3D printing technology also known as additive manufacturing can be defined as the processes used to produce three-dimensional objects through depositing material, which forms a layer of the required product, based on the provided 3D model. A 3D printer uses a 3D model file and extrudes material layer by layer in the form of a liquid, powder or sheet or even solidifies the material in a certain cross sectional layer.
3D printing allows for the creation of parts to be manufactured as and when it is required hence it is suitable for applications such as prototyping and some direct part production where tools, dies or molds are expensive to make. Compared to the other form of manufacturing through the use of molds or doing some type of mechanical subtraction, 3D printing can come up with complicated shapes without the need for the usual scrap material. Keep on reading to get more information about this revolutionary technology.
How 3D Printing Works
3D printing, the process of applying layers of material to a model is initiated with a digital model of the object that is to be printed: this is usually in CAD format. The model is converted to STL file format, which is the standard format used in 3D printing. Design software divides the STL file into layers, as well as creates tool paths for the 3D printer. The 3D printer then interprets these instructions and goes through a process of layer by layer depositing materials on top of each other in order to come up with the final object.
The materials and technologies of 3D Printing
There are several 3D printing technologies available in the world and all of them have their unique benefits and uses. The most frequently used technologies for 3D printing includes FDM, SLA, SLS, EBM, LOM and others which can use various materials such as metals, polymers, plastics, resins, ceramics, food materials and bio-tissues.
PLA, ABS and other thermoplastics, resin photopolymers, chocolates and other food items are some of the most used materials in desktop 3D printers while Aerospace and automotive parts, medical implants, high-performance engineering metals and other structural metals are the most commonly used materials in industrial 3D printers.
Who are the Major Players in the 3D Printing Industry?
3D printer manufacturers and software companies offer hardware, applications, and materials for 3D printing across industries. The major market players are Stratasys Limited, 3D Systems Incorporated, EOS, GE Additive, HP, Carbon 3D, Formlabs, and many more. Startups in the 3D printing sector are also employing new technologies and approaches The following are some of them include:
The Importance and Uses of 3D Printing
- Prototyping – Helps in the speeding up of designconfirmation and the cyclical manufacturing process.
- Manufacturing – Can make end-use parts for a product on demand, without overburdening the supply side through tooling costs and high volume orders.
- Healthcare – Develops and manufactures individualized personal and prosthetic limbs, tool, bone models.
- Automotive – Lightweight materials for enhanced fuel economy in automobiles or automobiles of various classes.
- Automotive – Eliminates metal mould to use 3D printed mould, spare parts.
- Manufacturing – Builds physical models, building components, concrete form liners.
- Fashion – It allows the possibility of creating highly specialized ones such as accessories, textile products, shoes and so on.
- Food – Adds finishing touches to cakes, chocolates and mimics complex patterns.
Benefits of 3D Printing
- Innovation – Makes shapes that are unachievable in the traditional manner to be made.
- Kinetic efficiency – Transition from idea to model to part creation at a fast pace.
- First, efficiency – it enhances waste reduction, energy consumption and lead time.
- Decentralization – This makes manufacturing more democratic by breaking up large centralised production locations.
- Eco-focus – Promotes the efficient use of resources and minimized material’s environmental impact.
- Reduced tooling – Reduces the costs for manufacture by removal of the tooling factor and; Reduced labor – Reduces the overall cost of manufacture by decrease in the amount of laborrequired.
- Connectivity – Enables downloading or printing of the digital files on local 3D printers.
- Education – It will help to represent concepts through homemade models that would better for learning.
Current Status and Developments into 3D Printing
The process of developing 3D printing technology is still dynamic with new strategies, technology and materials enhancing the technology each year. Modern trends include finer detail and resolution, a use of multiple materials, increasing levels of automation, new and developing uses and areas of expansion such as food or biological materials printing. Adoption continues to expand into mainstream manufacturing as major advances in speed, cost and quality are realized with 3D printing.
The final stages of 3D metal printing now provide vital aerospace and medical parts. Bioprinting constructs vivid human tissue and might one day stop the organ transplant deficit. The use of automation through 3D printing for construction industry will revolutionalize traditional methods of construction. Pant, P. , & Shyjith, M. S. (2017). Industry 4. 0 and 3D Printing: An Analysis of Global Supply Chain Perspective Many experts have predicted that 3D printing is capable of revolutionizing the supply chain and logistics of the world by promoting distributed localized production.
Getting Started with 3D Printing
For beginners and professionals, the opportunities in 3D printing are enormous and everyone is welcome to this exciting world. Using ‘’Tinkercad’’ as an example, it is now possible to have free online software tools that can be used to design 3D printing models. In the consumer space desktop 3D printers are on the rise with better print quality and ease of use along with costs. They are establishments that afford the public an opportunity to use industrial quality 3D printers. Internet based 3D printing companies let upload 3D models and deliver printed parts.
It is important to note that a lot of information exists when it comes to this technology, and this includes tutorials, blogs, videos, training programs and the like. Industrial 3D printer training is often specific to the use of these machines for production purposes and can involve learning how to run these printers at speed and to optimal quality. Since the cost of materials used in 3D printing steadily dropped and more accessible and easy to use tools are being developed, this technology allows more individuals to transform their thoughts into tangible objects.
It provides an outline of technology categorizing it in terms of processes used, materials used in the process, its applications, advantages, new developments among others. Also called as rapid prototyping, 3D printing offers postcard options to remake manufacturing alongside the potential of the ‘democratizing’ production and heralding a new industrial age. It is argued that costs, quality, and capabilities are still progressing to make 3D printing the next generation of manufacturing for the future.
