I almost can't believe I am writing this but I just got back from attending my first live conference since the COVID pandemic hit us!  I was fortunate enough to attend the 2021 Additive Manufacturing Users Conference (AMUG) where the leading users of additive gather to share their knowledge, expertise, and updates on best-in-class additive manufacturing processes.  There is too much to share in just one blog so I will have more follow-up blogs but wanted to start with what the experts noted as the trends they saw in 2020.  In one of the sessions, industry leaders outlined what they believe will be the next areas of success around 3D print in 2021.  Here are my notes from what was presented...

BASF - Noted that they are seeing more traditional injection molding companies looking to leverage additive manufacturing and leveraging 3D print to augment their traditional services.  Historically because of the volume and material needs that injection molders require they have been slower to adopt Additive Manufacturing technologies but BASF believes advancement in materials and throughput will increase the adoption.

www.forward-am.com

DMG Mori - Stated they believe automation around 3D print, enhanced reliability, and improved quality assurance processes will be key for additive.   Much like the notes above from BASF, they believe adoption will also increase as the materials improve for both metal and composites.  In addition, more hybrid systems will be leveraged to take advantage of both traditional and new manufacturing technologies.

www.dmgmori.com

Dyndrite - Believes that software solutions have lagged 3D print technology and 2021 will be the year software makes a big step forward to catch up.  With the explosion of manufacturing data, software will need to be developed to run 3D printers more efficiently, quickly and to leverage data better.  The need for technology-agnostic front ends will be another improvement as manufacturers will leverage various 3D print technologies.  

www.dyndrite.com

Essentium - Predicts the continued rise of full-scale production, improved leveraging of 3D print for supply chain resiliency, and the development of materials to solve specific applications versus a general material solution.  The trend for true additive manufacturing that occurred in 2020 will continue into 2021.

www.essentium.com

ExOne - Beyond just the overall desire for 3D metal parts, they see the demand for more metal materials will increase along with the desire to implement additive processes to satisfy green initiatives. There will also be a continued leveraging for metal print for light-weighting and part consolidation.  Metal certainly has a strong future.

www.exone.com

Take these as my notes and I encourage you to visit each of their websites to see what they are focused on.  Overall I believe the message was consistent, it's not only about the print technology but the processes utilized both before and after printing.  Design processes and technologies will continue to evolve to better leverage and prepare data for printing.  The post finishing processes will be improved to support a true manufacturing process for both producing parts in quantity but with quality assurance.  Throw in materials development and I believe 2021 will be another step forward to true additive manufacturing.  

As always, if any of the directions I noted above resonate with you (or does not) please reach out as I am always curious to hear real-world feedback.

Lastly, I encourage you to check out the Additive Manufacturing User Group - www.amug.com
The Additive Manufacturing Users Group's origins date back to the early 1990s when the founding industry users group called 3D Systems North American Stereolithography User Group.  Today, AMUG educates and supports users of all additive manufacturing technologies.  If you are at all involved in 3D around production, this is a group you should support and join.

You can have the best 3D printed parts in the world, but if you do not have a good cleaning/post-processing workflow, your parts are likely not going to look their best or be as functional as possible. This is especially true with powder-based 3D printing technologies. 

The most common cleaning process for powder-based 3D printing is bead blasting.  In the past, this was done manually bent over a bead blaster; you would have a bead blaster hooked up to an air compressor and clean each part one at a time.  This process not only takes time, but you could damage and/or discolor the parts by putting the spray nozzle too close to the part.  See example A for discoloration, called burn marks. If any of you have ever bead blasted by hand you know what a pain in the back, neck, and eye strain it can be, not to mention a major time suck especially if you have many parts to clean. 

Now with the DyeMansion Powershot C automatic cleaning system what would take me hours has been reduced down to 10 minutes a load.  The other advantage with the DyeMansion Powershot C is I get consistently clean-looking parts.  See example B.  The cleaned parts are ready for finishing or shipping depending on your or your client's needs.  Again, remember the advantage of additive manufacturing is cost-effectiveness and turnaround time.  

In the video below, you can see I am unpacking parts from the HP Multi Jet Fusion.  I am just cleaning the loose powder off the parts as the HP recycles the unused material back into the system for reuse.  The parts are then loaded into the DyeMansion Powershot C and cleaned. 

After using the DyeMansion cleaning system, I would never want to go back to the cleaning process manually again.

Please feel free to give me a call at 800.873.7238 x2735 or send me an email at gene.call@mastergraphics.com with any questions or if you want to discuss post-processing.

When it comes to advancing manufacturing processes, people pick a team on which to play: the additive manufacturing team or the subtractive manufacturing team.  This meant that people used technologies such as MultiJet, SLA, SLS or FFF technologies for additive manufacturing, or CNC machining for subtractive manufacturing.  The result, companies have a divide with both sides feeling threatened and intimidated by the other.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) rose in the 1990's.  Companies thought this would replace traditional machining and I injection molds. It was realized AM at that time had limited materials tolerances, lower speeds and higher prices. AM adoption was slower with manufacturing as a result.  Traditional manufacturers were offended that a technology could replace their skill set.  On the flip side, additive manufacturers were not impressed by traditional manufacturers refusing to advance product development with speed or diversity.  This division slowed the acceptance to AM technology.

So what has changed today?  Proven successful applications over the years.  With the advancement of material properties, faster print technology, better resolution/tolerances and lower equipment pricing has companies adopting AM to complement subtractive manufacturing instead of competing.  More case studies are being produced today with successful applications.

What are a few applications we see additive manufacturing used successful within companies today?

• Jigs or fixtures is used to locate, insert or support something.  Also go/no-go gauges.  Traditionally, these items have been machined which involved expense and time to program the work, buy the material and machine the parts.  3D printed parts can be printed overnight for next day needs, ensure repeatability, save scrap costs and lower the cost of production.
• Mold inserts - low volume injection molds such as up to 200 shots are proving out for companies that want to get to market faster.  The divide is coming together with the designers helping design the fixtures for the tool room manager.
• Thermoforming used as direct tools or custom 'inserts' within traditional tools
• Sheet metal forming tools 3d printed will provide an efficient replacement to waterjet and laser.
• Indirect master patterns save weeks and months with 3D printing.

I work with companies to help educate them about additive manufacturing, to help assure companies will not acquire the wrong technology for their application needs.  The real value of AM technology is found when people take time to learn where the complementing technologies and materials make sense.

A traditional manufacturer should embrace additive manufacturing, because it is truly complementary to their existing processes and adds value.

When customers see these technologies their manufacturers, they feel more comfortable that they are working with a progressive manufacture.  Additive manufacturing is no longer considered "hype".  It is here, and it is staying.  One common comment I hear from manufacturers that have implemented AM, "more applications and cost saving were discovered." While it is unclear if AM will ever fully replace subtractive manufacturing technologies, it seems fairly certain that it will, in the long run, become a significant complement to subtractive manufacturing.

Download the jigs and fixtures eBook for further ideas, or contact Barb Miller-Webb at barbara.miller-webb@mastergraphics.com