By the time a part reaches bridge production, nobody on our floor is asking whether it works. Episode 3 settled that. The new question is whether a whole crew of people and machines can make it the same way every time — and whether the paperwork can prove it.
That handoff is the subject of Episode 4 of Design. Validate. Scale., the five-part fireside chat series from A3D Manufacturing and Hawk Ridge Systems. The earlier episodes moved from ideation and design, to picking how each part gets made, to validating before you scale. Episode 4, Preparing for Production, covers what has to be in place before the order quantities climb.
Host David Whitten of Hawk Ridge Systems came up through SOLIDWORKS software sales and now works exclusively on manufacturing projects alongside A3D. His guest is Michael Dymond, product manager at A3D Manufacturing, who trained in materials science engineering and has spent close to 11 years in rapid prototyping and manufacturing.
Watch the Fireside Chat: Preparing for Bridge Production
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Chapters
- 0:00 – Welcome
- 1:43 – Intros
- 3:14 – Housekeeping and series roadmap
- 4:47 – Bridge production is a time for strategy
- 6:25 – From the part to the process workflow
- 8:41 – Write it down: Drawings, inspection, and acceptance
- 9:48 – Revision control
- 11:54 – De-risking the supply chain
- 13:18 – Material traceability and shop capacity
- 15:50 – The drawing package as house knowledge
- 18:31 – Cost at volume: Speed vs. throughput
- 21:44 – Regulated industries and quality management systems
- 24:19 – Wrap-up
- 25:22 – Coming up: Episode 5
Catch up on Episode 1: Ideation and Design, Episode 2: Choosing the Right Manufacturing Path, and Episode 3: Validating Before You Scale.
Who Makes Your Part in Bridge Production?
A whole workflow does. In bridge production, the focus moves from one isolated part to the organization making it, from the build planner to QC, secondary operations, and the people who keep your inspection records.
- Build planning, sorting, and QC
- Secondary operations such as reaming and insert installation
- Capturing, maintaining, and reporting inspection records
Michael treats this stage as deliberate fact-finding — surfacing bottlenecks now, while volumes are modest, instead of at a few thousand units. David’s comparison is preseason football: The playbook exists, and now the team has to run it until it works every time.
What a Bridge Production Quote Needs
A shop can quote and run bridge production accurately when the customer brings clear acceptance criteria, any required sampling plan, a pinned-down material and process, documented build details, and realistic volumes. Michael and David didn’t walk through an RFQ checklist, but each of those points came up in the conversation:
- Acceptance criteria on the drawing: Michael says the drawing now has to define what gets measured, what counts as a compliant, passing part, and how much confidence you need in compliant parts.
- An AQL sampling plan or PPAP where it’s needed: He points to inspection plans such as an AQL 4.0 sampling plan or a PPAP, especially in heavily regulated industries that need traceability for the FDA or for audits. For background, see our guide to inspection levels.
- A pinned-down material and process: Depending on your industry, that can mean a controlled, certified material with traceability and material certs.
- House knowledge in writing: Build parameters, build orientation, and the order of finishing steps can all be specified on the drawing.
- A realistic volume estimate: Michael suggests running the quote on a potential month, quarter, or year of demand rather than quantity one.
Acceptance Criteria: The Contract on the Drawing
Written acceptance criteria define what a good part is, so the shop and the buyer judge every part by the same rules. Michael borrows a MythBusters line here: What separates science from blowing things up is writing it down. Until now, the drawing told the shop what mattered about the design. Now it says where the calipers go and which results pass.
That clarity cuts both ways. If a printer has a good day and the part meets every written requirement, there is no basis for a return. And if parts do miss, the customer can point to a specific line in the agreement to open a corrective action or an investigation. It also means periodic checks and reported evidence of compliance, not one first article followed by a thousand unchecked parts.
“It tells you contractually what is a good or bad part, but it’s also a place for what would otherwise be house knowledge to live.”
Michael Dymond, Product Manager, A3D Manufacturing
Switching From SLA to MJF? Track the Revision
You can move a part from SLA to MJF without changing the geometry, but the process, finish, and material notes change, so the drawing needs a new revision. Making more parts than ever exposes tweaks like this, and Michael points out that the geometry is often what stays put. The update might be to a GD&T callout, an inspection definition, or the technology that builds the part.
Michael’s example is exactly that: Deciding, as production gets started, to switch from SLA to MJF. Without a clean revision trail, nobody can later tell which parts were made which way. With one, an investigation can isolate the variable quickly — and, as David notes, the same record shows where the job got more efficient.
Material Certs, Traceability, and Shop Capacity
Regulated work needs a controlled, certified material with certs and traceability, a process that doesn’t hinge on one machine, and a partner with realistic capacity. Filament bought for a home printer, Michael notes, is likely to fall short on the traceability a government job requires.
Michael’s cautionary tale came from the week before the recording. A customer’s part was built around one particular printer model, which reached end of life one to two years ago. Parts can still be made that way for now, but the clock is running, so the smart move is to pivot early.
David’s version is the long-time technician who retires to an RV tour. If the process is documented, the shop keeps running. Michael’s answer to both is redundancy — moving the work to another person or machine in a pinch — and a drawing package that carries what would otherwise leave with a person, whether through turnover or a project moving from one vendor to A3D.
“Everyone wants to think that their product is going to sell a million units the first year, right? But realistically, you need to find a shop that’s in alignment.”
Michael Dymond, Product Manager, A3D Manufacturing
Alignment means a partner sized for your volume today that can grow with you as sales multiply over the next two, three, or five years. Repeat runs also reveal small fixes, like a jig or nesting fixture for the step where work piles up — and each one makes lead times easier to promise.
How Volume Changes a 3D Printing Quote
A production 3D printing quote is most useful when it’s run on realistic monthly, quarterly, or yearly demand, because a quantity-one price includes no economy of scale. Michael regularly sees a customer open a first-ever quote at quantity one and wonder whether the product can survive at that price. Quoting realistic demand lets the shop work out your cadence.
He also separates two ideas buyers blur. Speed is how fast the first part arrives after kickoff. Throughput is what the shop can turn out week after week once the job is running. If you know your demand well enough to line up three to six months of production, the work can be planned around throughput instead of rush orders. Michael says the technicians at A3D value that runway, and that A3D passes it along to customers as more relaxed production pricing.
Over-ordering costs too. David warns that inflating quantities for a lower unit price can leave unsold parts on a shelf. Michael’s reply: Warehousing is expensive. His advice is to commit to the highest quantity you are confident you can actually move in a realistic time frame.
What Paperwork Ships With Regulated Parts?
In aerospace, defense, and energy, the traceability package can matter as much as the part, and one line item can ship with several supporting documents. Nobody loves documentation, but Michael says aerospace, defense, and energy can’t avoid it, especially given how much attention CUI and export control are getting.
Writing a fresh process plan for every part and customer would mean starting from zero hundreds of times a year, which is why a quality management system matters. Frameworks such as ISO 9001 and AS9100 set the baseline for how we check and record work — see our certifications — and each customer’s specific reporting needs are added on top.
“It’s not uncommon for us to ship one line item that’s quantity 20 and it’s got seven different supporting documents.”
Michael Dymond, Product Manager, A3D Manufacturing
Sort this out before the big order. Michael’s warning: Don’t reach the launch of a 10,000- or 100,000-unit run and only then discover the traceability and compliance chain aren’t set up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is one first article inspection enough for bridge production?
No. Michael says production needs periodic checks and reported evidence of compliance, not one first article followed by the next 1,000 parts.
Can a jig or fixture speed up bridge production?
Yes. A quick jig or nesting fixture can relieve a step that’s always a bottleneck, which de-risks the supply chain and makes lead times easier to commit to.
What happens to house knowledge when I switch 3D printing vendors?
It should travel on the drawing. Michael recommends specifying build parameters, build orientation, and finishing order, so a project moving from one vendor to A3D doesn’t depend on knowledge locked in someone’s head.
Next in the Series: Scaling with Confidence
Key takeaways from Episode 4:
- A production part is made by a crew, so the instructions have to be written down
- Put acceptance criteria, material, and build details on the drawing
- Quote to realistic demand and plan around throughput, not first-part speed
The final episode, Scaling with Confidence, airs Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET, and covers managing cost, lead time, quality, and supplier strategy as production needs grow. Register once for the series and every session is available on demand.
Getting a part ready for bridge production? Send us the drawing package and realistic volumes, and we’ll help sort out inspection, materials, and throughput before you ramp. Send the CAD for an on-demand quote, or talk with us about the path that fits your quantity and risk.
