Application Selection
This module intends to unlock the mystery of what makes a successful application and provide a high-level thought process for application/part identification. This method is not the only answer for identifying the best applications, but provides a good starting point for selecting potential applications while disqualifying unsuitable ones.
There are many examples of successful additive applications. To review some of Carbon customer's successes, study the case studies on the Carbon website, or those outlined below. As these cases are reviewed, some main categories of business value become apparent: Design Freedom, Economic Advantages, and Part Consolidation. The value associated with these categories is briefly discussed in the DLS Strengths of this module with a deeper explanation provided by the Value section.
Common Characterics of Successful Applications
- Additive material that meets the needs of the application
- Temperature requirements
- Chemical resistance
- Biocompatibility needs
- Mechanical properties
- Business case (value) for utilizing additive
- Design freedoms
- Economic advantages
- Part consolidation
- Knowledgeable team
- A vision and/or inspiration on the value of using additive
- Ability to design for the function of the part used in the application
- Knowledge of the chosen application
- Knowledge of the chosen additive process
- Implementation strategy
- Good relationships with customers (where customers are most likely a part of the team)
Additive manufacturing processes offer new options for producing parts. Understanding the value the chosen process brings to your part/application helps you know when to implement additive. This is similar to knowing how to choose between machining, injection molding, rotational molding, blow molding, extrusion, etc. Each of these processes has particular strengths depending on the application; they are all options in your manufacturing toolbox. Additive processes like DLS, SLS and FDM have recently joined well-established options like injection molding and machining in the manufacturing toolbox.
Additive manufacturing methods provide flexibility and design freedoms not possible from traditional methods. Use additive manufacturing strengths to drive value to your project, whether you are producing prototypes, production parts, or need a manufacturing solution.
Each additive method has its own strengths. For example, Digital Light Synthesis (DLS™) combines the benefits of a liquid-based process with engineering-grade materials allowing your project to transition from prototyping to production utilizing the same manufacturing method.
To decide if DLS manufacturing is the right process for the application, one must understand it's strengths.

DLS can provide clear economic advantages in low volume production with no tooling costs or minimum buys to compensate for setting up tooling. There are further benefits to producing in low volumes by saving on inventory overhead.
DLS also offers a clear advantages when quick design iterations and turnaround is needed

Economic Advantage Case Studies

Low Volume

Low Volume

Quick Turnaround
DLS offers distinct advantages when compared to other additive technologies.
- Engineering grade materials: rigid and elastomeric
- Watertight & airtight parts: no secondary operation required
- Cosmetic surfaces
- Fine features: Logos and labels, threads, textures

Key Strength Carbon technology merges engineering grade material properties with all the advantages of additive manufacturing while utilizing the same manufacturing process and material from prototyping to production.
This easy-to-implement high level process uses 3 categories:
- Material Specifications
- Value
- Manufacturability
Combining these categories with a few questions will help quickly identify good potential applications for the DLS manufacturing process. This method will also eliminate the unsuitable ones.
The Venn diagram is used to depict the relationship of the categories and how each one has dependencies on the others. The ideal DLS application meets criteria in all three categories.

This information was compiled from sales, engineers, and support functions that have served in the additive business for many years. Apply your own knowledge as well to tailor the method to your particular needs and create a starting point for application selection. Apply the method as a team or an individual, then once a good potential application has been identified, work with your team to make it successful.

Know the Material Requirements
It all starts with the right material for the application. Incorrect material choice can doom a project for many reasons, from causing your part to fail or simply making the part too costly.
Carbon's Material Advantage An advantage of the Carbon process is the ability to use the same material and process throughout the part's life cycle (prototype, production, end of life). During the prototyping process, the part's manufacturability can be honed and improved.
This is how MATERIALS overlap with VALUE (business case) of the evaluation process.

Define Advantage of Carbon
- Engineering grade materials combined with the strengths of additive manufacturing.
- Utilizing of the same material and process throughout the parts life cycle. (Prototyping, Production, End of Life).
All projects have to be justified. Therefore, once a suitable material has been identified, the next part of the evaluation process is a compelling business case.
For prototyping or a manufacturing jig, a business case may not always be a necessity, but walking through the value evaluation can lead to new ideas, showing what is possible with additive manufacturing and DLS technology.
When determining Value, answer this question: What is the business reason for utilizing additive manufacturing and DLS technology for this application?
Building a Compelling Business Case
This is about utilizing the strengths and economic advantages of additive manufacturing for the application in question. Is there an existing value for this project or can value be created (add a function or prevent an issue) by using the additive process that is not currently an option? Three large groups to categorize value criteria are:

The application in question might benefit from one or all three of these for a compelling business case.
Design Freedom
Molds or toolpaths do not restrict DLS technology, unlocking unconstrained design freedom that allows designers/engineers to showcase unmoldable/challenging geometries. This provides the following design benefits:
- Manufacture to the function of the application
- Quicker iterations - no tooling or lengthy machine setups
- More options/sizes for a part family or user-specific options
These benefits add value to your project and end part by improving part performance, reducing warranty, being on the market faster.
The design freedom provided by additive manufacturing allows the designer to implement different design strategies that are difficult to utilize with traditional manufacturing. Let's explore some of those strategies.
Part Consolidation
Another strength of additive manufacturing is the ability to implement part consolidations. Consolidating assemblies can provide the following benefits with varying degrees of value for your project:
- Simplify the product or the product use
- Ability to add function to the part (aka - design the part for function)
- Reduce points of failure like leak paths for sealing systems
- Reduce assembly time
- Eliminate hardware components such as screws and other fasteners
- Eliminate tooling (molds, manufacturing jigs and fixtures, etc) for individual parts
- Reduce cost of logistics for sourcing, storing, and shipping
Original Design
- Individually molded parts = 3
- O-rings = 2
- Screws = 8
- Assembly time required

Designed for Carbon DLS
- Individually printed parts = 1
- Improved wire routing
- All bullet points above

Economics
The economics of the value evaluation is related to design freedom and part consolidation. If your part benefits from one or both of the other two, it will definitely have economic benefits.
Sometimes, the economic benefits of using additive manufacturing can prompt the designer to look more closely at the design freedoms. A good example is when an injection mold tool needs replacing, and it is determined that eliminating the tooling cost is business case enough to justify the project. By going back to the design freedoms of additive, the designer/engineer might add a new value that wasn't available with traditional means.
Three large economic advantage of the DLS technology:
- Using the same material and process from the beginning to the end of a product lifecycle. This eliminates tooling cost, reduces testing iterations, and gets your product on the market faster.
- Ability to complete iterations - fast turn around time with minimum setup
- Part quantity flexibility - No minimum buys - produce 5 to 10,000s in certain scenarios even higher, without minimum order quantities
This economic evaluation focuses heavily on the manufacturing economics of the part.
- Eliminating Tooling
- Reducing raw material or assembly part needs
- Reducing shipping cost
- Reducing warehouse storage
- Eliminate minimum order buys
Specific factors that effect DLS manufacturing economics
These factors can be mitigated with design. Review the DLS Design Guidelines for tips and tricks.
Manufacturability encompasses the entire process of physically producing a part.

- Print Prep
- Printing
- Post Processing
- Washing
- Baking (Thermal Curing)
- Secondary Operations
Manufacturability evaluation is critical for the application/part's success. If the part can not be physically produced then another manufacturing method will have to be identified or research will need to be completed to figure out how to manufacture with DLSTM technology.
Part design has a major impact on this evaluation. Utilize the recommended feature sizes from the DLS Design Guidelines and the design principles to evaluate the part for printing feasibility. The Design Guidelines provided recommended feature sizes, tips for designing parts without supports, and other pieces of information to help you design/evaluate a part for DLS.
Manufacturability Evaluation Process
Before evaluating printing feasibility, it is important to establish which Carbon printer best accommodates your application by assessing the available build volumes.
Value and the manufacturability of a part are heavily influenced by the design of the part. The manufacturing economics are discussed during the value evaluation because it affects the business case. These interdependencies are how value and manufacturability are related.
The following is an exercise in applying the Application Selection evaluation method.
The company is a leading battery-powered zero-emission bus producer that creates unique vehicle configurations to meet local requirements. The part is an ergonomic door switch handle. The typical order quantity for each bus configuration is 2 to 25. Each bus has approximately 4,000 different parts.
Part Information
- Quantity needed = 10
- Tooling cost ~$25,000
Customer Bonus
- If possible can this handle be used as a handle to access different panels on the bus?

Material Requirements
- Temperature requirements
- No extreme temperatures - 0 - 65° C
- Chemical resistance requirements
- Basic chemical resistance needed
- No extreme resistance required. No submersion in any chemical or other types of long-term exposure.
- Biocompatibility
- None
- Mechanical properties
- Needs to withstand general impacts, in case items are dropped on it, etc
- Stiff enough to withstand hand torque
Use these printable handouts to assist you with this exercise and ask yourself these questions in each category as you go.
DLS Application Selection Quick Guide
DLS Application Selection Worksheet
Material Specifications
- Should this material be a rigid or elastomeric material?
Value
- What is the business case for utilizing additive to produce this part?
- What are the DLS strengths that can be utilized? Each column will not always have an answer.
Manufacturability
- Can this part be physically produced with DLS technology?
By applying the application method, it is clear this is a good fit for Carbon DLS.
- There is a material that fits the needs of the application.
- Design freedom can be utilized to add function to the part (a texture for grip) and to design the part in such a way it can be used for multiple functions.
- Great low volume manufacturing economics.
- The part is physically manufacturable with the M2 or M3 printer.
Electric Bus Components

Compelling Business Case
- Material Specifications
- RPU 70 met needed requirements
- Value
- Design Freedom
- Manufacturing Economics
- Low volume - 2 to 25 of each part
Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission electric transit vehicles and EV technology solutions for commercial applications. Since 2004, Proterra technology has been proven through more than 18 million service miles in heavy-duty applications.
This company needed low volume, high quality, production parts.

This part incorporates multiple criteria from two of the evaluation categories of the application selection process. It highlights an example when larger parts are economical for the M2/M3 platform. Read the full Proterra Case Study explaining how Carbon met the low volume needs of this manufacturer.
See how this selection method works for other successful applications from across industries.

Compelling Business Case
- Material Specifications
- RPU 70 met all needed requirements
- Value
- Part Consolidation
- Design Freedom
- Manufacturing Economics
- Manufacturability
- Design freedom allowed the part to be fully optimized for the process with minimized supports and improved cleanability.
Vitamix is a market leader in blending technology for consumer and foodservice commercial markets. These blenders are used across the United States in coffee houses and other foodservice markets.
Vitamix was looking to produce a durable microfluidic nozzle to rinse their commercial blender container to make cleaning more automatic and remove the manual labor for the coffee house.

Engineers at Vitamix and The Technology House, a Carbon Production Partner, worked together to solve the challenges of this part and optimize it for the DLS technology.
This part incorporates multiple criteria from all three evaluation categories of the application selection process. For the full Vitamix Case Study and a video visit the Carbon Website.

Compelling Business Case
- Material Specifications
- MPU 100 met all needed requirements
- Value
- Design Freedom
- Manufacturing Economics
- Manufacturability
- Design freedom allowed the part to be fully optimized for the process.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) built a next-generation cell-level genomic analyzer used to understand cellular form and function on the basis of individual cells. This information is used in medical fields such as immunology and oncology. One of the key components is the hemocytometer adapter that integrates a fluidic microwell component into an optical system.

This part incorporates multiple criteria from all three evaluation categories of the application selection process. It is also a great example of part optimization for the DLS process. For the full BD Case Study that walks through the design changes made visit the Carbon Website.

Compelling Business Case
- Material Specifications
- FPU 50 met needed requirements
- Value
- Design Freedom
- Manufacturing Economics
Aptiv is a global technology company providing electrical and fiber optic connection solutions for ocean travel, including commercial and military vessels.
Aptiv offers fiber-optic connection systems, including connectors, termini, and cable assemblies suitable for ocean-faring vessels as part of a connected solution. When docked in a harbor or with another ship, a ship can use these cables to transfer sensor data rapidly. The fiber optic interior must be completely insulated from the harsh conditions outside, including saltwater, fungal life, impact from the ship moving, and, critically, dust. Each cable is outfitted with a dust cap to prevent dust from interrupting the fiber-to-fiber connection
This company needed a lighter weight, easier to produce, and cheaper solution.

This part incorporates multiple criteria from two of the evaluation categories of the application selection process. It highlights an example when the engineering-grade material performance was a key contributor to the success of the part. The economic advantages of additive manufacturing were important but the right material needed to be available. That material was found in FPU 50. For the full Aptiv Dust Cap Case Study explaining how Carbon met the low volume needs of this manufacturer visit the Carbon Website.
Note that it is not always necessary to have an application that falls into all 3 evaluation criteria and that meeting 2 of the criteria is enough for a successful project.
It is critical to use the manufacturing method that best fits the needs of the component and DLS technology is not always the best fit. Here are some scenarios when DLS technology is not the best fit for production.
- Locked designs
- Designing for the process is the key to success
- If a part is designed for CNC machining, it would need some design changes to produce by injection molding.
- Manufacturing with DLS technology is no different, design changes will be needed to change over to this process.
- Long/tall, thin parts
- Parts less than 1.5 mm thick
- Parts easily produced by other methods

The Carbon platform is a proven manufacturing technology that offers a flexible process for quantities with design freedoms not possible from traditional methods. Part design plays an important role in the success of your part/component. Combine design and Application Selection knowledge to create successful parts.
DLS Strengths Keep the strengths of DLS in mind when evaluating a particular application:
DLS vs Traditional Methods (machining, injection molding, etc.)
- Unconstrained design freedom (textures, lattices, etc.)
- Part consolidation (fewer points of failure, etc.)
- Easy to implement iterations (no tooling)
- Economic advantages (low volume, reduce time to market)
DLS vs Additive Technologies
- Engineering grade materials (rigid and elastomeric)
- Watertight and airtight materials
- Cosmetic surfaces
- Fine features (logos, threads, textures)
