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3D PRINTING
3D PRINTING: SHAPING FUTURE MANUFACTURING
Developments in 3D printing are advancing rapidly, as its technology transitions from primarily prototyping to widespread use in manufacturing at scale. Luke Smoothy, founder and director of Get It Made, uncovers some of the game-changing benefits becoming available to manufacturers as they face increasing pressure to reduce material consumption for product development and production as well as costs.
becomes more widely adapted and takes on an expanding role in manufacturing. 3DP, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, promises a compelling proposition to manufacturers through its many benefits, not least parts that are faster to develop, with more accuracy, lower cost, and closer to the point of application.
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ver the next decade the £D printing (3DP) industry is forecast to grow by more than 20 per cent and is projected to reach £75.7 billion by 2030, as it
MULTI-SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES While 3D printing was initially developed for rapid prototyping and remains one of its primary uses, the technology has continued to disrupt the manufacturing industry with new advancements. 3D printing is being increasingly used more and more for final part production and wider applications in demanding environments including aerospace, military and defence. NASA’s Perseverance Rover that landed on Mars in 2021 contained titanium parts using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), a powder-based 3D printing process, to create a lightweight solution designed to
be more energy and fuel efficient, as the car-sized robot travels through the thin atmosphere to search for rock samples and signs of biological activity. Many other global companies are already seeing the alluring weight and cost saving merits through harnessing AM processes, with another use case in the aerospace sector involving General Electric (GE) and its work on new Catalyst aircraft engines. Taking a design that originally required 855 engine components, GE reduced it down to 12 titanium 3D-printed parts while retaining the same functionality of older models. This not only significantly reduced production costs but also the weight, to cut emissions. Thanks to 3D printing, the improvements helped to reduce overall weight by five per cent and improve brake-specific fuel consumption by one per cent. The healthcare sector, an early mover in adaptation, will continue to become a major player in the use of 3D printing, from surgical prep and anatomic modelling to the production of highly specialised devices. In fact, it enables solutions for a wide spectrum of needs ranging from personal protection equipment to medical devices and isolation wards. In particular, the dental industry has been a leader in bringing additive manufacturing to the end user, and the recent progress in 3D materials has improved dental practice capabilities over the last decade. Dentures is a prime example of where 3D printing has shown potential and will increasingly become more popular as the consumer market grows. Temporary, highly
Summer 2023 UKManufacturing
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