3D printing | materials
Filament expands the horizons of 3D printing
The use of 3D printing in final production remains the exception rather than the rule. But 3D printing (often called ‘additive manufacturing’ in a production setting) is nevertheless appearing on a growing number of shop floors. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, 67% of US manufacturers are using 3D printing in some way, and almost 51% of them are making prototypes and delivering final products using 3D printing. The choice of equipment and systems continues to
grow too. According to Wohlers Report 2017, 97 manufac- turers produced and sold industrial additive manufactur- ing (AM) systems in 2016. This is up from 62 companies in 2015 and 49 in 2014. “These manufacturers are providing interesting products and unprecedented competition in the AM industry,” says time compression expert Terry Wohlers. In addition to that, polymer and compound makers are becoming more active in the arena. Injection moulders are strongly advised to keep a
close eye on 3D printing. Not because it will take away any of their business – it won’t, certainly in the short and medium term—but because by embracing it, they can strengthen their own operations and provide a more comprehensive service to their customers. Let’s have a look at what some of the major material
makers are up to. At K 2016, Solvay said it was strengthening its
Sinterline Technyl polyamide 6 (PA6) offer for additive manufacturing of functional parts using selective laser sintering (SLS) with MMI Technyl Design. This is a
www.injectionworld.com
A rush of filament releases by producers of PC, ABS and PA is making 3D printing a more interesting proposition for injection moulders. Peter Mapleston investigates what is going on
‘predictive simulation solution’ that it says offers a major step towards the design optimisation of 3D printed technical parts. Solvay first applied MMI Technyl Design to a functional 3D printed plenum chamber for the Polimo- tor 2 all-plastics engine project. “The plenum fabricated with Sinterline Technyl PA6 technology could easily perform without failure under real operating condi- tions,” says Matti Holtzberg, designer and leader of the Polimotor projects. “Integrating the 3D printed part with predictive simulation demonstrated all the additional benefits we could obtain to further reduce weight.” Also offering SLS materials is compounder A. Schulman. Last year, it entered into a strategic partnership with 3D printing equipment producer Prodways, which Prodways says will strengthen its laser sintering powder range (it also offers polyamide
Main image: DSM is one the major materi- als groups now offering their polymers in
filament format
May/June 2017 | INJECTION WORLD 45
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
