Automated Post-Processing Platform for Metals Additive Manufacturing – (PLATFORM)

金属增材制造（AM）是一个快速增长的行业，2010-2014年收入增长超过41%。尽管如此，金属增材制造的销售额仅占全球市场的7%。金属增材制造市场面临的关键技术挑战之一是需要对零件进行后处理以达到所需的公差。目前的后处理是非自动化的，耗时和昂贵的，而且目前还没有商用的自动化过程。PLATFORM项目旨在通过开发突破性的计算技术来彻底改变金属增材制造产品的完成方式，以提供世界上第一个用于零件支撑移除和零件加工的全自动计算机辅助制造（CAM）软件，这将实现无需人工输入或专业知识的自动加工。PLATFORM项目还将为集成在CAM软件中的服务网络（包括金属增材制造、几何扫描、热处理和CNC加工提供商）提供基于云的市场，使CloudNCfAM自动化CAM软件的客户能够轻松、经济地访问最合适、最具能力的服务提供商。因此，PLATFORM项目将成为同类中第一个提供无缝自动化金属增材制造零件精加工的项目，消除了广泛采用金属增材制造的重大障碍。

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly growing industry sector, with revenues rising by over 41% 2010-2014. Despite this, metal AM sales account only 7% of the global market. One of the key technical challenges facing the metal AM market, and limiting wider uptake, is the need for post-processing of parts to achieve the tolerances required. Currently post-processing is non-automated, time consuming and costly, and there is no commercial automated process currently available. The PLATFORM project aims to revolutionise the way in which metal AM products are finished by aiming to develop breakthrough computational techniques to deliver the world's first fully automatic Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software for part support removal and part machining, which will enable autonomous machining with no human input or expertise required. The PLATFORM project will also provide a cloud-based marketplace for the service network (including providers of metal AM building, geometry scanning, heat treatment and CNC machining) integrated within the CAM software, enabling clients of the CloudNCfAM automated CAM software to easily and cost-effectively access the most appropriate and capable service provider. The PLATFORM project will thus be the first of its kind to provide seamless automated metals AM part finishing, removing a significant barrier to the wider adoption of metals AM.