3D Printing for Manufacturing - Hype or Reality

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VISION,EXPERIENCE,ANSWERS FOR INDUSTRY

3D printing has expanded beyond rapid

prototyping applications. Now, there are

printers designed both for personal and

professional use. As the technology

continues to infiltrate the pop culture

landscape, many have raised expectations

for industrial 3D printing. The technology

has applications for multiple industries and

could add value in a number of different

manufacturing areas.

DECEMBER 20,2012

3D Pr int ing for Manufactur ing:

Hype or Real i ty?

By Scott Evans and Sal Spada

K e y w o r d s

Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, CAD/CAM Software, Rapid Proto-

typing, Direct Manufacturing, Rapid Manufacturing

Overv iew

In the past, 3D printing for manufacturing, or additive manufacturing,had been primarily used as a rapid prototyping tool for plastic parts. How-

ever, the sphere of applications is expanding as use of printable metal

alloys, such as tungsten and titanium, gains trac-

tion. Creating prototypes is still the dominant

application; however, the technology has ma-

tured to the point where manufacturers can use

it to complement or replace traditional produc-

tion processes.

Leading manufacturers are now looking at po-

tential 3D printing applications in multiple areas

to determine where it could save time or costs.

For production processes, it appears that 3D

printing can provide the most benefit for manufacturers seeking to move

toward smaller production quantities.

M ore Ques t i ons t han Ans w ers

Over 250,000 people viewed a Business Insiderarticle on 3D printing, enti-

tled "The Next Trillion Dollar Industry." In a similarly scoped article, "A

Third Industrial Revolution," The Economist posited that 3D printing could

provide the catalyst for the next industrial revolution. However, while 3D

printing has gained widespread acceptance in certain commercial applica-

tions and clearly has the potential to represent a disruptive technology for


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ARC Insights, Page 2

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manufacturing, manufacturers need to perform pragmatic analysis to de-

termine what type of production processes are suited to this new

technology, how it could be implemented, and at what cost. There are still

challenges to overcome and questions to answer before we see widespread

adoption of 3D printing. These include:

Can 3D printing eliminate process steps and, if so, how many? Will the productivity improvements and other cost savings achieved be

sufficient to warrant the technology investment?

Will the technology eliminate (or create) bottlenecks? How much post-production finishing work would be required? Would the technology provide the required quality and life expectancy

for the manufactured parts?

What are the practical upper and lower limits for production runs?To evaluate the potential applicability to their operations and potentially

develop a business case, manufacturers should consider the following.

El im ina t i ng I nv en t o r y H o ld i ng Cos t s

Service and support organizations looking to reduce their inventories can

often make a business case for 3D printing. This is particularly true for old-

er products that have outlived their normal support periods.

In one interesting example that illustrates the potential,Jay Leno's Garage

contracted with a supplier to produce a replacement steam valve for the

late night TV hosts 1907 White Steam Car, part of his extensive automobile

collection. The last manufacturer of steam car parts went out of businesses

over a century ago, and spare parts were not to be found. To produce an

exact functional replica of the steam valve, the original steam valve was

laser scanned, converted into a 3D computer aided design (CAD) model,

and then recreated using a 3D printer. The valve was installed and the ve-

hicle became operational again. For machines and products intended to

remain in service for a relatively long time period, 3D printing could pre-

clude the need for spare and replacement parts inventories.

Ar t - to - Par t -Des ign Cyc le Reduces Tim e to Mark e t

Part design for 3D printing is comparable to part design for machine tool

manufacturing. The process begins with a 3D model, created using tradi-

tional CAD design tools. Alternatively, a part can be reverse engineered
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using a 3D scanner to generate a CAD file. The file then needs to be primed

for printing. This process step is similar to using computer aided manufac-

turing (CAM) software in the machine tool world to prepare the CAD files

for the specific production machine and tooling used to manufacture the

part. In 3D printing, CAD files are converted to the STL file format includ-

ed with most CAD editing software.

The 3D printer industry has standardized around the STL file format,

which supports the transition from art to production parts. ARC has en-

countered multiple meanings for STL, including standard tessellation

language, standard triangulation language, and stereolithography.

Regardless, STL enables the CAD file to be spliced into multiple thin cross-

sectional layers via software embedded in the printer. Each successive

cross-sectional layer is printed on top of the preceding one, which is why

3D printing for manufacturing is also known as additive manufacturing.

While most CAD software packages provide STL conversions, this does not

always produce a printable file, requiring additional modifications. STL

files are displayed as a series of surfaces formed by connecting three-

dimensional triangles. CAD designs can lose structural integrity when con-

verted into STL format. In the translation, gaps between triangles can

emerge, and a model that is not "watertight" cannot be printed. An experi-

enced user can fix faulty STL files, but software is also available to

ameliorate this process and often is included with high-end 3D printers to

eliminate the gaps.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), an international

standards organization, has designed and is attempting to implement the

Additive Manufacturing File Format (AMF). This open standard format

would obviate the need for STL, while adding additional functionality, in-

cluding representing the color and textural properties of the printed object.

Bene f i t s and D raw bac k s

Once the 3D model is converted to a printable STL format, it can be used toprint any appropriately sized part, assuming that a suitable printing mate-

rial is also available. Different printers can print in myriad materials-

plastics, metals, ceramics, glasseven cheese. The printers fuse or bind

together a granular, powdered form of the material using a laser, electron

beam, or inkjet head. Other technologies use laminates and filaments in-
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3D printing technology lends itself

to small-batch productions of highly

valuable, highly complex, highly

customized parts.

stead of powder. Printing time is based on the size of the printed object

and the specific binding technology of the printer.

The relative speed and size restraints of 3D printing, coupled with the ex-

pensive feedstock for the printers, make it unsuitable for mass production.

For metal parts, 3D printing's strength is its ability to print intricate designs

and structures that cannot be created efficiently

through traditional machining. 3D printing technology

lends itself to small-batch productions of highly valua-

ble, highly complex, highly customized parts. For

these parts, 3D printing is both faster and cheaper than

traditional manufacturing. Some especially complex 3D printed metal parts

last longer than their traditionally-machined counterparts, providing an-

other justification for the technology.

Around 97 to 98 percent of the leftover printer feedstock for each layer can

be reused in the next layer, as opposed to traditional "subtractive" manufac-

turing in which 50 percent to 75 percent of the material is cut away. This

significantly reduces costs for items fabricated with expensive metals, such

as titanium. Because parts can be configured and adjusted using software,

there is no incremental cost for printing a more complex part.

Most 3D-printed metal parts require at least a modicum of finishing. The

more finishing a part requires, the less value 3D can offer. 3D printing is

designed to eliminate steps in the machining process, and if it can only re-duce machining time in one step of the process, there is less justification for

a major overhaul. This remains the major obstacle for using 3D printing in

metal. In addition to eliminating finishing, printers need higher powered

lasers and an increased level of automation to speed up the production pro-

cess.

Process Val idat ion

In industries such as aerospace, it can be time-consuming and expensive to

certify a 3D-printed part and validate production processes. The resourcesneeded to qualify the part with bodies such as the US Federal Aviation

Administration often exceed the value added by 3D printing. For this rea-

son, 3D printing is often reserved for new components. But aerospace

companies are already taking notice. GE Aviation recently acquired two


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companies specializing in additive manufacturing services. This may start

a trend of in-house production of 3D-printed aerospace parts.

Takeaw ays and Re levance

3D printing has clearly gone viral in pop culture. Community-driven web-

sites enable users to share and download STL files in much the same

manner as one can download music or movies on the Internet. Many com-

panies have developed free, open-source CAD and 3D modeling software

to complement lower cost (under $1,000) personal printers. The prolifera-

tion of personal 3D printers and products has certainly fueled speculation

about potential industrial uses for the technology.

Since parts made of plastic, the most commonly used 3D printing material,

are generally mass-produced, 3D printing is only cost-effective to producecomplex, small-batch plastic parts. 3D printing in metal is a newer devel-

opment. Currently, most 3D-printed metal parts still require finishing, and

3D printers require cleaning and prepping between jobs. To be disruptive,

the technology must obviate the need for additional processes in the pro-

duction of a part.

Industrial 3D printing can continue to expand in reach if more expensive

and exotic metals become printable and the process can be refined to re-

duce the amount of finishing required. This would enable manufacturers to

use 3D printing to make die castings (for conventional production process-es) and other metal molding processes, especially ones requiring complex

cooling channels.

3D printing also has tremendous potential in the medical products manu-

facturing industry. Most hearing aids are already produced using 3D

printing. Because of the ease of customization, prosthetics is another ideal

application. Also, some companies have already developed "bioprinters"

that can print human cell tissues. While these tissues will not be trans-

plant-ready, for years, they may be used sooner for preclinical drug trials.

As the population continues to age in the US, Europe, and Japan, thesemedical applications could be vital to reduce the cost and time of proce-

dures associated with an aging population.


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R ec om m enda t i ons

With new printers designed to print in myriad materials, mostly anything

designed on CAD tools can be printed. There are still limitations in materi-

als, the size of the printed product, and the speed of the process; but the

technology is growing at a rapid clip, representing an opportunity for 3Ddesign software makers. ARC also recommends that PLM software makers

evaluate the technology to potentially increase the functionality of their

software products.

Manufacturers should explore opportunities to use 3D printing to comple-

ment their existing procedures, especially for metal parts. Even though the

metal feedstock is expensive, the implementation of additive processes ul-

timately will reduce material usage and lower costs. This will become

increasingly important as exotic and refractory metals become printable. 3D

printing can play a part in JIT production strategies for low-volume pro-duction of high-value parts. However, as most printed metallic parts

require post-production finishing, the justification for switching to additive

processes is based on the complexity of design additive processes can

achieve, rather than economics.

However, as printers become larger, faster, and more dynamic; the range of

available feedstocks increases; and finishing requirements for certain mate-

rials are reduced, it will become easier for manufacturers to establish a

business case for 3D printing.

ARC will continue to track the acceptance of this exciting new niche, but

potentially disruptive manufacturing technology and update our clients on

our findings.

For further information or to provide feedback on this Insight, please contact your

account manager or the author at [email protected]. ARC Insights are pub-

lished and copyrighted by ARC Advisory Group. The information is proprietary to

ARC and no part may be reproduced without prior permission from ARC.

3D Printing for Manufacturing - Hype or Reality

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