The Tribal Knowledge Crisis in AM Cannot be Solved Without an AI Intervention

• Additive manufacturing (AM) has long relied on a deep well of expertise that is notoriously hard to document. That expertise can be found in the nuances involved in setting up...

Additive manufacturing (AM) has long relied on a deep well of expertise that is notoriously hard to document. That expertise can be found in the nuances involved in setting up machines. The calibration of specific parameters. The unspoken understanding of how a material behaves under different environmental conditions. And it’s in the insights about why a part that appears flawless in CAD might fail halfway through a build. Much of what enables 3D printing to succeed in real-world applications isn’t written in manuals but is held within the minds of experienced operators, engineers, and technicians. That reliance on tribal knowledge has become a liability for the industry, especially as the manufacturing sector faces an imminent workforce crisis. By 2033, manufacturing is expected to r