3D Printing

3D printing is making 3D solid objects from a digital file, achieved using additive processes. In this process, an object is created by laying down successive layers of the material until the object is created. Every layer of the 3D model can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the thing.

3D printing is completely reverse of subtractive manufacturing, defined as cutting out a piece of material with, for instance, a milling machine.

With the help of 3D printing, you can produce more complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.

3D Printing Industry

Adopting 3D printing has reached critical mass as those who have not integrated it in their supply chain are a part of shrinking minority. At some time, 3D printing was considered for prototyping, but now it is rapidly transforming into a production technology. Most of the current demand for 3D printing is industrial—acumen. Research and Consulting forecast the global 3D printing market will hit $41 billion by 2026.

3D printing technology is destined to transform nearly every industry and change the way of living, working, and playing in the future.

Automotive Industry

Car manufacturers have already been using 3D printing for a long time. They print spare parts, tools, jigs, fixtures, and end-use parts. 3D printing has enabled on-demand manufacturing, leading to lower stock levels and shortened design and production cycles.

Automotive enthusiasts worldwide are using 3D-printed parts to restore old cars. For example, Australian engineers printed parts to bring a Delage Type-C back to life, and in doing so, they had to print parts that had been out of production for decades.

Aviation Industry

The aviation industry also uses 3D printing. GE Aviation printed 30K Cobalt-chrome fuel nozzles for its leap aircraft engines using 3D printing. They achieved that milestone in October 2018. They produce 600/week on 3D printers, which is much higher than now.

Around twenty individual parts that previously had to be welded together were consolidated into one 3D printed component that weighs 25% less and is five times stronger. The leap engine is the best-selling engine in the aerospace industry due to its high efficiency. GE saves $3 million/aircraft by 3D printing the fuel nozzles, so this single 3D-printed part generates hundreds of millions of dollars of financial benefit.

GE fuel nozzles also made their way into the Boeing 787, but it's not the only 3D-printed part in the 787. The 33-centimetre-long structural fittings that hold the aft kitchen galley to the airframe are 3D printed.

They chose to specialize in titanium because it has a very high strength-to-weight ratio and is relatively expensive, meaning the reduction in waste enabled by 3D printing has a more significant financial impact than cheaper metals, where material waste costs are easier to absorb.

Rather than sintering metal powder with a laser, the Norsk Merke 4 uses a plasma arc to melt a metal wire that can deposit up to 10kg of titanium/hour. A 2kg titanium part would require a 30kg block of titanium to machine it from, generating 28kg of waste, but 3D printing the same amount requires only 6kg of titanium wire.

Who invented 3D printing?

Hideo Kodama developed the first 3D printing manufacturing machine at Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute, and he invented two methods for 3D model fabrication.

When was 3D printing Invented?

Building on Ralf Baker's work in the 1920s for making decorative articles, Hideo Kodama's early work in laser cured rapid resin prototyping was completed in 1981. His invention was expanded over the next three decades, with the introduction of stereo lithography in 1984. Chuck Hull of 3D Systems invented the first 3D printer in 1987, which used stereo lithography.

This was followed by developments such as selective laser sintering and selective laser melting, among others. Other expensive 3D printing systems were developed in the 1990s-2000s, although the cost dropped dramatically when the patents expired in 2009, opening up the technology for more users.

How does a 3D printer work?

3D printing is a type of additive manufacturing that uses the material to build layers into 3D objects. It prints by adding material one drop at a time. The 3D printer draws a shape on a flat surface and another on top until the model is complete.

Many materials are used to create these layers, but the ones you are most likely to use are melted plastic and UV resin. Which type you use will depend on the result you want to achieve. The best 3D printers automate a lot of the process, but there is still a lot of trial and error to get it right.