Imagine printing an entire, functional smartphone in your home or office. 3D printing (3DP), aka additive manufacturing (AM), could redefine the factory of the future as a device that fits on a desktop.

That goal is still a way off, but 3D printing is already building electronic products, such as connectors, printed-circuit boards, RF amplifiers, solar components, embedded electronics and enclosures. Advancements in printing technologies and materials have helped 3D printing realize its industrial potential, according to a report compiled by Hubs, an online manufacturing platform.

“As an industry, we are definitely at an inflection point where a lot of people are comfortable printing end-use parts,” said Sam Manning, a spokesman for $101 million Markforged, a 3D-printer manufacturer. “That’s a big difference from even five years ago.”

Quantity of parts 3D printed in 2022.

Across the manufacturing sector, 3DP solves a lot of problems endemic to the industry. Manufacturers no longer have to rely on overseas partners for prototyping and production. Designs can securely be downloaded directly to printers, reducing the risks of IP theft. Components can be built at their point of consumption in the exact quantities needed. This frees businesses from minimum-order requirements and shipment/delivery lead times. In supply chain parlance, 3DP is “just-in-time on steroids.”

Global $29.72 billion EMS provider Flex identified 3DP as a pillar of its Industry 4.0 strategy several years ago. Design and manufacturing teams often have conflicting visions of how a product should be built. 3D manufacturing narrows that gap by providing instant prototypes and models. As the product is developed, 3D creates a digital repository for every step in the process. Design changes can be quickly incorporated and a new 3D model built.

Manufacturers also realize the cost and sustainability benefits of 3DP. Waste, from raw materials to cardboard boxes, is largely eliminated. Inventory no longer has to be stored and maintained in warehouses. Shipping and delivery costs are minimal. And process automation is advancing print speed, quality and consistency through slicer optimization, smart-part orientation, batch layouts and post-processing, according to the Hubs report.

Slicing is the process of converting a 3D model into a set of instructions for the printer.

“Factories will no longer have to go through storage every year to make sure you have the right parts in stock or, on the off chance you don’t have the part you need, sit around and wait,” Manning said. “The model is now ‘take one, make one.’”

There is a growing number of software solutions that link and automate the various stages in the 3D-printing production chain. Markforged develops its own software. A fully automated workflow enables lights-out 3D printing, with factories that require little to no human supervision.

“Our software makes sure that slicing is accurate and simulates the part before you even print it to make sure tensile strength is there,” Manning said. “From there, you now have a digital repository of parts.”

What’s new

The 3DP/AM universe is comprised of hardware (mostly printers), materials and software. There have been significant developments in the large-format metal AM space, Hubs reports. SLM Solutions is building a laser-powder-bed–fusion system with a 1.5-meter Z-axis for the U.S. Air Force, which will use multiple lasers to produce large-scale metal parts.

Large-scale composite specialist Caracol is developing a near-net–shape metal wire arc AM system that uses metal wire feedstock and a robotic welding arm to create large structures or repair metal parts.

To date, the largest 3DP product is a trim tool used by Boeing. The tool holds Boeing’s 777x’s wing skin while it’s being machined and drilled.

3DP materials include an ever-growing variety of engineering thermoplastics and resins, composites, polymer powders and metal powders. Electrostatic-discharge resins are enabling applications in electronics, damping elastomer resins in wearables and flame-retardant materials in transport and other industries. In fused deposit modeling, there have been breakthroughs in non-planar printing, with software that enables the printing of curved lines, eliminates supports for overhangs and improves vertical strength.

“We don’t just manufacture printers,” Manning said. “We make our materials and handle the software. When you have an entire ecosystem working together, all constantly learning from AI and ML, it is going to increase the adoption [of 3DP].”

Markforged can instantly send a design to any one of 13,000 connected printers that are ISO-certified for security. “When you think about being able to work around current supply chain problems, all you have to do is hit ‘send’ and ‘print,’” Manning said.

Use cases for 3DP

Whether the product is a smartphone or a gasket, 3DP is extremely well-suited for prototyping, tooling and mass customization. Prototypes assess a product’s design and functionality before full-scale production. New designs or features can be iterated, tested and validated with greater agility.

“I think one of the biggest things we will see adopted is, rather than using AM for rapid prototyping and printing, you would be able to iterate your products in the cloud before you even press ‘print,’” Manning said. “You’ll know exactly what specifications the part is going to have in regard to strength and durability.”

Top 3D-printing applications.Top 3D-printing applications

Tooling involves creating specialized equipment for production. With the ability to produce tools, jigs, fixtures and assembly aids on demand, 3D printing can minimize machine downtime, increase production agility and unlock custom solutions. Toyota uses AM for tooling, citing agility, faster lead times and design freedom as the three main benefits.

3D printing also presents an economically viable method for low-volume manufacturing. Businesses can offer limited-edition products and spare-parts production, all while minimizing costs. Toyota is using HP 3D printing to create replacement parts on demand as well as short-run end-use components.

Cost-effective mass customization is enabled by 3DP. CAD files can be modified depending on customer needs and products can be printed in batches. Tech startup Formify uses 3D printing to produce custom ergonomic computer mice based on images of the customers’ hands.

“The supply chain is trying to run as efficiently as possible,” Manning said. “But what’s happening broadly in the market is more people want customized products. So inherently you are producing less volume per item, so instead of shipping maybe 50 pieces, shipping five pieces is more compact. What 3DP is able to do is print those five items on-site. Most businesses are worried about their bottom line. Once you are able to customize at low volumes, more companies are going to look at [3DP] and find ways that can benefit the company.”

Serial production is a process of creating multiple identical products, in succession, for high efficiency. As workflows are increasingly digitalized and automated, it is easier for manufacturers to produce parts around the clock, Hubs reports. In 3D printing, serial production is especially viable for small parts because several of them can fit into a single build. For example, Protolabs leverages a fleet of 150 3D printers, turning out as many as 1 million parts per year.

Sustainability

Manufacturers are under constant pressure to increase efficiency and cut costs while also being responsible stewards of the environment. 3DP is playing a leading role in manufacturers’ green initiatives. For example, it generates less material waste than subtractive manufacturing processes, such as computer-numerical–control (CNC) machining. For powder-based printing, it’s possible to reuse and recycle powder.

3DP also consumes less power. Markforged customer Athena Manufacturing does lights-out manufacturing. Athena has robots that remove print beds, set them aside and put on a fresh print bed. Then a second robot hits the ‘print’ button. “They’re constantly churning out parts—not rapid prototypes, but parts that are going to customers,” Manning said.

AI-powered software tools are also helping to reduce additive waste by minimizing the risk of failed prints and optimizing CAD designs for the printing process, according to Hubs.

As a digital fabrication method, 3D printing can produce parts locally, eliminating the need for complex logistics and transport. Distributed manufacturing networks can facilitate local 3D printing by providing access to qualified manufacturers all over the world. Intelligent part design is helping the aerospace and automotive industries achieve better fuel efficiency. By lightweighting an increasing number of components, aircraft and vehicles can consume less fuel. Reducing an aircraft’s weight by 20% can lead to 10% better fuel efficiency, Hubs reported.

Finally, long-lived equipment like cars and aircraft can extend their useful life. Components used in these products frequently become obsolete. 3D printing can produce replacement parts on demand. Spares can be printed at home or at the office.

In 2022, the 3DP market, which included revenue from 3D-printing systems, software, materials and services, reached $17 billion at an annual growth rate of 13%, according to Hubs. Its 2023 predictions rely on a compound annual growth rate of 17%, to $19.9 billion for 2023.

“3D printing is another tool for engineers,” Manning said. “It’s not going to replace traditional manufacturing. But engineers are beginning to take courses in additive manufacturing. When designing, thinking in terms of additive manufacturing is very different. In five years’ time, we hope engineers will think additively as well as traditionally.”

By: DocMemory
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