3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

 

3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

3D printing or additive manufacturing enables you to produce geometrically complex objects, shapes and textures. It often uses less material than traditional manufacturing methods and allows the production of items that were simply not possible to produce economically with traditional manufacturing.

If you’re new to 3D printing technology, it might be helpful to compare it to traditional methods of manufacturing.

The two principal traditional methods of manufacturing are:

• Subtractive Manufacturing (SM) is the controlled removal of material, like milling, for example.
• Formative Manufacturing (FM) takes a material, usually a plastic, and reshapes it to create a final product.
  

Compare these to 3D printing or additive manufacturing, which involves adding material in layers to create the final product.

What is additive manufacturing? Though it has been around for decades, additive manufacturing is still a relatively new technology compared to traditional manufacturing. In this guide, we hope to answer some of the most fundamental questions about 3D printing and additive manufacturing and give you all the information you need to begin harnessing the power of this exceptional technology.

 3D printing

The term 3D printing is typically used to refer to all types of additive manufacturing. However, this is not quite accurate. Strictly speaking, 3D printing refers only to the transformation of a digital CAD (Computer-Aided Design) file into a three-dimensional physical solid object or part. 

This object is produced by a 3D printer, which “translates” the CAD file into a 3D model. It typically does this by depositing material layer by layer in precise geometric shapes using a printhead, nozzle, or other printing technology. Each layer can be considered a thinly sliced cross-section of the final object being built.

Though it is most common to 3D print plastics, as you’ll see in our Complete Guide to 3D printing materials, this is just the beginning.

 Common 3D printing materials

3D printing uses a huge variety of materials, especially plastics and metals. However, it is also on the cutting-edge of many new technologies and industries. For example, it is possible to 3D print in biomaterials to create complex tissue models. And, on a lighter note, it’s even possible to use edible materials, like chocolate.

Later in this guide, we will do a full rundown of the materials used in 3D printing

 3D printed parts like

Because it’s possible to 3D print in a variety of materials, the individual characteristics of a 3D printed part can be very different. 

 

For example, if you’re 3D printing in HP 3D High Reusability PA 122, then you can produce strong, functional parts that will provide good chemical resistance and are ideal for complex assemblies, housings, enclosures, and watertight applications. But if you’re using HP 3D High Reusability TPA enabled by Evonik3, then the finished products will be flexible, lightweight parts with enhanced rebound resilience. The only limit really is the ingenuity of your designers and, of course, your specific design needs..

The growth of the 3D printing market

What began as a niche and futuristic technology has today become widely used and even ubiquitous. Today, the use of 3D printing has grown to the point where almost all major manufacturers are incorporating or seeking to incorporate it into their design or manufacturing processes.

It was once used primarily for prototyping or for one-off manufacturing single, customized or spare parts. But today, it is used as an efficient, versatile, and reliable production technology for many large-scale industrial manufacturers. 

And the 3D printing market is continuing to grow at speed. In fact, Wohlers Associates expects it to be worth $46.8 billion by 2026. (Source: Wohler’s Report 2021).

As it continues to develop, 3D printing technology will transform almost every major industry and fundamentally change the way we live, work, design and manufacture.