applications feature | 3D printing
bead-filled Sinterline grade is said to display properties close to an injection moulded part made with a 20% glass-fibre-reinforced PA6. More work is being done with SLS materials and
processing equipment to take the technology further. “There is still a lot to understand such as why parts twist or curl, difficulties with projected geometry, poor mechanical resistance and problems related to the physico-chemical properties of the polymer, “says Gian- notta. As far as the equipment is concerned, improve- ments still need to be made to cost and productivity, higher and more efficient and sustainable heating
systems and laser efficacy, especially at higher temperatures, he says. “This will help allow other polymers to enter the market thereby speeding-up the sales for series production runs and not only proto- types.”
Giannotta points out that while there are more than 800 manufacturers of 3D-printed parts in the world, there are only two main SLS equipment makers [3D Systems and EOS], “selling machines under guarantee with locked features and with limited approved pow- ders.” He says Solvay has a good relationship with machine producers, “but it is a challenge also for them
Insights into 3D printing technology trends
Compounding World talked with Rachel Gordon, a technology analyst specialising in 3D printing at IDTechEx, a market research and business intelligence organisation specialising in emerging technologies. Here is what she had to say. Compounding World: How much difference is there between all the FDM machines out there now? Rachel Gordon: The cheapest is US$349 for a Printrbot. The most expensive is US$400,000 for a Stratasys Fortus 900mc. There is considerable difference in speed, build volume, precision, and surface finish. Stratasys still builds the biggest, most expensive professional FFF printers. CW: How suitable do you think FFF is for functional parts? Because parts are built up in layers, there is quite a big difference in mechanical properties depending on the axis you measure along. RG: Companies such as Arevo Labs are working to develop software to work out the best tool path to print something with optimum strength in the most necessary direction. The main hurdle at the moment is not being able to print in the material the producer would like to make their production part from. CW: Any thoughts on how plastics compounders or producers of additives for plastics could provide extra technology push for FFF? RG: There is a big trend for adding metal powder or wood chippings to PLA thermo- plastic filaments to make things out of “metal” or “wood” for visualisation
58 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2015
is up 54% from US$486.7 million to US$750 million. It sold another 11,000 printers in Q4, bringing the total installed base up to 121,661.
Rachel Gordon: “New plastics with the physical properties of traditional engineering plastics, but which are easier to print, would be very valuable”
prototypes, ornaments etc., which is extending possible applications slightly. New plastics with the physical properties of traditional engineering plastics, but which are easier to print, would be very valuable. CW: All the buzz is around FFF at the moment, but of course other techniques like SLS and sterolithography (SLA) with photopolymers are in there too. Any thoughts on how it may shake out? Horses for courses? RG: I think consumers are only aware of thermoplastic extrusion [FFF], but in industry most people are excited about SLS or even metal printing. However, Stratasys [which makes jet printers using photopolymers as well as FDM units] in their 2014 financial results said revenue
SLA has much higher precision. There is again a big difference between a US$1,000 DLP printer from QSQM Corporation, with a very small build volume and low precision, and a US$1 million 3D Systems ProX950. These are popular for costume jewellery, for architectural models, for dental moulds, and nearly all hearing aids are now manufactured this way. Photopolymers tend to be brittle, but there are several companies developing stronger materials. It is unlikely to reach the home market due to higher cost, toxic fumes and extensive post-processing. SLS can produce much stronger,
tougher parts, much more suitable for final production parts. For example, there are non-critical parts in commercial aircraft made from SLS polyamide because the extra design freedom allows light-weight- ing. It is also much faster. At the moment, polyamide is pretty much the only materi- als choice. A greater range of materials would increase potential applications. New technologies such as ink-jetting of
photopolymers (like Objet from Stratasys) and HP’s Multi-jet fusion (currently in beta-testing, with much speculation, but very little public knowledge) could really shake-up the market and encourage many new innovative technologies. ❙
www.idtechex.com
www.compoundingworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86
