FEATURE PRINTED ELECTRONICS 3D printing leaves its mark on new markets


3D printers now have the capability to turn computer data into physical objects, offering ground-breaking design from lighter, more efficient plane parts that could save fuel on your flights, to replacement body parts – with the possibility of 3D printed organs of the future. Here Chris Godfrey, Global Product Director of Test & Tools at Farnell element14 explores how 3D printing is impacting the electronics manufacturing domain


printing for prototyping, there are others that are printing finished goods themselves. One such company is a delivery firm that no longer purchases spare parts, but prints them instead. Not only does this cut costs and reduce waiting times in terms of the supply chain, but it also means the relevant parts can be stored digitally and produced as required. There are an increasing number of


t has been estimated by Gartner that the global 3D printing market will be worth $13 billion by 2018 as the advantages it offers both businesses and consumers continue to rise. The noise around 3D printing has only recently become audible, moving from restricted industrial circles to becoming more widely available. To a large extent, this can be put down to the fact that, although 3D printing has been around for decades, it is only in recent years that it has become possible for design engineers, maker labs and even hobbyists to have access to their own unit.


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COST VERSUS COMPLEXITY Traditionally, the significant cost and complexity of 3D printers meant engineers had to outsource their designs to prototyping and manufacturing firms with the expertise, technical skills and necessary hardware. While this process proved somewhat straightforward and reduced the time for designs to reach production, the cost of outsourcing limited prototyping to only those designs in the final stages of development. Furthermore, it arguably stunted the potential innovations of smaller players operating in more specific markets, who were unable to meet the costs of outsourcing. However, the advent of a true 3D


printing revolution is now upon us, with 10 FEBRUARY 2015 | ELECTRONICS


printers reducing in cost and becoming less of a specialist resource. Companies such as Robox are reducing upfront costs and demystifying the technology, designing the printer to handle as much of its own calibration as possible. New features such as automatic detection of materials and a dual nozzle system dramatically reduce print times, making 3D printers a more accessible resource not just in terms of cost, but also usability. Continued innovation in 3D printing will enable the process to filter down into the various echelons of creativity and potentially become a game-changing resource for the product design and engineering industries. By enabling shorter production runs and faster prototyping, one of the potential areas benefitting from 3D printing is the manufacturing industry. In fact, whilst companies in this space do not tend to require 2D printers on a day-to-day basis, 3D printers could easily become a part of their daily routine if it were to become a simple and cost-effective process. Though many companies are using 3D


Figure 1:


The RBX CEL Robox 3D printer


online design packages available that bring the technical expertise of drawing designs into the realms of the everyday user. These programmes can be easily accessed and understood by young, tech-savvy children and when used in schools, could help nurture an already technically fluent generation. This implementation could be compared to coding, which seemed inaccessible 15 years ago but is now a common extension of many peoples’ skill-sets, regardless of age group. 3D printing is revolutionising the way


businesses operate and there is already a shift from specific expertise to a technology that can be handled in- house. But the next major development we need to see, if 3D printing is to reach its full potential, is not a technological one, rather we now need the skills that underpin 3D printing to filter through the education system, the workplace and eventually into our domestic lives. Only at this point will people cease to be


“New features such as


automatic detection of materials and a dual nozzle system dramatically reduce print times, making 3D printers a much more accessible resource for many.”


amazed by the technology itself, but will instead be able to more fully consider the different areas of industry it could impact. While we probably won’t see this development in 2015, the democratisation of 3D printing is underway and it’s only a matter of time before we see this evolutionary product impact further and further upon industry and our daily lives.


Farnell


uk.farnell.com 08447 11 11 11


Enter 202 / ELECTRONICS

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