Additive manufacturing, as a production technology and a scientific field, offers a lot of potential for new research, attracts the attention and interest of manufacturing companies and the academic community. With a new approach in product design, a digital connection chain, and the possibility of producing final products with complex configurations, it has significant advantages in relation to conventional production. However, the initial investment and production costs make this technology still inaccessible to a certain number of users, with the tendency for this to change. In this sense, great attention has been paid to additive manufacturing planning, cost analysis and the possibility of optimizing structural and process parameters of production and processes. This paper is intended to explain, in a clear and concise manner, the basic assumptions of the technology, its advantages and certain disadvantages, ongoing and future trends in development as well as current areas of research (cost estimation, multi criteria decision making (MCDM), topology optimization) and applied methods and concepts. The authors believe that this paper will provide additional help in process planning for additive manufacturing as well as promote the necessity for introducing and application of different optimization techniques when designing technology for additive manufacturing.

This paper investigates the possibility of the application of different optimization techniques in the design and production planning phase in the metal additive manufacturing process, specifically laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive technology. This technology has a significant market share and belongs to the group of mature additive technology for the production of end-use metal parts. In the application of this technology, there is a space for additional cost/time reduction by simultaneously optimizing topology structure and part orientations. Simultaneous optimization reduces the production time and, indirectly, the cost of parts production, which is the goal of effective process planning. The novelty in this paper is the comparison of the part orientation solutions defined by the software algorithm and the experienced operator, where the optimal result was selected from the aspect of time and production costs. A feature recognition method together with symmetry operations in the part orientation process were also examined. A framework for the optimal additive manufacturing planning process has been proposed. This framework consists of design and production planning phases, within which there are several other activities: the redesign of the part, topological optimization, the creation of alternative build orientations (ABOs), and, as a final step, the selection of the optimal build orientation (OBO) using the multi-criteria decision method (MCDM). The results obtained after the MCDM hybrid method application clearly indicated that simultaneous topology optimization and part orientation has significant influence on the cost and time of the additive manufacturing process. The paper also proposed a further research direction that should take into consideration the mechanical as well as geometric, dimensioning and tolerances (GDT) characteristics of the part during the process of ABOs and OBO, as well as the uses of symmetry in these fields.

Rad prezentuje primenu savremenog pristupa u procesu upravljanja projektom (projektni i program menadžment, organizaciona struktura, projektne metodologije), kroz prizmu programa CASM (Conventional Ammunition Stockpile Management – Program razvoja kapaciteta za upravljanje zalihama municije) koji se realizuju u Ministarstvu odbrane u saradnji i uz podršku međunarodnih organizacija. U radu je prikazano i aktuelno stanje u oblasti projektnog menadžmenta u Republici Srbiji i Ministarstvu odbrane, navedeni su ključni nosioci, kao i tendencije u daljem razvoju. Cilj rada jeste prikaz efekata primene koncepta upravljanja projektima, sa aspekta njegovog značaja, uspešnosti i efikasnosti, kao i analiza prednosti i nedostataka, u situaciji u kojoj, sa jedne strane, imamo međunarodne organizacije koje poseduju potreban nivo projektne zrelosti i razvijenu metodologiju projektnog menadžmenta, a, sa druge strane, Ministarstvo odbrane koje permanentno unapređuje unutrašnju organizaciju principima najbolje prakse projektnog menadžmenta. Takođe, rad informiše širu javnost u vezi sa načinom sprovođenja projekata podržanih međunarodnom asistencijom u Ministarstvu odbrane, a definiše i osnovne principe i smernice na kojima treba da se zasniva primena projektnog menadžmenta u MO.

From a defense perspective, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has evolved from a rapid prototyping technology into a strategic capability and has become one of the key enablers of military modernization. Its applications include replenishing spare-part inventories for legacy platforms, enhancing supply chain agility, supporting forward operational logistics through on-site production of spare parts and rapid repairs, and improving overall operational readiness. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and defense industries must rapidly adapt to AM technologies and comply with a comprehensive set of qualification and certification requirements to become qualified AM producers capable of manufacturing and delivering critical spare parts. The qualification of AM processes and parts is a highly challenging and demanding task, primarily defined by ISO/ASTM52920:2023, the international standard for quality assurance in additive manufacturing. Within the Quality Assurance (QA) framework, certification and qualification serve as essential tools for verifying and validating that manufacturing processes, parts and personnel comply with established standards and specified requirements. This paper provides a brief overview of the certification and qualification process for AM processes and components. Furthermore, it discusses the key challenges associated with conventional and AM-specific qualification approaches, as well as a novel qualification methodology currently being developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Finally, the paper presents a basic framework for the qualification of AM parts intended for use in the armament and military equipment of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF).

The rapid development of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies has further highlighted the importance of coordinate metrology in the entire production process. AM often equivalent with reverse engineering (RE) and rapid prototyping (RP) in which the role of coordinate metrology is crucial. All AM technologies require (more or less) machine finishing operations, so coordinate metrology play key-role to production quality management. The paper will present two cases from practice: The first example is RE of the individual machine part that requires a higher scope of machining after production on 3D_Print machines. The results of coordinate metrology are a key starting point of machining of complex spatial shape. Another example is the fast processing of the results of the optical (contactless) coordinate metrology of points cloud of mass production of turbine blades. The mathematical model was tested on the optical measurement results of the turbine blades produced by PBF-LB/M (Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam/Metal). The developed mathematical method is easily applicable to the serial production of aircraft turbine blades made with precise casting or forging.