Jeri Freedman - Future Uses and Possibilities of 3D Printing

Opposite: 3D printing makes it possible to produce custom parts with unique geometries.

D PRINTING CONSISTS OF A VARIETY OF PROCESSES AND technologies that allow the creation of parts and products in a number of different materials, by laying down the material layer after layer until a 3D object is created. Prior to the development of 3D printing, commercial parts, prototypes, and unique parts had to be made by casting, molding, or machining. 3D printing is faster and more cost effective. The process is unique in that it builds an object from a digital representation, created on a computer-aided design (CAD) system. Because of the technologys digital nature, almost anything a user can imagine can be produced by a 3D printer. At first, the technology was used primarily in industrial applications, but it is now being used in a wide range of commercial, medical, scientific, and creative applications. New uses of 3D printing are constantly emerging, and this is likely to continue to be the case well into the future.

3D printing removes many of the financial and physical constraints of traditional manufacturing, which requires tools and dies (forms that cut material into a specific shape). If one wants to make a prototype of a product by traditional methods, one must first make a mold or die, and fixtures to hold the parts being manufactured-all of which is expensive-and then construct the parts and assemble them. If changes need to be made to the prototype, the whole assembly must be redone. This process is both costly and time consuming.

3D printing does not require dies, molds, or fixtures. A product is simply built up by an application of material layer by layer. 3D printing speeds up the process of developing new products because it allows a range of variants to be created quickly. It enhances innovation because trying unconventional designs or multiple designs can be done inexpensively. This ability to try variants of a design without vast expense also supports the development of better products.

3D printing is beginning to be recognized as an energy-efficient way to produce parts. The process wastes less material than conventional manufacturing technologies. It also eliminates the need to manufacture dies and molds, which require energy to produce. So, it has a smaller carbon footprint. In addition, in some cases recycled plastic can be used as a material, which makes the process environmentally friendly.

Materials commonly used in 3D printing include plastics, metals, ceramics, and sand, with plastic being the most commonly used material. However, research is being done on using other materials, including biomaterials and food, such as sugar and chocolate. The various types of 3D printers employ different technologies that process specific materials in a particular way. Some materials are better suited to a particular application than others. So are some methodologies-powdered materials that are laid down and melted work better for some types of applications, depending on the qualities desired, such as strength, complex form, weight, durability, biocompatibility, and so on. Some 3D printers deposit powdered nylon, plastic, ceramic, or metal and then melt or fuse the powder particles with light/heat into the specified shape. Other printers use thin layers of a polymer resin that are fused with a laser. Still another form of 3D printing sprays fine droplets, much the way an inkjet printer sprays ink on paper, and uses a binding agent to bond the layers. Most entry-level printers extrude, or push out, plastic filaments through a heated extruder, forming layers from which the object is built up.