Episode 15: Creating an inventory of digital parts

Matt Griffin sits with Cody Cochran, General Manager of Azoth, to discuss the creation of “digital inventory” items, a method for preparing projects for immediate, on-demand part production.  

Azoth is a recent additive manufacturing service launched within the EWIE Group of Companies (EGC), a family of manufacturing brands headquartered in Ann Abor, Michigan. Azoth 3D’s Center of Excellence is said to have grown from “an empty warehouse into an impressive lab of the industry’s highest-performing technology in less than two years.” 

There, Azoth makes use of its “Take One, Make One” (TOMO) model. In this approach, every time a replacement part is pulled from physical inventory to be deployed for use, the fabrication process is triggered to start printing the next item to replace it on site. This can results in a part that is printed and shipped within 24 hours. The TOMO model keeps the physical storage requirements for warehousing modest, while serving even relatively high wear-and-tear items. 

Cody and the Azoth team have so far selected parts such as jigs and fixtures, gripper fingers, blow-off nozzles, and gage handlers for its digital inventory recommendations. These manufacturing process parts are good candidates for Azoth’s approach, as they can be produced additively, with limited post-processing and tooling, minimal order quantities, and offer both time and cost savings compared to traditional production routes..