The Real Cost of AM: Why Scaling Additive Isn't Just About the Printer
- Authentise Team
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Additive manufacturing (AM) has long promised freedom from tooling, agile part design, and on-demand production. But as adoption scales beyond R&D and prototyping, manufacturers are uncovering a different reality: AM systems are expensive to run and even harder to scale. And no - it's not just about the cost of the printer.
Let’s break down the hidden costs that make additive workflows less efficient than they could be - and what you can do to tackle them.
Additive manufacturing Isn't Cheap - And That's Okay
It’s true: additive systems are a significant investment. But the real costs emerge after the initial procurement. Skilled labour, manual coordination, disconnected data, and energy-intensive processes can create operational drag, particularly in production environments where scale and repeatability matter.
This isn't a failure of the technology - it’s a gap in the workflow.
Manual Workflows Are Bleeding Time and Money
Across the AM industry, manual steps still dominate: from scheduling builds to validating materials and transferring data between machines and MES systems. These hands-on processes aren’t just time-consuming - they introduce variability, increase labour costs, and hinder scalability.
Authentise’s Manufacturing Execution System for Additive helps bridge this gap. It enables real-time data capture, automated reporting, and streamlined task assignment - turning hours of work into minutes.
Further reading: How Software is Streamlining the AM Workflow
Post-Processing: The Invisible Tax
Support removal, surface finishing, thermal treatments, inspections - post-processing is essential to make printed parts functional and compliant. But it’s also one of the most expensive and time-intensive phases of AM production, often eclipsing print time itself.
The problem? Post-processing is often managed separately, without integration into the digital workflow - creating blind spots and delays. By integrating data capture from post-processing into a centralised system, manufacturers gain full traceability and the opportunity to optimise downstream steps.
Energy-Hungry Giants: Large-Scale Printing’s Dirty Secret
Additive systems, especially those operating at large scales or using high-powered lasers, can consume significant amounts of energy. That energy isn't just a sustainability concern - it's a cost multiplier that hits the bottom line hard.
When machine usage, energy draw, and material flow are tracked in isolation, the ability to make data-informed energy decisions is lost. A connected ecosystem allows energy usage to be tied directly to parts, builds, and workflows - giving teams the ability to measure, improve, and justify.
The Solution: Automate, Track, Optimise
To make AM economically viable outside of high-margin or critical-use cases, manufacturers need more than just great printers. They need smart, automated, connected systems that reduce friction from start to finish.
At Authentise, we enable this through:
These solutions create transparency across your entire operation - from the initial request to final inspection - and automate processes to reduce cost, error, and delay.
Ready to See What’s Really Costing You?
Let’s uncover the hidden inefficiencies in your AM workflow - and eliminate them.
👉 Book a Demo today.