Comparing Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing: An Evaluation Across Seven Criteria

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Subtractive Manufacturing (SM) build parts by opposite mechanisms: AM adds material layer by layer, most commonly through 3D printing, while SM removes material from a solid block until the required shape remains. Although the two are frequently framed as competitors, they are largely complementary, each better suited to different classes of parts. This paper undertakes a structured, literature-based comparison of AM and SM across seven criteria: material utilization, surface finish and dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, production cost, production time, environmental sustainability, and industrial application. To isolate the effect of process from the effect of material, one material is held fixed for each method: Ti-6Al-4V produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) for AM, and 316L austenitic stainless steel machined by Computer Numerical Control (CNC) for SM. Synthesizing findings from recent published research, the analysis shows that neither method is superior across all criteria; rather, the preferred choice depends primarily on production volume, geometric complexity, required tolerance, and material cost. The comparison further indicates that, in current industrial practice, the strongest outcomes often arise not from selecting a single method but from combining both within the same production workflow.