Additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a transformative approach to industrial production, by adding layer-upon-layer of material, a computer-controlled process that creates three-dimensional objects shaped into the desired product by parts of it being removed in a variety of ways.

Introduction

Additive Manufacturing (AM) also known as 3D printing builds up a part (or features onto parts) layer by layer from geometry described in a 3D design model whereas in the traditional subtractive manufacturing methods one starts with a solid block of material and then cut away the excess to create a finished part. There are several different additive manufacturing technologies, 3D printing being the most well-known.

Application of Technology

Using Computer-Aided Design, 3D computer models of the required target object are created. Objects can be of almost any shape or geometry and typically are produced using digital model data from a 3D model or another electronic data source. These are uploaded into the metal printer. Using the models as building instructions, the printer, adds a metal powder layer by layer, each time fusing the layer into the solid metal with a high-power laser. In this way, complete 3D objects get constructed by 3D printing or AM by building a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design (CAD) model by successively adding material layer by layer. 3D printed objects are generally very rough and require additional machining and finishing before they can leave the factory as final products.

Some benefits of 3D metal printing an exciting new technology are given below:
Highly efficient, producing minimal waste when compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing
Reduces lead times and total cost of complex components
Ability to create new geometries and designs with complex features and finer details
The products designed could be lighter compared to traditionally designed products
Can be easily tailored for very specific situations like medical implants
Technology is ideal for rapid prototype development

Business Case Example

Early additive manufacturing equipment and materials were developed in the 1980s. Additive Manufacturing is establishing itself as a proven technology that can transform supply chains, empower customization and can disrupt traditional industries. AM is now beginning to make significant inroads, and with the advantages of design for additive manufacturing, it is clear to engineers that much more is to come. With the right application and the right design approach, serial production with 3D Printing is the reality in future. Plastics and metals can be used to create the following product examples: