Remember when 3D printers
seemed to be the topic of every headline?
While the hype has mostly faded away,
and you probably won't have one in your kitchen
or living room anytime soon,
3D printing technologies have been rapidly maturing
behind the scenes.
Many types of businesses you might not even think of
are already using 3D printers
and more will continue to do so
as the range of applications continue to expand.
In this video, we'll show you how 3D printing works,
and the most common technologies, benefits, and applications.
3D printing, also aptly called additive manufacturing,
creates three-dimensional parts
by building up material, layer by layer,
based on digital models
created using computer-aided design, or CAD.
While 3D printing technologies
have been around since the '80s,
recent advances in machinery, materials, and software
have made them accessible to a wider range of businesses
beyond a few high-tech industries.
Today, desktop and benchtop 3D printers
accelerate innovation and growth across various industries,
including engineering, manufacturing, dentistry, healthcare,
education, entertainment, jewelry, audiology, and more.
But how, exactly, does 3D printing work?
First, digital 3D models
are either designed using CAD software
or developed from a 3D scan.
Then, the design is imported
into a print preparation software to specify print settings
and slice the digital model into layers
that represent horizontal cross-sections of the part.
These instructions are then sent to the printer.
There are many ways to transform digital models
into physical parts.
Some 3D printers use a laser to cure liquid resin
into hardened plastic,
while others fuse small particles of powder
at high temperatures,
or melt plastic filament to build parts.
Depending on the technology and the material,
the printed parts generally require
some sort of post-processing,
such as washing, depowdering,
removing support structures, post-curing, or sanding.
3D printed parts can then be used directly
or post-processed further for specific applications
by smoothing, painting, coating, and more.
Forget about the layers,
today, you often wouldn't be able to tell
that parts have been 3D printed.
While there are 3D printers that can print metal,
wood, and concrete,
the most common type of 3D printers print plastics.
The three most established plastic 3D printing technologies
are fused deposition modeling (or FDM),
stereolithography (or SLA),
and selective laser sintering (or SLS).
FDM is the most widely used form
of 3D printing at the consumer level,
fueled by the emergence
of affordable machines for hobbyists.
FDM 3D printers build parts
by melting an extruding thermoplastic filament,
which a printer nozzle deposits layer by layer.
FDM printers work with a range of standard thermoplastics,
such as ABS, PLA, and various blends.
The technique is well suited
for basic proof-of-concept models,
as well as quick and low-cost prototyping of simple parts.
SLA was the world's first 3D printing technology,
and it remains one of the most popular technologies
for professionals.
SLA resin 3D printers work by using a laser
to cure liquid resin into hardened plastic
and a process called photopolymerization.
Because SLA parts have the highest resolution and accuracy,
the clearest details, and the smoothest surface finish
of all plastic 3D printing technologies,
resin 3D printing is a great option
for producing highly detailed prototypes
and parts requiring tight tolerances and smooth surfaces,
such as molds, patterns, and functional parts.
SLA 3D printing also offers the widest range of materials
for various applications.
It's used in a range of industries
from engineering and product design to manufacturing,
dentistry, medicine, jewelry, model making, and education.
SLS is the most common additive manufacturing technology
for industrial applications.
SLS 3D printers use a high-powered laser
to fuse small particles of polymer powder.
The unfused powder supports the part during printing,
eliminating the need for support structures.
This makes SLS ideal for complex geometries,
including interior features, undercuts,
thin walls and negative features.
Parts produced with SLS printing
have excellent mechanical characteristics,
with strength resembling that of injection-molded parts.
The most common material
for selective laser sintering is nylon,
a popular engineering thermoplastic
that is lightweight, strong, and flexible, as well as stable
against impact chemicals, heat, UV light, water, and dirt.
The combination of low cost per part,
high productivity, and established materials
make SLS a popular choice
among engineers for functional prototyping,
and a cost-effective alternative to injection molding
for limited-run or bridge manufacturing.
Wondering what makes 3D printing so beneficial
to so many different industries?
First, it's fast.
With traditional manufacturing processes,
it can take weeks or months to produce a part
as you first need to create tooling,
while 3D printing turns CAD models
into physical parts within a few hours.
This allows designers and engineers to develop ideas faster
and companies to bring products more quickly to the market.
Second, it cuts cost.
With 3D printing, there's no need for the costly tooling
and set up associated with traditional manufacturing tools.
While traditional processes
like injection molding are still cheaper,
and might always remain cheaper for mass production,
3D printing can increasingly complement
or replace these methods for a growing range
of low to mid-volume production applications.
Third, it offers unprecedented design freedom.
3D printers can create complex shapes and parts,
such as overhangs, microchannels,
and organic shapes, that would be costly
or even impossible to produce
with traditional manufacturing methods.
This provides the opportunity to consolidate assemblies
into fewer individual parts to reduce weight,
alleviate weak joints, and cut down on assembly time,
as well as unleash completely new possibilities
for design and engineering.
Which brings us to the last point: customization.
From shoes to clothes and bicycles,
we're surrounded by products
made in limited, uniform sizes
as businesses standardize products
to make them economical to manufacture.
With 3D printing only the digital design
needs to be changed to tailor each product
to the customer without additional tooling costs.
This transformation first started to gain traction
in industries where custom-fit is essential,
such as medicine and dentistry,
but as 3D printing becomes more affordable,
it's increasingly being used
to mass customize consumer products.
New applications of 3D printing emerge every day.
In general, they can be grouped into five categories.
The first one is rapid prototyping,
where 3D printing is so common
that it has practically become a synonym for it.
Rapid prototyping with in-house 3D printers
empowers engineers and product designers
to create realistic and functional prototypes within a day
and carry out multiple iterations
of design, size, shape, or assembly
based on results of real-life testing and analysis,
helping them guide products
through a series of validation stages
toward mass production.
The second is rapid tooling, where fast,
low-cost 3D printed tooling can replace expensive,
traditional tooling for manufacturing processes
like injection molding, thermoforming, or casting.
3D printed rapid tooling enables companies
to validate the design and material choice
prior to transitioning to mass production,
and can also provide an affordable means
to produce custom or limited series of end-use parts.
The third group of applications is manufacturing aids,
which are vital tools for addressing common problems
that arise during manufacturing.
This includes custom jigs, fixtures,
tools, and replacement parts.
3D printing can be used to improve the efficiency
of the manufacturing process,
reducing cost and improving production.
The fourth is models and props.
3D printing is a great tool for creating complex
and high-resolution models
with fine details and a smooth surface finish,
saving time and money.
In-house 3D printing is used by businesses around the world
to create professional models for various applications,
such as dental and medical models, movie props,
educational tools, architecture models, and more.
Lastly is the category that holds
the biggest growth potential: 3D printed end-use parts.
With 3D printing,
you can directly create end-use parts without tooling,
making it possible to create custom or low-volume parts
and complex designs in a cost-efficient manner.
3D printing is unleashing new possibilities
and business opportunities.
What used to be too complex, prohibitively expensive,
or impractical to produce with traditional methods
is available at no extra cost,
giving full control to designers and manufacturers,
and opening the door
to fully customizable products to become a reality.
3D printing is not a futuristic concept anymore.
There are more 3D printers in use today than ever before.
And, chances are, they're actively being used
to shape your field.
Want to take the wheel?
Consider how 3D printing can improve,
expand, or diversify your business now.
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