Optimizing Additive Manufacturing: Enhancing Material Management Systems

August 1, 2023

During my tenure as a Programming Analyst at InnCreTech, I had the opportunity to contribute significantly to enhancing the material management capabilities within our platform, specifically tailored for clients in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) sector. The goal was to replace cumbersome manual processes with an integrated, automated system.

The Challenge: Manual Tracking and Inefficiencies

Clients utilizing our platform for Additive Manufacturing faced challenges with traditional material management:

Manual Effort: Tracking material usage, inventory levels, and flow across facilities was often manual and prone to errors.
Lack of Visibility: Difficulty in getting real-time insights into material consumption and planning needs.
Error Rate: Manual data entry and tracking led to inaccuracies impacting planning and control.

My Contribution: Developing an Integrated Solution

I took on the responsibility of developing and integrating enhancements to the material management module to address these pain points:

Backend Development (Java/Spring Boot): I designed and implemented backend logic to handle automated computations related to material usage, inventory adjustments, and planning based on production data within the platform. This involved creating new entities, services, and APIs.
Database Design (MySQL): I contributed to the database schema design to effectively store and query material-related data, ensuring data integrity and efficient retrieval.
Frontend Integration (React.js): I worked on integrating these new backend capabilities into the user interface, providing visualizations and tools for users to manage and monitor materials seamlessly within the existing platform.
Process Automation: The core aim was to automate calculations and improve connectivity between different stages of the manufacturing process reflected in the platform, reducing reliance on offline tracking.
System Guidance: I guided the development through requirement gathering, specification documentation, coding, testing, and ensuring continuous support post-deployment.

The enhancements I developed led to remarkable improvements for our clients:

Error Reduction: 50% decrease in material management errors.
Manual Effort: 95% reduction.
Process Speed: 25% improvement.

Technologies Used

Backend: Java, Spring Boot
Database: MySQL
Frontend: React.js, TypeScript
Domain: Additive Manufacturing processes

Impact

This project directly impacted client operational efficiency. By automating critical aspects of material management and integrating it tightly within the platform, we provided better control, improved planning capabilities, and significantly reduced the potential for costly errors. It highlighted the value of targeted software enhancements in streamlining complex industrial processes.