 60 locations around the U.S. and with Fast Radius’ On Demand Production Platform and 3D printing factory in Louisville, KY.
Fast Radius is a key component of this collaboration. This industrial manufacturer has capabilities in cutting edge 3D plastic and metal printing technologies, CNC machining and rapid injection molding. Its Fast Radius On-Demand Production Platform delivers fast quotes, fast production and ensures reliable and superior quality. This manufacturer delivers nearly unlimited manufacturing capacity and capability for quick-turn part production to customers from all industries. Plus, it is co-located with UPS hubs in the US and external manufacturing partners.
Customers will visit the Fast Radius website (formerly CloudDDM) to place their 3D printing orders, which will be directed to the optimal manufacturing or The UPS Store location based on speed, geography, and the product quality the customer requires. Orders can be shipped as early as same day. While participating The UPS Store locations are all in the U.S., companies globally could use the network and place orders.
With the Fast Radius On Demand Production Platform, products are made closer to buyers. Thus, buyers will not necessarily need an inventory, can make smaller quantities, customize a product to local needs and conditions, and reduce logistics and shipping costs.
The on-demand network created by these companies will benefit customers of all sizes:
–Manufacturers wanting to reduce inventory for slow-moving parts
–Manufacturers with short production runs where the cost to create the mold or tooling could make these orders too expensive for traditional manufacturing
–Manufacturers and retailers of custom/semi-custom goods as additive manufacturing allows cost-effective customization of goods
–Industrial designers and engineers who want high quality rapid prototypes delivered as fast as one day
–Entrepreneurs, start-ups and manufacturers who don’t currently have access to 3D printers or have limited capital and time and will use 3D printing for rapid prototyping and manufacturing of initial production runs
“Fast Radius continues to enhance its production platform and globally expand its manufacturing capabilities in 3D printing (plastics and metals), CNC machining and rapid injection molding,” said Rick Smith, co-founder and CEO of Fast Radius. “With this distributed, on-demand manufacturing network, UPS customers will be able to get their products to market faster and more cost-effectively because parts can be produced exactly in the quantity they need and when they need them. The potential of on-demand manufacturing is here today.”
