3D Printing, or additive manufacturing, is a technique for making a three-dimensional object by depositing material in layers based on a digitally created design.
3D Printing is an additive technique in which layers of material are stacked to construct a 3D part. This contrasts with subtractive manufacturing methods, where the final design is carved out of a larger mass of material. Therefore, 3D Printing generates less wasted material.
3D Printing is also extremely well-suited for creating intricate, customized items, which makes it perfect for rapid prototyping.
What Materials can be used for 3D Printing?
A wide range of materials can be utilized for 3D Printing, including thermoplastic polymers like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), metals in powder form, resins, and ceramics.
Who Pioneered 3D Printing Technology?
The earliest 3D printing manufacturing equipment was created by Hideo Kodama of the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute when he developed two additive techniques for making 3D models.
When did 3D Printing First Emerge?
Building on Ralf Baker’s 1920s work of creating decorative items (US patent 423647A), Hideo Kodama’s early research on laser-cured resin rapid prototyping was finished in 1981. His invention was expanded on over the next three decades, with the debut of Stereolithography in 1984. Chuck Hull of 3D Systems invented the first 3D printer in 1987, utilizing Stereolithography. This was followed by advancements like selective laser sintering and selective laser melting, among others. Other costly 3D printing systems were developed in the 1990s-2000s, although the price of these dropped significantly when the patents expired in 2009, opening up the technology to more users.
3D Printing Technologies
Three main types of 3D printing technologies exist: sintering, melting, and Stereolithography.
· Sintering involves heating materials just below their melting point to create high-resolution objects. Direct metal laser sintering uses metal powder, while selective laser sintering uses thermoplastic powders.
· Melting techniques for 3D Printing include powder bed fusion, electron beam melting, and direct energy deposition. These utilize lasers, electric arcs, or electron beams to melt materials together at high temperatures to print objects.
· Stereolithography uses photopolymerization to produce parts. This technology harnesses the correct light source to interact with the material selectively, curing and solidifying cross-sections of the object in thin layers.
3D Printing Techniques
3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, involves processes categorized into seven groups by ISO/ASTM 52900 additive manufacturing standards. All forms of 3D Printing utilize one of these techniques:
Binder Jetting
Binder jetting works by depositing a thin layer of powdered material like metal, polymer or ceramic onto a build platform. Drops of adhesive are then deposited from a print head to bind the particles together, building up the part layer by layer. Post-processing, like Sintering or infiltration, may be required after printing to finish the part. For example, metal parts can be sintered or infiltrated with a low-melting metal like bronze, while polymer or ceramic pieces can be saturated with glue.
Binder jetting is useful for applications like 3D metal printing, full color prototypes, and large ceramic molds.
Direct Energy Deposition
Direct energy deposition focuses thermal energy like an electric arc, laser, or electron beam to fuse wire or powder feedstock as it’s deposited. The process moves horizontally to build each layer, then layers are stacked vertically to construct the part.
This can be used with various materials including metals, ceramics, and polymers.
Material Extrusion
In material extrusion or fused deposition modeling (FDM), a filament is fed into an extrusion head with a heated nozzle. The head heats, softens, and deposits the material in specific locations where it cools into a layer. The platform lowers and the process repeats for the next layer.
This is cost-effective with fast lead times, but has low accuracy and often needs post-processing for smooth finishes. Parts tend to be weaker in one direction, making them unsuitable for critical uses.
Material Jetting
Material jetting is like inkjet printing but deposits layers of liquid material instead of ink. The layers are cured before depositing the next one. Support structures are needed but can be made of dissolvable material.
Precise jetting produces high-quality full-color parts in various materials but is expensive. The parts tend to be brittle and degrade over time.
Powder Bed Fusion
In powder bed fusion (PBF), a heat source like a laser or electron beam selectively fuses areas of a powder bed to form a layer. Layers build on each other to create a part. PBF includes sintering and melting processes. A blade spreads a thin layer of powder, then a heat source scans and fuses particles. When one layer is complete, the platform lowers for the next layer. The end result is fused parts surrounded by loose powder. Parts are removed and post-processed as needed.
Selective laser sintering (SLS) makes polymer parts with suitable properties and complex geometries since loose powder supports overhangs. But factors have a grainy surface and inner porosity needing post-processing.
Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and selective laser melting (SLM) use a laser to fuse metal powder into layers. SLM fully melts the powder while DMLS only combines it. Both need support structures that are later removed. The high-strength parts may get stress relief after supports are removed.
DMLS and SLM can process exotic alloys. But they are expensive and limited by printer size.
Sheet Lamination
Sheet lamination includes laminated object manufacturing (LOM) and ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM). LOM layers material sheets and adhesive for decorative parts. UAM ultrasonically welds thin metal sheets like aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. It’s low-energy and low temperature.
VAT Photopolymerization
VAT photopolymerization includes Stereolithography & digital light processing. Both selectively cure liquid resin with light to build parts layer by layer. SLA uses a UV laser while DLP flashes image layers onto the vat surface. Parts are cleaned and exposed to sunlight for strength. Supports are removed, and post-processing can improve the finish.
These create intricate, smooth parts with high accuracy, Ideal for prototypes. But brittleness limits functional uses. Supports can leave blemishes needing post-processing. UV light degrades properties over time.
How Much Time Does 3D Printing Require?
The total time required for 3D Printing varies based on several elements, such as the dimensions of the object and the configurations used for Printing. The quality of the final product is also significant when figuring out the printing duration since higher-quality items require more time to manufacture. 3D Printing could take just a few minutes to multiple hours or days – velocity, resolution, and the amount of material are all crucial considerations in this case.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The upsides of 3D Printing comprise:
· Customizable, affordable creation of intricate shapes: This innovation permits the straightforward generation of specially crafted geometric parts where included multifaceted nature doesn’t cost extra. Now and again, 3D Printing is less expensive than subtractive creation strategies as no additional material is utilized.
· Moderate startup costs: Since no forms are required, the expenses related to this assembling process are generally low. The expense of a part is straightforwardly identified with the measure of material utilized, the time taken to assemble the part, and any post-handling that might be required.
· Totally customizable: Since the cycle depends on PC helped plans (CAD), any item changes are not difficult to make without affecting the assembling cost.
· Ideal for fast prototyping: Since the innovation permits little clusters and in-house creation, this interaction is ideal for prototyping, which implies that items can be made quicker than with more customary assembling methods, and without the dependence on outer inventory networks.
· Permits the formation of parts with explicit properties: Even though plastics and metals are the most well-known materials utilized in 3D Printing, there is additional scope for making parts from extraordinarily custom-fitted materials with wanted properties. Along these lines, parts can be made with high warmth obstruction, water repellency, or higher qualities for explicit applications.
The drawbacks of 3D Printing include:
· Can have a lower strength than with conventional manufacture: While some parts, like those produced using metal, have excellent mechanical properties, numerous other 3D printed parts are more fragile than those made by customary assembling methods. This is because the parts are worked up layer-by-layer, which diminishes the strength in the range of 10 and a half.
· Expanded cost at high volume: Enormous creation runs are more costly with 3D Printing as economies of scale don’t affect this cycle as they accomplish different customary techniques. Assessments propose that when making a direct examination for indistinguishable parts, 3D Printing is less financially savvy than CNC machining or infusion forming in overabundance of 100 units, given the parts can be made by customary means.
· Constraints in accuracy: The precision of a printed part relies upon the sort of machine and/or process utilized. Some work area printers have lower resistances than different printers, implying that the last details might somewhat vary from the plans. While this can be settled with post-handling, it should be considered that 3D printed parts probably won’t be careful.
· Post-handling necessities: Most 3D printed parts require some type of post-preparing. This might be sanding or smoothing to make a required finish, the expulsion of help struts which permit the materials to be worked up into the assigned shape, heat treatment to accomplish explicit material properties or last machining.
3D printing technologies and businesses
3D Printing refers to processes used to synthesize three-dimensional objects in which successive layers of material are formed under computer control to create an object. 3D Printing is also known as additive manufacturing, which involves adding material layer by layer until the thing is complete. The 3D printing industry consists of the companies, technologies, and markets involved in designing, manufacturing, and using 3D printers and related services.
3D printing technologies are versatile and have uses across many industries, including:
· Aerospace – 3D Printing allows aerospace companies to produce lightweight yet geometrically intricate parts like blacks in one piece, reducing production times and material waste compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
· Automotive – Car manufacturers use 3D Printing to rapidly prototype new components and small production runs of obsolete or custom parts. This reduces weight and costs. Parts can also be printed overnight for quick testing before larger manufacturing batches.
· Medical – The medical field utilizes 3D Printing to create customized implants and devices matched to patient scans. This significantly lowers costs and speeds up production compared to conventional techniques.
· Rail – The rail industry has implemented 3D Printing to manufacture customized components like armrests and housing covers. It is also used for on-demand repairs of worn rails.
· Robotics – Due to fast production, design freedom, and easy customization, 3D Printing is ideal for the robotics industry. It is used to create tailored exoskeletons and robots with improved efficiency and agility.
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Advantages of using 3D printing technology
3D Printing is a fantastic tool for making custom parts and quickly prototyping ideas with some unique pros but also drawbacks compared to traditional manufacturing. The main upsides and downsides are:
Positives
· Meager initial investment
· Very fast from design to finished part
· Many material options
· Free design flexibility
· Simple customization of each part
Negatives
· Higher cost per part at large volumes
· Lower precision and tolerances
· Weaker materials and uneven properties
· Needs post-processing and support material removal
The current state of 3D Printing
What is the status of 3D Printing today? Has the initial excitement died down? Yes, and now the technology is becoming more mature. Hubs has been around since 2013, and we’ve published a 3D Printing Trend Report annually since 2017. Over those years, we’ve seen the technology reach the peak of overhype, drop through a ‘trough of disillusionment,’ and rebound to where it is now – on an ‘incline of understanding.’
The hype in previous years was based on the prospect of widespread adoption by consumers. This was a misleading interpretation of where the technology could provide value to the world. The most promising uses of 3D Printing are in very specific applications in manufacturing.
