FDM
Best for rapid prototypes and simple functional partsPurchase28 creditsCapacity24 / week
Owned: 1
Capacity and operations · live class game
PrintWorks Operations Challenge
Build a 3D printing fleet for a changing order mix. Every credit committed to equipment, materials, labour and quality changes what you can deliver later.
Your role
Run Melbourne's newest digital manufacturing cell.
You have 180 credits, one FDM printer and six weeks. Read the forecast, choose the right technologies, protect cash and deliver usable parts on time.
How each week works
One connected operations decision.
1
Read the demand range
The class shares the same hidden demand scenario.
2
Commit limited credits
Buy printers, compatible materials, operator time and risk protection.
3
See the constraint
Actual demand, throughput, defects, service and cash are revealed together.
4
Adapt the next week
Your fleet and unused materials carry forward.
Week result
+0 credits
Week briefing
Forecast demand range
The exact order mix stays hidden until you commit. Forecast ranges are reliable, but not perfect.
Equipment marketplace
Printers are purchased now and remain in your fleet for the rest of the challenge.
Resin / SLA
Best for detailed, precise and high-finish partsPurchase42 creditsCapacity17 / week
Owned: 0
SLS
Best for durable production batches and nested buildsPurchase68 creditsCapacity36 / week
Owned: 0
Weekly operating plan
Machines need compatible material, operator time and a deliberate risk policy.
Material packs to order
FDM filament0 units on hand · 8 credits adds 22
SLA resin0 units on hand · 12 credits adds 16
SLS powder0 units on hand · 20 credits adds 34
Final balanced score
0/100
Six-week debrief
Profitability 40%, service 25%, quality 20%, sustainability 15%.
| Week | Demand | Good output | Service | Net credits | Closing cash |
|---|
Debrief prompt: Which purchase solved a true constraint, and which purchase only moved the constraint somewhere else?
About this tool
The concept
Additive manufacturing turns capacity planning into a technology-selection problem. FDM, resin and SLS printers serve different order types at very different price points, so the question is never “which printer is best” but which fleet fits the order mix you expect - and the mix changes every week.
How it works
Six weeks, 180 starting credits, one FDM printer. Each week you read a demand range per segment, then commit printers (FDM 28 credits for 24 units of capacity, SLA 42 for 17, SLS 68 for 36), compatible materials, operators, maintenance, inspection, overtime and outsourcing before actual demand is revealed. Equipment and unused materials carry forward; a 25-credit emergency facility exists but repays at 8%. The final score weighs profitability 40%, service 25%, quality 20% and sustainability 15%.
Winning strategy
Buy capacity one step ahead of the announced mix, never two: an SLS machine in week one earns nothing until batch work arrives, but bought after week three it never repays its 68 credits. Match materials to machines you actually own, keep an operator ahead of your printer count, and move from reactive to preventive maintenance before the audit and peak weeks - a breakdown in week six is the most expensive event in the game.