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Direct manufacturing undoubtedly has given 3D printing technology an edge above others as the design gets directly transformed into a physical product through the means of a computer and printer. Indeed, 3D printing is a boon for imaginative minds to shape their design ideas into reality in no time.

With industries such as automotive, aerospace & defense, healthcare, and education strongly adopting 3D printing, anything in someone’s imagination could be forged into a 3D model very soon. 3D printing is certainly sharpening its present potential across rapid prototyping to make manufacturing less expensive, better, stronger, and also faster.

3D Printing Technolgy :

Every 3D printer builds parts based on the same main principle: a digital model is turned into a physical three-dimensional object by adding material a layer at a time. This where the alternative term Additive Manufacturing comes from.

In 3D printing, no special tools are required (for example, a cutting tool with certain geometry or a mold). Instead, the part is manufactured directly onto the built platform layer-by-layer, which leads to a unique set of benefits and limitations.

The available materials also vary by process. Plastics are by far the most common, but metals can also be 3D printed. The produced parts can also have a wide range of specific physical properties, ranging from optically clear to rubber-like objects.

Depending on the size of the part and the type of printer, a print usually takes about 4 to 18 hours to complete. 3D printed parts are rarely ready-to-use out of the machine though. They often require some post-processing to achieve the desired level of surface finish. These steps take additional time and (usually manual) effort.

 Type of 3D Printing Technology–

The ISO/STM 52900 standard categorized all different types of 3D printing under one of these seven groups:

• Material Extrusion (FDM):Material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle or orifice
• Vat Polymerization (SLA&DLP):Liquid photopolymer in a vat is selectively cured by UV light
• Powder Bed Fusion (SLS, DLMS&SLM):A high-energy source selectively fuses powder particles
• Material Jetting (MJ):Droplets of material are selectively deposited and cured
• Binder Jetting (BJ):Liquid bonding agent selectively binds regions of a powder bed
• Direct Energy Deposition (LENS, LBMD):A high-energy source fuses material as it is deposited
• Sheet Lamination (LOM, UAM):Sheets of material are bonded and formed layer-by-layer

Advantages of 3D Printing:

1. Flexible Design

Another big advantage of 3D printing is that any given printer can create almost anything that fits within its build volume. With traditional manufacturing processes, each new part or change in part design, requires a new tool, mold, die, or jig to be manufactured to create the new part.

In 3D printing, the design is fed into slicer software, needed supports added, and then printed with little or no change at all in the physical machinery or equipment.3D printing allows the creation and manufacture of geometries impossible for traditional methods to produce, either as a single part, or at all.

 Such geometries include hollow cavities within solid parts and parts within parts.3D printing, in contrast to traditional methods, allows the inclusion of multiple materials into a single object, enabling an array of colors, textures, and mechanical properties to be mixed and matched.

3D printing allows any user, even those with limited CAD experience, to edit designs however they like, creating unique, customized new parts. This also means any given design can be manufactured in a wide range of different materials.

2. Reduce waste with additive manufacturing.

In the automotive industry, many parts are built using CNC machining processes. Known as subtractive manufacturing, parts start as a solid block of aluminum or steel. Different tools remove material until the final part emerges. The biggest problem with this type of manufacturing is the waste generated during the process. Metal shavings need to be collected, cleaned, and recycled, adding both time and cost. Cooling fluids, which reduce heat and friction during machining, are also costly and require recycling. The 3D printing process eliminates much of this clean-up saving time and reducing waste.

3. Advance HealthCare.

3D printing is making a huge impact on people who need artificial limbs. Prosthetics are complex, sophisticated systems built to replace human body parts. Each product must fit the particular patient to be effective. 3D printing revolutionizes the process of designing and building artificial limbs because it is completely customizable. According to Jason Bara, an associate professor at the University of Alabama, “The most challenging part is to tailor the prosthetic to the patient, taking measurements, etc. The design process is entirely digital after that, and with a reliable 3D printer, the prosthetic could be produced within hours to a few days at most.”

4. Save weight with complex part designs.

Aerospace companies are always looking for ways to save weight on their airplanes. Every ounce saved means more weight is available for passengers or cargo. But it’s crucial to maintain the strength and integrity of the aircraft. Designers often use complex matrix designs to achieve this. These parts are difficult to produce with traditional machining techniques. 3D printing is a perfect solution for building these complex parts.

5. Print on Demand

 3D Printing doesn’t need a lot of space to stock inventory, unlike traditional manufacturing processes which required a lot of tools and material. This saves space and costs as there is no need to print in bulk unless required.

The 3D design files are all stored in a virtual library as they are printed using a 3D model as either a CAD or STL file, this means they can be located and printed when needed. Edits to designs can be made at very low costs by editing individual files without wastage of out of date inventory and investing in tools.

6. Rapid Prototyping.

In comparison to tedious traditional manufacturing processes, digital designs for 3D printing can be rapidly prototyped in a fraction of the time. This translates into much shorter and cheaper design cycles that put prototypes in the hands of designers as fast as possible. This ultimately brings a product to market faster. Additive manufacturing also allows for the rapid design of prototypes, thereby avoiding significant reworking delays calling for multiple design iterations or requiring tooling changes.

7. Ease of Access

3D printers are becoming more and more accessible with more local service providers offering outsourcing services for manufacturing work. This saves time and doesn’t require expensive transport costs compared to more traditional manufacturing processes produced abroad in countries such as China

8. Environmentally Friendly

As this technology reduces the amount of material wastage used this process is inherently environmentally friendly. However, the environmental benefits are extended when you consider factors such as improved fuel efficiency from using lightweight 3D printed parts.

Disadvantages of 3D Printing.

1. Limited Materials

While 3D printing is a significant manufacturing breakthrough, materials that can be used are still limited, and some are still under development. For example, the 3D printing material of choice is plastic. Plastic is preferred as it can quickly and easily be deposited down in melted layers to form the final product. However, plastic may vary in strength capacity and may not be the best for some components. Some companies offer metal as a material, but final product parts are often not fully dense. Other specialized materials including glass and gold are being used but are yet to be commercialized.

2. Post Processing

Although large parts require post-processing, as mentioned above, most 3D printed parts need some form of cleaning up to remove support material from the build and to smooth the surface to achieve the required finish. Post-processing methods used include water jetting, sanding, a chemical soak and rinse, air or heat drying, assembly, and others. The amount of post-processing required depends on factors including the size of the part being produced, the intended application, and the type of 3D printing technology used for production. So, while 3D printing allows for the fast production of parts, the speed of manufacture can be slowed by post-processing.

3.Large Volumes

If you need a large number of parts, generally anything greater than a couple of hundred units, 3D printing is not the best production process. When seeking to produce large volumes, it may be the most cost-effective to injection mold the part. While the initial investment for injection molding may be much higher than that of 3D printing, the cost per unit becomes significantly cheaper when producing large volumes. 3D printing’s cost remains static.

4. Part Structure

3D printing (also known as Additive Manufacturing) parts are produced layer-by-layer. Although these layers adhere together it also means that they can delaminate under certain stresses or orientations. This problem is more significant when producing items using fused deposition modeling (FDM), while polyjet and multijet parts also tend to be more brittle. In certain cases, it may be better to use injection molding as it creates homogenous parts that will not separate and break.

5. Reduction in Manufacturing Jobs

3D printing technology can make product designs and prototypes in a matter of hours as it uses only one single step. It eliminates a lot of stages that are used in subtractive manufacturing. As a result, it doesn’t require a lot of labor costs. As such, adopting 3D printing may decrease manufacturing jobs. For countries that rely on a large number of low skill jobs, the decline in manufacturing jobs could dramatically affect the economy. Robotics will likely have a much larger impact here.

6. Design Inaccuracies

Another potential problem with 3D printing is directly related to the type of machine or process used, with some printers having lower tolerances, meaning that final parts may differ from the original design. This can be fixed in post-processing, but it must be considered that this will further increase the time and cost of production.

7. Restricted Build Size

3D printers currently have small print chambers which restrict the size of parts that can be printed. Anything bigger will need to be printed in separate parts and joined together after production. This can increase costs and time for larger parts due to the printer needing to print more parts before manual labor is used to join the parts together.

8. Copyright Issues

As 3D printing is becoming more popular and accessible there is a greater possibility for people to create fake and counterfeit products and it will almost be impossible to tell the difference. This has evident issues around copyright as well as for quality control.

MaXellence Engineering technologies bring to you a team of highly trained and experienced working professionals who with there expertise are capable of offering top-notch 3D printing services.