Despite generating quite a buzz in the consumer market, 3D printing’s star has fizzled a little bit. While the technology might not be talked about in media as much as it was a couple years ago, it has been undergoing some pretty significant developments and is becoming increasingly pervasive. While it might not be obvious, 3D printing is now widely used manufacturing where it has been used to create prototypes for use in the aerospace, automotive, engineering, and medical sectors.
While 3D printing maybe hasn’t yet lived up to some of mainstreamream hype, the technology has clearly shown that it can create more than just prototypes. General Electric’s decision to buy two major 3D printing companies for $1.5 billion is a pretty clear indicator that the technology is relevant. The company’s aviation division also made a promise to print more 3D parts for use in planes to make the engines lighter and more efficient.
3D printing has been described as a valuable part of every step of the product development process, but up til now it hasn’t quite broken through. But if the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month is anything to go by, it seems like 3D printing is primed to make a splash in 2017.
The State of 3D Printing
CES is one of the most exciting annual events as it’s a chance for brands to highlight what they have been working on and what can be expected of them. The 3D printing showcase at the Las Vegas event didn’t disappoint as there were a number of exhibitions showcasing just what’s possible in the world of 3D printing.
While AI and machine learning are getting most of the hype these days, 3D printing is gearing up to change how things are designed and made. And these kinds of changes can be revolutionary — just think of the changes brought about by the industrial revolution, which was a change in how things were designed and made. While 3D printing is mainly used in industry, it was the consumer side of it that took off a few years ago. Now, we are really beginning to see just how much of an impact 3D printing can have.
In January 2017, MIT researchers revealed that they have created 3D-printable graphene, a material that is extremely thin, which can be used to create materials that are so light but 10 times stronger than steel. The stuff is so incredibly thin, though, that up till now it wasn’t known how to take advantage of it for manufacturing. Well, additive manufacturing is all about thin layers, isn’t it? When and if it can be produced in large quantities, the world could see lightweight aircraft and cars which then lead to fuel savings and less carbon emissions.
A startup in Dubai was also able to print 200 square meters of concrete each day using “Minitank”, the name they gave their 3D-printing crane. This automated process allows for the faster construction of buildings – a rate 50% quicker than using conventional techniques.
Big companies are also making moves in the 3D printing market, particularly GE and Siemens. The former purchased Concept Laser while the latter purchased an 85% stake in Materials Solutions. Siemens is also collaborating with HP for 3D printing as well as with laser manufacturer Trumpf for the industrialization of laser system technology and the inclusion of metal part additive manufacturing in production.
The Benefits of 3D Printing in Industry
3D printing or additive manufacturing has a number of benefits. One of its greatest advantages is how quick it is to get a product from an idea to reality. The rapid iteration that 3D printing allows means that ideas can be tried and tested in production-grade materials without having to gear up for tooling and molding — a huge time saver. 3D printing provides designers with opportunities to try and fail as much as they can without wasting a lot of resources.
Another draw for 3D printing is that the materials produced can actually be stronger than those made the traditional way. This is especially true for complex assemblies that can be produced as a single part by 3D printers, but would have to be made of multiple parts if cast. GE, for example, printed more than 80,000 fuel nozzles for Leap jet engines. The drawback is that the machines available today couldn’t produce the parts fast enough. GE’s solution to this was acquiring 3D company Morris Technologies.
GE isn’t the only one who has been using 3D printing technology to produce parts. Boeing was one of the first companies to adopt the technology and has since printed thousands of parts for commercial and military planes. SpaceX 3D printed an actual rocket engine!
Ford, too, has been an avid user of 3D printing dating back to the 80s (talk about early adoption!) and has already printed more than 500,000 parts. The company sees the fast production time as a benefit.
The benefits of 3D printing are clear, and more companies are opening their minds to the advantages of such a technology. The CES event at Las Vegas showed the many things that can be done with 3D printing, but what can be expected in 2017?
Trends in 3D Printing for 2017
Here’s a surprising face: 2/3rds of industrial manufacturing firms are already using 3D printing in their regular operations. 3D printing made major strides in 2016 and the industry is set to ride on that success for 2017, and these are the trends that will emerge in 2017:
1. Better Software
Software and hardware need to work together in order to succeed. While printing mostly relies on the hardware, software is needed in order to create the 3D object to be printed. For the design and manufacturing process to be more efficient, it helps to have just one package for both subtractive and additive manufacturing. Autodesk came to the rescue when it released Netfabb, a single portfolio that combines multiple manufacturing applications into a single package.
Products like Netfabb not only work with the technology available today, but it is also equipped to handle what comes next. It uses a new file extension, 3MF, which is more powerful than STL as it has extensions for machine properties, lattice structures and more.
2. Smaller Products
3D printing isn’t just aimed at the production of large parts. When industries take a chance on additive technology, only then will we know just how far it could go. While most of what we’ve seen are the manufacture of big parts, there is room for the creation of small and complex 3D parts. This is evident in the medical and dental industry which has used 3D printing to produce millions of hearing aids as well as dental appliances such as aligners and crowns. Soon, aerospace and automotive industries will begin 3D printing small 3D parts.
One of the drawbacks at this point is the price. Small 3D parts do not come cheap, relative to the cost of casting and molding. However, this is bound to change when more companies begin to use the technology to create their own tiny products which results in bringing down the price.
3. Wider Adoption
In 2015, Divergent revealed a prototype of a 3D printed supercar called Blade. A year later, the company partnered with car maker Peugeot, signaling an increasing acceptance of additive technology in the automobile industry. At the LA Auto Show in November 2016, Divergent introduced the Dagger, a 3D-printed superbike that again showed the automotive industry the capabilities of 3D printing. It was at CES 2017 where Divergent showed off an actual Blade model and its skeleton. However, nothing has been said about how many units will actually be produced given that most printers these days aren’t suited for mass production.
What is clear is that the automotive industry is slowly embracing 3D printing. This means that we will see a first-generation car with a few 3D-printed parts. Having proven that it works and it’s completely fine, a second generation will be released, featuring even more parts that are 3D printed.
4. New Materials
A lot of companies were involved with metal printing in 2016 so why not build on that by continuing to innovate technologies to create flexible materials? That’s what XJet is doing by suspending small metal particles into liquid then use that for melting metal powders. This process alters the properties of the material resulting in a structure with finer metal grain.
5. More Machines
It’s not enough to have just one or two additive machines for 3D printing. With so many different technologies emerging with different strengths and weaknesses, sometimes you need more machines!
Some companies prefer systems where human touch is not needed. 3D printers require a fair amount of maintenance and care, but they are becoming increasingly automated.
3D printing is here to stay and it will grow, and these are some of the trends to be expected from the industry this year.
Cad Crowd is proud to be a part of this trend! We are home to some of the best designers and engineers from all over the world, many of whom specialize in 3D printing design. Teaming up with us means tapping into years of knowledge and expertise which allows the creation of a high-quality product. We also offer contract additive manufacturing services to help entrepreneurs connect with expert U.S based manufacturers and 3D printers.