3D Printing in Manufacturing: The Next Big Evolution?
Posted July 16, 2013 & filed under Uncategorized
The future of additive manufacturing five or even ten years down the road is an enigma. No one believes 3D printing technology is a dead end track but industry analysts have to wait for the tea leaves to settle before they can make accurate predictions about the technology’s full impact.
Some insiders believe in an all-out revolution. They imagine the old paradigm of centralized manufacturing will break down, putting power in the hands of DIYers and small boutique shops far & wide. Others predict less extravagant change in the immediate future. They imagine additive manufacturing as the next evolutionary step in manufacturing, providing an alternative to traditional equipment & procedures when they would otherwise be costly or untenable. For our next few posts, we’ll take a look at both sides, starting with the less drastic of the two.
3D printing technology is already being integrated into the existing industry ecosystem. From its beginnings as rapid prototyping technology in the 1980s, additive manufacturing equipment has spread outward into the production sphere. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and stereolithography machines are cropping up alongside the more traditional fleet of lathes, machining tools, and plastic mold injection equipment. With 3D printing technology in its adolescence on the production side, finished products are limited to runs of about a thousand (or slightly more). The real benefit that manufacturers are seeing comes in two major ways: mass customization and the simplification of once complicated and costly processes.
Design schematics are far more malleable with 3D manufacturing technologies. This has become a great boon to manufacturers looking to cater to individual consumers. A shoe manufacturer can take the exact measurements of a customer’s sole and instep, modify the 3D design to fit those measurement parameters, and print an orthopedic slip before moving into more traditional production methods. Fast, ergonomic personalization on a massive scale is becoming less of a pie in the sky dream and more of a reality.
Concepts that were once a costly nightmare to execute are instantly simplified with 3D manufacturing technologies. Leon Wang, director of the Xerox founded PARC Inc think-tank, says, “Printing simplifies making electronics.” Cell phone manufacturers are already using 3D printers, like the Optomec Aerosol Jet, to print antennas directly onto the main unit. A traditionally manufactured cell phone shell acts as the substrate for a focused blast of a silver nanoparticle solution. With the prescribed movements of the printer’s deposition head and thermal/chemical treatment afterward, the manufacturer has a functional product without the added steps of welding, adhesion, or further machining. This process can even be achieved on uneven surfaces and moving machine parts.
3D printers are even beginning to facilitate the repair, upkeep, and augmentation of production level equipment. For those businesses reliant on 24×7 operation, 3D printers are being used to quickly produce replacement parts and substantially cut down on the loss of production hours. 3D printed bar codes on manufacturing equipment provide up to the minute assessments of the wear & corrosion levels of any moving parts. That way, for high friction tools, manufacturers know when to print replacement layers of equal or higher quality onto the existing surface.
In the recent Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, Richard Gryllis of Optomec LENS captured this perspective on additive manufacturing with a few simple words. He said, “we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to do it in a better way.” Only time will tell whether the word evolution or revolution will capture what 3D printing technology is truly all about.
by James Walsh
