3D Printing
3D printing is a manufacturing process that creates three-dimensional objects by layering materials based on a digital model. It allows for the production of complex and customized designs, making it valuable in various industries such as aerospace, healthcare, and automotive. This technology has the potential to revolutionize traditional manufacturing methods by offering greater flexibility and efficiency.
8 Key excerpts on "3D Printing"
eBook - ePubTech Trends in Practice
The 25 Technologies that are Driving the 4th Industrial Revolution
- Bernard Marr(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...TREND 24 3D and 4D Printing and Additive Manufacturing The One-Sentence Definition 3D Printing (also known as additive manufacturing) means creating a 3D object from a digital file by building it layer by layer; 4D printing is based on the same process but with a twist – namely, a built-in ability for the printed object to transform itself. What Is 3D and 4D Printing and Additive Manufacturing? If there’s one theme that crops up repeatedly throughout this book, it’s the rise of automation. 3D Printing may seem distinctly more low-tech than trends like artificial intelligence (AI) or facial recognition, but it still ties into that theme of business processes becoming more streamlined and automatic. For example, using 3D Printing the factories of the future could quickly print spare parts for machinery on-site, without having to wait for those parts to be shipped half-way around the world. Even entire assembly lines could be replaced with 3D printers. As you can imagine, 3D Printing has the potential to transform manufacturing. But, as we’ll see in this chapter, 3D Printing has much wider applications – from the good (such as printing human tissue for transplants) to the not-so-good (printing weapons) to the that’s-going-to-take-some-getting-used-to (printing food). How does it work, though? Traditional manufacturing tends to be a subtractive process, meaning an object is typically cut or hollowed out of its source material (plastic, say, or metal) using something like a cutting tool. However, 3D Printing is an additive process (hence the name additive manufacturing), which involves creating the object by adding layers upon layers of material, building up until you have the finished object. In other words, you start from nothing and build the object up bit by bit, as opposed to starting with a block of material and cutting or shaping it down into something...
eBook - ePubPrinting on Polymers
Fundamentals and Applications
- Joanna Izdebska-Podsiad?y, Sabu Thomas(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- William Andrew(Publisher)
...Introduction 3-D printing as a technology is evolving quickly, across multiple industries and in multiple directions. Additive processes are used, in which successive layers of material are laid down and cured one at a time under “computer control” to produce 3-D structures. These structures can be of any shape or geometry, produced from a 3-D model source. When considering the advantages of 3-D printing for producing a design for the purpose of testing, it is possible to consolidate many individual parts of an assembly into a single and complex part. It is this approach to design which eliminates part numbers, inventory, assembly, labor, and inspection, which is where the power of 3-D printing remains (Agarwala et al., 1996 ; Dimitrov, Schreve & de Beer, 2006 ; Lopes, Macdonald, & Wicker, 2012 ; Polzin, Spath & Seitz, 2013). The level of interest and activity in 3-D printing is at an all-time high as researchers, investors, and government agencies work toward developing it as a viable future production method. Industries of all types and sizes are now integrating 3-D printing technologies into their production processes. At the high end, aerospace and automotive companies are qualifying these processes and materials for the direct manufacture of 3-D printed parts that go into final products (Figure 18.1). Currently, the power of 3-D printing is that it is possible to use prototypes to redesign parts, quickly and cheaply. By being able to print an object which is hollow and which has a thin outer shell which includes internal lattice structures instead of solid material throughout, this substantially reduces the amount of material, weight, and build time. It is also possible to redesign parts using component optimization methods; this allows for the structure to be optimized with an appropriate durability to cost ratio...
eBook - ePub3D and 4D Printing of Polymer Nanocomposite Materials
Processes, Applications, and Challenges
- Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni, Kalim Deshmukh, Mariam AlAli AlMaadeed(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Elsevier(Publisher)
...The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. 1 Introduction Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a fabrication methodology used for printing 3D objects on the basis of controlled layer deposition of printable material until a final structure is achieved [1, 2]. Since the printing of 3D structure is achieved as a result of layered deposition, this technique is also known as additive manufacturing. 3D Printing is quite opposite to subtractive manufacturing fabrication principle wherein 3D structure is created on the basis of material removal from a solid block of material. The structure in subtractive manufacturing is carved using processes like drilling, sawing, milling, broaching, etc. [ 3 – 5 ]. 3D Printing is often termed as rapid prototyping; however, it is noteworthy that rapid prototyping involves both additive and subtractive manufacturing. These additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies are utilized on the basis of factors like choice of printable material, structural complexity, cost, and the quantity of structures. In fact, the complexity in structural geometry of an object primarily differentiates the two 3D fabrication techniques. The complex designs comprising solid and hollow parts can be fabricated by means of additive manufacturing due to simultaneous printing of hollow and solid parts of the object following a layer-wise deposition [6]. On the other hand, the deliberative choice of material for simpler designs plays a vital role in the structure confinement. The fabrication of plastic- or polymer-based objects is mainly attained using additive manufacturing, whereas the 3D structures obtained from materials like wood, metal, or rocks, etc. are attained by subtractive manufacturing [7]. Each 3D fabrication technique offers its own advantages and disadvantages...
eBook - ePubTechnology Tsunami Alert
Your guide to future technological change and how to emerge a winner
- Eelco Lodewijks(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Austin Macauley Publishers(Publisher)
...Chapter 21 3D Printing, 4D Printing and 5D Printing 3D Printing is one of the most disruptive technologies we are going to see in our lifetimes, as it will change the face of the production of almost anything and everything. NB! One can argue that a 3D printer is just another form of robot, which I believe it is. Using 3D Printing, we can do things we could never do before. 3D Printing is also known as “Additive Manufacturing”, because material is added layer by layer – not necessarily in horizontal layers. Fundamentally, it works like the old ink-jet printers, except that it keeps adding one layer on top of the next. Sometimes these layers are extremely thin, which slows production, and in other situations the layers can be over 50mm thick, like when they are 3D Printing buildings, which allows for very rapid production. When printing things like plastics, exposure to chemicals, water, cool air or oxygen can solidify the liquid plastic; whereas with metal, lasers are used to heat sinter (melt/weld) the powdered alloy materials. 4D printing is about 3D Printing things that then auto-transform or assemble themselves after they are printed, which is especially useful with extremely small things. It is also useful in that they can be printed flat and then inserted through slots, where-after they convert/fold themselves into 3D objects once inside. Therefore, arguably, the 4 th dimension is time. The transformation is usually driven by changes in the molecular structure precipitated by the presence of elements like water, air, heat, cold. 5D printing is misleading, in that there are no added dimensions. It should be called five axis printing technology, as the 3D printers have both moving bases and multiple heads, that can follow curves and print at different angles. This flexibility is useful and often makes the end-product stronger. Although 3D Printing is still evolving, it will become very flexible, fast and pervasive...
eBook - ePub- Frank Thelen, Markus Schorn(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Frank Thelen(Publisher)
...3D Printing Just like today's smartphones have nothing in common with the first calculating machines, the products of the upcoming decades will have little to no resemblance with the products that surround us today. Lin Kayser, Hyperganic 3D Printing, or additive manufacturing (as it is also called), is a revolutionary new way to manufacture components of every description. The way we humans create things is essentially the same as it was back in the Stone Age: We work on a particular block of material with hammers, saws and other tools until we’ve obtained the desired result. Then we take a bunch of the components that go to make up a particular device, machine or the like, and we glue or screw them together. 3D Printing bears no resemblance whatsoever to this process. A 3D printer can conjure just about any type of item from any point in three-dimensional space; it can exert precise control over each point in the 3D Printing range; and it can define a specific material for each such point. 3D Printing is the greatest invention when it comes to manufacturing since nuts, bolts, hammers, and wrenches. The perspectives opened up by this revolutionary technology are so vast and complex that all that’s left for us humans to do is program the software which will autonomously design the products, sit back and let the 3D printers do the rest. The products yielded by 3D Printing will ultimately be of such complexity that they might surpass ordinary human understanding. We simply can not find the perfect shape when there are trillions of possibilities - but software could. Additive Manufacturing production materials are layered onto a surface in order to create a three-dimensional item. Amazingly, no component-specific tools are needed for this process. 3D Printing Technologies 3D printers can already produce plastic, ceramic, metal, paper, glass and concrete objects – and even food products...
- H. B. Muralidhara, Soumitra Banerjee, H. B. Muralidhara, Soumitra Banerjee(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Apple Academic Press(Publisher)
...Unlike conventional manufacturing, which is generally subtractive or material removal, 3D Printing is an additive process where complex geometries and shapes can be made with ease and minimum cost variation. The ideal 3D-printing method is selected based on the material used, accuracy of dimensions, surface finish, construction, mechanical properties, and bonding process being employed. Out of the seven different categories of AM processes defined by ISO/ASTM52900-15, PBF (FDM or FFF) type of printing is the most widely used around the world, due to the expired patent and formation of RepRap community. 3D printers are currently used across a wide range of industries, like aerospace, automobile, manufacturing, education, art and fashion, medical, and hobby. With open-source sharing of the designs and customization of each print, more and more industries are turning to 3D Printing. As a result, through 3D Printing, shorter design cycle time in prototyping and reduced manufacturing cost in industries are achieved. At this rate of development, one can only fathom the effect 3D Printing will have on our lives in the near future. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank the Center for Incubation Innovation Research and Consultancy for their support to publish this work. Manikandan Ilangovan is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT), scholarship. KEYWORDS 3D Printing applications plastics additive manufacturing subtractive manufacturing REFERENCES Atwood, C. ; Ensz, M.; Greene, D.; Griffith, M.; Harwell, L.; Reckaway, D.; Romero, T.; Schlienger, E.; Smugeresky, J. Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS (TM)): A Tool for Direct Fabrication of Metal Parts (No. SAND98-2473C) ; Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA, 1998. Duda, T. ; Raghavan, L. V...
eBook - ePubAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technology
Principles and Applications
- G. K. Awari, C. S. Thorat, Vishwjeet Ambade, D. P. Kothari(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...1 Introduction to Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technology 1.1 Development of Additive Manufacturing Since the 1980s, 3D Printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing, has existed in some form or another. Nevertheless, the technology was neither efficient nor cost-effective enough for most end-products or high-volume industrial manufacturing. Expectations are very high that these shortcomings are about to be eliminated. Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has emerged as a result of developments in a variety of technology sectors. As additive manufacturing continues to gain popularity and its technology rapidly evolves, designers are able to produce better goods faster and cheaper, without thinking about the limitations of conventional manufacturing processes. Unlike other industrial innovations, increased computing capacity and decreased mass storage costs paved the way for the processing of vast volumes of data typical of modern 3D computer-aided design (CAD) models within a realistic timeframe. Nowadays, researchers have become used to having powerful computers and other complex electronic devices around them, and often it can be difficult to understand how the pioneers struggled to build the first AM devices. This subject highlights some of the key moments in the growth of additive manufacturing technology, and how the various technologies converged to the point that they could be merged into AM machines will be explained. The AM technologies milestone will also be discussed. In addition, how the application of additive manufacturing has evolved to include greater functionality and a wider range of applications beyond the initial intention of prototyping will be discussed. Emphasis is also placed on how additive manufacturing affects the automotive and aerospace industries...
eBook - ePub- Amit Bandyopadhyay, Susmita Bose, Amit Bandyopadhyay, Susmita Bose(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Its emergence into the commercial world has been labeled by a variety of names, such as three-dimensional (3D) printing, rapid prototyping (RP), layered manufacturing (LM), or solid freeform fabrication (SFF). Conceptually, AM is an approach where 3D designs can be built directly from a computer-aided design (CAD) file without any part-specific tools or dies. In this freeform layer-wise fabrication, multiple layers are built in the X-Y direction on top of one another to generate the Z or 3rd dimension. Once the part is built, it can be used for touch and feel concept models, tested for functional prototypes, or used in practice. The everyday consumer should realize that AM can be a way to connect with manufacturers on a new level. AM is much more than a process that can be used to make personalized novel items or prototypes. With new developments in AM, we live in an age that is on the cusp of industrialized rapid manufacturing taking over as a process to mass produce products and make it economically feasible to design and create new ones in a timely fashion. As a result, the manufacturing process of sectors across the globe will adapt to these developments while incorporating a new style of customer–manufacturer interaction. AM allows people to contribute to the design process from almost any location at all and will break the barriers of localized engineering and emerge on a global scale. Just as the Internet has given us the ability to spread and access information from any location at all, digital designing and CAD have given people the ability to make, change, and critique designs from anywhere. With AM, those designs can be made and tested from almost any location at all with very little lead time...
