Requirements are demanding
Start with the intended operating conditions, interfaces, material needs, tolerances and required evidence.
Semiconductor & high-tech
Complex parts. Clear requirements.
Additive manufacturing for high-tech equipment starts with precision, thermal performance and cleanliness. Connect design freedom to supplier capability and the evidence your application needs.
Recognize the challenge?
Where adoption meets
your engineering reality.
Quality needs a shared language
Distinguish supplier maturity from process qualification and application-specific acceptance.
Knowledge is concentrated in a few people
Support informed decisions across engineering, purchasing, quality and the wider organization.
The supply chain needs to mature together
Connect supplier readiness, practical competence and the route toward independent auditing and certification.
Technical specification framework
Turn requirements into
verifiable engineering.
Translate precision, thermal stability and contamination risks into measurable acceptance criteria.
These are application-planning criteria, not guaranteed manufacturing capabilities or a claim of certification. Final limits, test methods and acceptance evidence must be agreed for the specific component and intended use.
| Engineering parameter | What to specify | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Precision & datum strategy | Specify position, flatness, surface profile and interface tolerances on a datum-based drawing. For example, a ±0.05 mm interface requirement is a project input to validate, not a general industrial 3D printing capability claim. | Plan stress relief, datum creation and finish machining as needed. Inspect the final state, including coatings, with an agreed coordinate measurement and uncertainty budget. |
| Material & dimensional stability | Assess candidate alloys such as AlSi10Mg, 316L or Ti-6Al-4V against thermal expansion, stiffness, mass, corrosion and environment. Specify the exact material condition and heat treatment rather than relying on wrought-material values. | Batch traceability, representative material data, heat-treatment records and dimensional checks after thermal exposure or machining where relevant. |
| Thermal & fluid performance | Define heat load in watts, allowable temperature rise, flow rate, coolant chemistry, pressure drop and operating pressure. Internal passages must be drainable, cleanable and accessible to the selected verification method. | Thermal and flow simulation followed by measured temperature maps, pressure-drop tests and pressure or leak testing to agreed limits. |
| Vacuum & contamination | Define pressure regime, allowable gas load, particle release and prohibited substances. Address trapped powder, blind cavities, virtual leaks, cleaning chemistry, coatings and packaging before selecting a geometry. | Use an application-specific cleaning, bake-out and inspection plan; specify helium leak testing or residual-gas analysis when the equipment requirement calls for it. |
| Dynamics & structural integrity | Set static deflection, natural-frequency separation, vibration response and fatigue life against the operating load spectrum. Include mounting stiffness, contact conditions, residual stress and build orientation. | Correlate structural and modal analysis with representative tests; select non-destructive examination and defect acceptance criteria according to failure consequences. |
| Process qualification & release | Define feedstock control, machine status, build parameters, orientation, post-processing, inspection and change control. ISO/ASTM 52920 provides process and production-site qualification principles, not automatic acceptance of a particular component. | Agree the manufacturing and inspection plan, traceable build records, first-article evidence and triggers for requalification before releasing repeat orders. |
Scroll the table horizontally to compare requirements and verification.
Engineering analysis
Look beyond
the printed part.
Geometric freedom becomes useful only when the complete manufacturing chain can demonstrate the required performance consistently.
Thermal performance is a system-level trade-off
Conformal channels can place cooling nearer the heat source, but narrower or rougher passages can increase pressure drop and complicate cleaning. Start with the heat balance: temperature rise equals heat load multiplied by thermal resistance. Compare the complete cooling circuit, including pump capacity, interfaces and contamination constraints.
Precision usually needs a hybrid route
Printing can create internal functionality while machining establishes critical external interfaces. Plan stock allowances, support removal, stress relief and the order in which datums are created. A tighter drawing tolerance is not useful unless the finishing and measurement strategy can achieve and verify it repeatedly.
A cleanroom class does not certify a component
ISO 14644-1 classifies air cleanliness by airborne particle concentration. It does not, by itself, demonstrate that a printed part meets a customer’s particle, molecular-contamination or vacuum requirements. Define component-level acceptance tests, handling and packaging separately, matched to the equipment environment.
Qualify the route, then control the changes
A successful prototype does not establish repeatable production. Link acceptance evidence to the approved material, machine, parameter set, orientation, finishing and inspection route. Define which changes need review or requalification, and weigh that burden against consolidation, performance gains and supply-chain resilience.
Relevant experience
Evidence to start
a useful conversation.
ASML’s published perspectives underline two connected priorities: dependable quality and the development of knowledge across the organization and supply chain. Explore the attributed interview for an industry view on what it takes to mature additive manufacturing.
Explore the exampleYour team + our additive manufacturing expertise
Work on what matters next.
We can support a specific engineering application, manufacturing requirements or ongoing competence development. We agree a starting point that fits your goals and existing capability.
Technical questions, practical answers
Make your next decision
with confidence.
Understand the engineering considerations before committing to a design, process or production route.
Can a printed component meet precision equipment tolerances?
A suitable route may combine printing for internal functionality with stress relief and finish machining for critical interfaces. Specify datums, geometric tolerances, thermal conditions and measurement uncertainty on the drawing. Feasibility must be assessed for the finished component; a machine brochure does not establish repeatable part accuracy.
Are printed parts automatically suitable for cleanroom or vacuum use?
No. Cleanroom air classification is not component certification. Define allowable particles, prohibited substances, outgassing or gas-load requirements and the operating pressure regime. Geometry, powder removal, cleaning, bake-out where appropriate, handling and packaging all need application-specific acceptance evidence.
How should an integrated cooling component be validated?
Start with heat load, allowable temperature rise, coolant, flow rate, pressure drop and operating pressure. Compare thermal and flow predictions with representative measurements, and agree inspection and leak-testing requirements. Channel designs should improve the complete cooling system without creating unmanageable cleaning or verification risks.
What is needed to move from a successful prototype to repeat supply?
Define an approved material and manufacturing route, inspection criteria, traceable production records and responsibilities for release. Specify which changes require review or renewed qualification. Start the discussion with the component drawing, critical functions and customer acceptance requirements so the evidence plan matches the actual risk.