3D printing trends

Main Article: 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)

2022

From prototyping to manufacturing

Until 2022, the technology, considered the main only for prototyping, finally finds its place in the process of producing high-quality parts for final use. At the same time, most users of 3D printing in 2022 still mainly use the technology for prototyping. In a survey by Hubs^[1] participants replied that prototyping is still the main application for the technology, 8% of respondents reported that they use the technology mainly for the manufacture of accessories and fittings. Almost 30% of manufacturers use this technology primarily for the production of aesthetic or final parts. This is a marked increase, up from 21% from the 2021 report.

3D Metal Printing Market Posted Growth in Early 2022, First Since 2020

Such results suggest that 3D printing markets and technologies will continue to evolve. While 3D printing will still be used as a prototyping technology to accelerate product development cycles, it will also be used more in conjunction with traditional manufacturing processes such as tool manufacturing and for final applications.

Finally, the report says 3D printing for manufacturing is a fast-growing trend. Among respondents using additive manufacturing primarily for aesthetic or manufacturing purposes, 56% specialized in disposable or custom parts, and 36% used 3D printing for repeat orders. Survey data suggests that 3D printing is gradually moving from small-scale to more mass production.

Application of automation tools and promising materials

^[2] also assesses the potential challenges and opportunities for the industry for 2022 and beyond. Automation will be the key to reducing the cost of additive technologies and increasing the profitability of production, in particular for pre and post processing. In 2022, post-processing time is still largely dependent on manual labor, which complicates scalability from such points of view as cost and efficiency. Greater adoption of automation will allow not only to flexibly scale production, but also significantly reduce the costs associated with post-processing.

The cost of 3D printing materials is inextricably linked to their limited availability. As more materials (including polymers, metals, composites, and ceramics) are developed, produced, and consumed, their production costs will begin to decline. 44% of respondents said that the development of new materials and, in particular, composite materials will become the main direction of development of 3D printing in 2022. New, more advanced materials will also pave the way for new 3D printing applications.

New materials and composites of materials, lower prices and improved post-processing options will also make it more viable to integrate 3D printing into production cycles. As the technology continues to evolve, it will become an even more competitive injection molding alternative for small-volume plastic parts. What is even more interesting is that advanced composite materials combined with the ability to produce very complex geometry will open up new production opportunities that could not be discovered using traditional technologies, said Filemon Schöffer, co-founder and CEO of Hubs

2021:91% of businesses would like to offer customers production of products using 3D printing - HP

On March 22, 2021, HP shared the results of a survey among more than 2,000 representatives of the industrial 3D printing industry. Respondents' responses formed the basis of the HP Digital Manufacturing Trends Report, which tells about the main trends that will change the production landscape and have an impact on additive production in the short term: from the growing demand for personalized goods to the development of new "materials of the future."

1. Growing Demand for Personalized Products

The proliferation of 3D printing and its ability to meet the diverse needs of consumers, even in areas far from each other, enables companies to increase the level of personalization of goods and produce special products at affordable prices.

91% of respondents who participated in the HP Digital Manufacturing Trends Report noted that they would like to offer their customers the production of personalized products using 3D printing. At the same time, the survey participants are representatives of various sectors of the economy - from a startup in the market of orthodontic services SmileDirectClub, which offers customers transparent caps instead of braces, for the manufacture of which 3D printing is used; before Cobra Golf, which launched the world's first personalized golf club, whose metal parts are made on a 3D printer, which made it possible to reduce the weight of the club and better determine the center of gravity for impact accuracy.

2. Advancing Software and Data Innovation

The additive manufacturing industry has seen rapid development of software solutions in recent years. The emerging tools and IT infrastructure provide developers with the ability to quickly scale digital production, which leads to a sharp increase in performance. According to 55% of respondents, acceleration in the field of software development will bring noticeable results over the next 5 years, and 52% confirmed that the improvement of software and data processing algorithms will significantly optimize the production process.

3. Innovations in Medicine and Healthy Living

Medicine was one of the first industries to evaluate and begin to use the possibilities of 3D printing. In 2021, the wellness industry, with an annual turnover of $50 billion . The United States will continue to dynamically implement 3D technologies, producing products made on the basis of biomechanical analysis of customer data. There is nothing more individual than a person's body. Therefore, the production of personalized products such as shoes or prostheses has great potential. According to 55% of respondents, in the next 5 years the healthcare industry will become one of the leaders in the number of innovations in additive production.

4. Accelerating Overall Economic Growth

As private business's interest in digital manufacturing technologies grows, there is a natural boost to the economy. Thus, almost all respondents (99%) believe that digital technologies contribute to accelerating economic growth, confirming this thesis with active actions: 85% of survey participants noted that their companies plan to increase investments in 3D printing, and 71% of respondents intend to invest in additive production by mid-2021.

5. Forming alliances for cross-sector collaboration and experience sharing

In an effort to add value to their services to customers, companies will form alliances and partnerships. For example, 85% of respondents believe that cross-sectoral cooperation will be critical for the future of digital production. This will increase the number of specialists and will contribute to the growth of their qualifications through the exchange of experience of partners from related industries. At the same time, nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed said businesses needed to expand opportunities for professional training for digital design and manufacturing professionals.

6. Business movement towards a circular economy

Sustainable development is gradually becoming one of the key indicators of an efficient and responsible business. As government entities and corporations increasingly assess and monitor the environmental impact of their activities, additive technologies are expected to take the lead in reducing the negative environmental impact of businesses. 3D printing makes it possible to localize and optimize production - this reduces waste, reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, simplifies traditional supply chains, and also allows you to reuse materials and save raw materials, which is the main criterion for creating a circular economy.

At the same time, 88% of respondents believe that the formation of a sustainable system requires the active participation of the state, in particular, the introduction of measures to stimulate investment and the development of socially and environmentally significant additive technologies.

7. Development of methods and materials

According to the results of the study, the largest number of innovations is expected in the direction of the development of the method of thermoactivable 4D printing. Almost half (48%) of respondents believe that this "smart" technology has the highest potential among digital production methods. Printing the future allows you to literally "revive" a 3D object, making it susceptible to environmental conditions (humidity, temperature, pressure). Under the influence of external factors, the subject changes its structure and shape. The most obvious advantage of 4D printing is that thanks to computational folding, objects larger than the printers themselves can be printed in just one session. This is a real revolution that opens up the possibility of using smart materials in the additive manufacturing industry.

3D printing solutions play a significant role in economic growth. The introduction of additive technologies allows companies to manufacture parts and components of goods at their own sites, reducing the production chain and, as a result, reducing the cost of production. This makes the business more flexible, environmentally friendly and resistant to possible crises, gradually forming new opportunities in various sectors of industry, - said Alexey Voronkov, Vice President, CEO of Eastern Europe Region, NR Inc.

2020:85% of manufacturing companies plan to increase investment in 3D printing technologies - HP

On October 16, 2020, HP Inc. presented the results of its research on digital manufacturing technologies and trends, including industrial 3D printing.

Research on trends in the digital manufacturing market was commissioned by HP among two thousand production managers around the world. According to the data obtained, companies are actively investing in advanced solutions for industrial 3D printing. This ensures the agility and flexibility of production processes necessary to develop the business and increase its competitiveness and stability in a constantly changing world.

According to the study, company leaders are striving to use 3D printing technologies regardless of the scope and location of the business. This helps them optimize supply chains, provide process flexibility, and implement innovative product development strategies. These trends are confirmed by the growth of investments in 3D printing, the development of additive technologies as a competitive alternative to traditional production and the desire for closer cooperation of market players within the existing ecosystem in order to introduce innovations as soon as possible.

Manufacturing decision makers consider 3D printing technologies for innovation and note that they are uniquely suited to personalizing mass products, helping to reduce waste in production and make business more environmentally friendly.

Key findings of the HP Digital Manufacturing Trends Study:

Digital manufacturing technologies drive economic progress and increase enterprise flexibility:

• 99% of respondents believe that digital production technologies can lead to economic growth.
• 89% of respondents seek to develop business models taking into account current global market trends.
• 71% of executives over the next year plan to invest in digital production technologies, 85% of them noted that companies are going to increase investments in additive production/3D printing.
• 75% of managers are confident that additive production/3D printing technologies help their companies to be more flexible, are a worthy alternative to traditional production and even a replacement when the usual methods become a thing of the past.
• 90% of managers explore production/supply chain models, with 59% of managers considering hybrid production models and 52% thinking about localizing production.

Innovation development is transforming entire industries:

• More opportunities for innovation are one of the key benefits of additive manufacturing/3D printing technologies, according to executives who have already implemented them in their industries.
• Among the most popular innovations in which companies are interested: mass customization technologies for products for end consumers, on-demand production and digital warehouses/virtual inventory management.
• 91% of executives are interested in mass customization technologies and believe that they can be used effectively in business if they personalize parts using 3D printing/additive production.
• The healthcare industry, industrial production and the automotive industry are noted as the most promising areas for the introduction of additive production and 3D printing technologies in the next five years.

Collaboration and Collaboration Capabilities:

• For 85% of managers, cooperation between sectors for the introduction of digital production technologies is important.
• 81% of executives note that their companies plan to cooperate with government agencies in the field of digital production in the future.
• The main obstacle to the introduction of additive production/3D printing technologies for respondents is the lack of qualified personnel.
• To solve this problem, 64% of respondents propose to create opportunities for vocational training, and 53% - to unite the efforts of business, government and citizens to invest in educational programs and continuing education courses.

Sustainable manufacturing will continue to be of paramount importance to businesses:

• Additive manufacturing/3D printing technologies help reduce the volume of production waste and contribute to the formation of a circular economy by reducing the amount of consumables, efficiently planning production in accordance with demand and optimizing traditional supply chains.
• 90% of managers highly appreciate the possibility of recycling powders and parts for additive production/3D printing.
• 88% of executives consider it important that the government creates a sustainable ecosystem, stimulating investment and the development of socially and environmentally beneficial digital production technologies.

2016

Three segments of equipment

From the mid-1990s to 2016, several processes and systems of AP were developed, and the possibilities of their application have significantly expanded and already cover the range from rapid prototyping and manufacture of simple physical layouts to support in product design, creation of casting models and, more recently, direct production of serial products. In particular, GE Aviation announced the production of fuel nozzles for the LEAP engine. The first AP systems produced products mainly from polymer materials (plastics), while by 2016 the installations were able to produce metal parts. In additive processes using metals, parts are formed by sequential layer-by-layer deposition or sintering of a metal powder. Such a possibility is attractive in that it allows the manufacture of parts of precise or close shape without tooling with minimal or no subsequent machining. This is of particular interest to the aerospace industry and biomedicine, since it makes it possible to produce products with high performance at low overall costs.

In 2016, the AP installations market is divided into three segments. The highest growth rates are observed for cheap 3D printers, focused on creating conceptual layouts and suitable for use in an office environment.

The second set of technologies, which occupies an intermediate position in terms of cost, is designed to create prototypes of parts with different degrees of accuracy and/or functionality. Cheap and average installation costs are usually focused on polymer materials.

The high-end installations that make up the third segment allow the production of polymer, metal and ceramic parts; their prices range from $200,000 to $2,000,000. High-end installations can be optimized to produce large parts, achieve high productivity, use multiple materials or for any other purpose, which increases the cost of the system.

Obstacles to the spread of technology

In 2016, the following technical and economic barriers are most often mentioned that prevent the widespread use of AP:

• material properties (parts often have anisotropic properties due to the layer-by-layer nature of AP processes; the selection of materials for AS is very limited);

• accuracy of manufacturing and quality of parts surface (practically all AS-processes require subsequent machining in places of joints, seats of shafts, etc.);

• manufacturing speed (limited by small-scale production);

• high capital investments;

• high cost of materials and maintenance (AP processes require special material formats that can be 100-200 times more expensive than traditional ones (sheets, profiles, etc.); AS equipment is still imperfect);

• differences in geometry and properties between "identical" parts manufactured in different installations;

• the closed architecture of most AP installations, which prevents researchers and technologists from varying processing conditions.

Energy consumption and environmental impact

A comprehensive comparison of AS and other production processes in terms of energy consumption, water resources consumption, waste disposal and the use of primary materials was carried out by 2016 as part of the ATKINS project. The results of the project indicate that in terms of environmental impact, the AP has clear advantages, but the energy consumption of this technology (13.1 kg of CO2 per product) is significantly higher than for casting technologies (1.9 kg of CO2). However, other studies of energy consumption in various processes of the AP lead to noticeable discrepancies in the data, which indicates the need for further, more targeted study of this problem.

Similarly, AP technologies have significant potential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing product design and reducing material losses. The results of the ATIKINS project lead to the conclusion that the optimal design should lead to 40% weight loss and material savings. The analysis carried out as part of the project shows that reducing the weight of the main aircraft by 100 kg throughout the life cycle entails savings of $2.5 million in fuel costs and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tons.

There are several reports on the results of studies of the impact of AS on the environment. However, many questions by 2016 remain unresolved, and an accurate assessment of the environmental consequences of the AP requires further research. At the same time, it is obvious that products designed in such a way as to fully use the unique weight loss capabilities offered by AS technologies have the greatest potential in reducing the impact on the environment.

Notes