Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is the technique of creating tangible three-dimensional items by layer-by-layer extrusion of material into the appropriate shapes. In the context of manufacturing, additive manufacturing often refers to the commercial application of 3D printing for tasks including creating fixtures and tools, validating designs through prototyping, and producing low-volume end products.
Why is it called additive manufacturing?
The methodological difference between the way traditional "subtractive" manufacturing procedures and 3D printing work to shape products is where the term "additive manufacturing" gets its etymology. Adding layers of material in various shapes on top of one another is how 3D printers operate. Conventional manufacturing techniques, such cutting away portions of an alloy to manufacture a bolt or hinge, reduce or subtract material to achieve the desired outcome. While additive manufacturing is opening the door to rapid, inexpensive, automated procedures, traditional subtractive manufacturing is infamous for being sluggish, costly, and having design restrictions.
How does additive manufacturing work?
Digital inputs, such as computer-aided design files for industrial parts, are transformed into physical three-dimensional objects through the process of additive manufacturing.
1. Software
A user will export the design as an STL file after obtaining a digital CAD file for their item or parts. For 3D printing, STL files are the accepted file format worldwide. An STL is a solid-body model of a component that can be translated into printing instructions by 3D printing software.
After that, the user imports the part design as an STL file into a program called "slicer" for additive manufacturing. The STL file is then converted by the slicer software into a set of machine instructions for the 3D printer based on the user's selected parts and print settings.
To automate and streamline processes, 3D printing software can interface with production systems like ERP or MES systems via APIs.
2. Hardware
The 3D printer then determines the patterns in which to expel filament material by consulting the machine instructions. The printhead is designed to travel along the X-Y and Z axes, the horizontal and vertical axes, and deposit material at specific locations along the XY and Z axes in accordance with the instructions provided by the 3D printing software. Every successive horizontal layer in the 3D printing process is layered on top of the one before it as an object is constructed from the bottom up. Print tasks are completed when the topmost layer is completed.
3. Materials
Spools of filament are usually used in additive manufacturing for plastic and composite 3D printers. In order to extrude the filament through a tiny nozzle for exact placement, 3D printers heat the filament until it turns into molten plastic. The material dries and solidifies as each layer is finished, allowing the subsequent layer to be printed.
The process of using metals for additive manufacturing differs from that of 3D printing polymers. Usually, these materials for 3D printing come in the form of metal powder. The high melting temperatures of metals make this necessary. Extrusion of metals is not
possible since a 3D printer's extrusion system cannot withstand extended contact with molten metal. Thus, in order to produce metals by additive manufacturing, components must first be printed in powder form and subsequently transformed into a consistent, completely metal item by a high-energy procedure, such as lasering or furnace sintering.
Additive manufacturing materials
Depending on the material's characteristics and the demands of the project, different materials are used in additive manufacturing methods in different proportions (size, time, cost, temperature resistance, etc.) Nonetheless, in contemporary additive manufacturing, three notable material classes emerge as the most dependable options.
1. Plastics
Plastics for additive manufacturing are widely utilized and range in price from low-cost materials for prototyping to flexible, rubbery filaments and high-performance thermoplastics like ULTEM 9085 Filament. Filament spools are commonly used to package plastic products. The most popular plastic materials in today's additive environments are broken down as follows:
Nylon is a strong, flexible plastic that can withstand impact and chemical exposure well.
Polylactic acid, or PLA, is an inexpensive polymer that's frequently used for quick prototyping.
Rubber-like and impact-resistant, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) is a flexible substance.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or ABS, is an additional affordable material. It is more robust and lighter than PLA, although being somewhat weaker.
High-performance thermoplastic ULTEM 9085 Filament is utilized in demanding applications where extreme durability, temperature resistance, and chemical resistivity are necessary.
2. Metals
Metals used in additive manufacturing are usually supplied as powders, either unbound or combined with a binder substance. Among the popular materials on hand are:
Stainless steel 17-4PH is a widespread and adaptable metal utilized in many different industrial manufacturing applications.
Tool steels A2 and D2 are cold work materials that, when heated, provide incredibly high hardness.
Hot work tool steel H13 keeps its material qualities at elevated temperatures.
Copper has widespread application in thermal and electrical processes. It is a superior heat and electrical conductor than conventional metals.
A superalloy based on nickel and chromium is called Inconel. Applications requiring resistance to chemicals, high temperatures, and corrosion call for inconel.
3. Composites
Certain FDM printers are capable of producing composite materials, which are made of plastic and reinforcing fibers to increase the strength, stiffness, durability, and heat resistance of the parts. In order to create composites, fiber materials that are frequently mixed with plastics include:
Carbon fiber, which has a tensile modulus that is almost equal to that of aluminum, a stiffness that is 24 times greater than ABS, and a strength-to-weight ratio that is 50% better than 6061 aluminum. In the transportation, automotive, and aerospace industries, flame-retardant carbon fiber types are frequently utilized.
Applications requiring exceptional durability, shock resistance, and impact resistance are ideally suited for Kevlar Aramid Fiber.
An affordable all-purpose material that is three times stronger and eleven times stiffer than ABS is fiberglass.
Compared to other fibers, HSHT fiberglass keeps its characteristics at incredibly high temperatures — even up to 200°C.
Benefits of additive manufacturing
In contrast to other conventional fabrication techniques, additive manufacturing presents unique technological and commercial advantages:
1. More parts can be produced in-house
Businesses that contract out a fundamental manufacturing capability to a third party create a dependency on the fixtures, jigs, and tooling required to make the finished product. Because of this, manufacturers lose control and are forced to incur higher prices, longer lead times, and less transparency; in addition, quality problems and other complexities need more time and collaboration to resolve. Using additive manufacturing to produce parts internally also enables businesses to better safeguard trade secrets, proprietary inventions, and intellectual property.
2. Cost efficiency
Generally speaking, additive manufacturing is significantly more economical than traditional subtractive manufacturing. When compared to machining, 3D printing tooling
for production can save manufacturers tens of thousands of dollars every month. The majority of manufacturers will see a return on investment from additive manufacturing platforms in a matter of weeks or even months.
3. Design freedom and process flexibility
The restrictions of what the traditional manufacturing process can support often govern the procedures utilized to make items. For instance, starting with sheet metal and bending or stamping it into shape imposes needless limits when creating a bracket using subtractive techniques.
These stages and constraints can be avoided when using additive manufacturing to create designs. Moreover, complicated geometries that are unattainable with conventional manufacturing methods can be produced using 3D printing.
4. Faster lead times
From concept to finished product, additive manufacturing only requires a small portion of the time that subtractive manufacturing techniques require. As long as 3D printers are available, the time it takes to identify a requirement for a part and have it implemented can be reduced from months to only a few hours or days.
5. Increased speed to market
Rapid prototyping made possible by in-house additive manufacturing shortens design cycles. In a fraction of the time it would take to request and receive any part using conventional manufacturing methods, it can make any part.
6. Full supply chain control
Businesses can have complete end-to-end control over their supply chains by utilizing 3D printing platforms. Manufacturers can minimize risk in their supply chain operations and lessen their reliance on outside suppliers.
7. Building a culture of innovation
Employers using additive manufacturing strategies give engineers looking for work the chance to concentrate on creativity and find innovative solutions to challenging design challenges, all the while automating tedious activities and getting rid of pointless limitations associated with subtractive manufacturing methods.
Engineers that have access to in-house 3D printing don't have to worry about labor-intensive procurement tasks like creating purchase orders, coordinating multiple vendors' bids, and designing drawings.
Potential Drawbacks of Additive Manufacturing
While additive manufacturing has many advantages for many different kinds of enterprises, there are certain situations and use cases where it could be detrimental.
Mass Production costs: While additive manufacturing is more expensive per unit when constructing components in big quantities, printing items has a better unit economics in smaller volume production runs.
Limited Throughputs: Historically, limits on build size and speed have impeded the adoption of additive manufacturing. To meet these demands, companies have released a number of more recent 3D printers.
Software Integration Restrictions: The software platforms used in this business are typically vendor-specific and have poor factory and cross-vendor machine integration. Reliability in API integrations across factory systems is limited to a select few providers.
Material Costs: Materials in 3D printable formats could be more expensive than the identical materials in other formats. This is because substantial processing is required to convert materials into a form that is compatible with AM.
State of current additive manufacturing technology
Even though commercial additive manufacturing technologies have been around since the 1980s, both the industry and the technologies itself have undergone substantial change. Due to their inability to produce parts of a high enough quality for end use, earlier 3D printers were only useful for quick prototyping.
There are four primary ways that modern additive manufacturing platforms differ from older 3D printers:
Hardware Improvements: The print quality, part strength, speed, power, and dependability of modern printers have all been greatly enhanced.
Connectivity to Industry 4.0: Cloud computing, data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), automation tools, and software integrations are just a few of the digital technologies that modern additive manufacturing leverages and applies to the fabrication process.
Broader Material Compatibility: More materials are now available for use in additive manufacturing platforms, including a variety of high-performance metals and composites. Applications in new industries are made possible by the new materials.
Standards: Selected additive manufacturing platforms have achieved ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation, which is based on strict data security, privacy, confidentiality, integrity, and governance guidelines.
How organizations use AM across industries
Leading companies in a variety of industries are using additive manufacturing these days to meet certain manufacturing needs:
Aerospace: Additive manufacturing is used by large aircraft original equipment manufacturers. Because I can print tools rapidly and affordably in addition to durable, lightweight end-use parts for airplanes, it helps companies optimize their supply chains.
Consumer products: The process of additive manufacturing is becoming more and more popular for producing final components for goods like electronics and audio equipm
ent.
Dental: Additive manufacturing is used by dentists and orthodontists to create dental models, retainers, aligners, dentures, and more.
Education: Reputable colleges are incorporating additive manufacturing into their labs, makerspaces, and engineering courses in an effort to train the next wave of scientists, engineers, and manufacturers.
Energy: Prominent energy suppliers 3D print components that enable faster, simpler, and more effective wind turbine manufacturing and maintenance than before.
Federal and Defense: The U.S. Air Force and Army are two federal government entities that employ additive manufacturing to speed up research and development
and address supply chain problems since it can print vital end parts from a distance.
Industrial Equipment: Additive manufacturing is used by industrial producers to print end-use parts for different kinds of factory machine systems, construct unique tooling, and shorten go-to-market times.
Medical: Manufacturers of medical equipment and devices are 3D printing everything from tourniquet clips to COVID-19 personal protection equipment in order to meet manufacturing demands through constrained supply chains.
Scientific and Laboratory: Scientific produces finished parts for a range of lab automation systems using 3D printing.