The Impacts of 3D Printing for Manufacture in Context 4.0.
By: STRATASYS 10/3/2018
The term disruption is often viewed negatively, but "disruption", combined with innovation, is often what is needed to take something to the next level. The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAP) says that disruptive innovation in manufacturing has created a new standard of normality for manufacturers.
So this break is a good thing? If you are a manufacturer and are looking to reduce costs, reduce waste and / or increase productivity, it is a good thing. Thanks to cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), we are all more connected to each other and to our devices.
And what does this mean for manufacturing? It means that "IoT has the power to transform manufacturing by changing the types of products manufactured by the companies and how they will be made, while reducing costs. Disruptive technologies are good for business, "said Steve Beard, an information industry analyst.
In this series of articles, we will talk about 3D printing (additive manufacturing) and the advantages of adopting this technology considering the industry context 4.0.
So this break is a good thing? If you are a manufacturer and are looking to reduce costs, reduce waste and / or increase productivity, it is a good thing. Thanks to cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), we are all more connected to each other and to our devices.
And what does this mean for manufacturing? It means that "IoT has the power to transform manufacturing by changing the types of products manufactured by the companies and how they will be made, while reducing costs. Disruptive technologies are good for business, "said Steve Beard, an information industry analyst.
In this series of articles, we will talk about 3D printing (additive manufacturing) and the advantages of adopting this technology considering the industry context 4.0.
Emergence of 3D printing
Although 3D printing has been around for almost 30 years, there are still many people who are unaware not only of their capabilities but of their ability to disrupt. And digital expansion during this time served only to push this additive technology to a new level.
So what exactly is 3D printing? Another term for 3D printing is Additive Manufacturing (AM). Often used for rapid prototyping in many industries, 3D printing is now finding its place on the shop floor as well.
AM uses a layer-by-layer or particle-by-particle manufacturing method. With additive manufacturing, it is possible to move directly from the digital design data to the final part, without intermediate steps of production. The information is collected from a scan or Computer Aided Design (CAD) file, and sent directly to a 3D printer. From these digital files, the 3D printer starts building from the bottom up to create a three-dimensional representation of the object.
There are many 3D printing processes and many other materials, but they all have one thing in common: scanning. Without digital technology, 3D printing would not exist. This is a way to easily print what was projected onto the screen, using a fully digital workflow.
3D printing has emerged as a hobby for hobbyists and has rapidly expanded its use in rapid prototyping (RP) of items that can, through additive manufacturing, be made faster and at a lower cost. RP is still the most used feature of 3D printing, but new production printers and materials that can replace metal parts have come up to add a whole new dimension to 3D manufacturing.
Additive technology deposits the materials layer by layer, and in subtractive or CNC manufacturing and other machined manufactures, the parts are made by successive cuts from a solid block of material. Subtractive technology, while proven over time, is slow, costly, costly, and ideal only for high volume operations.
Since its inception, it has been argued that 3D printing would completely replace traditional machining. This has not happened, and it probably will not. Instead, in the realm of manufacturing, there is now room for both for traditional manufacturing and for additive manufacturing. Often, these two processes can complement each other at the same level of production.
Low volume production
The ability to quickly and economically print low-volume or low-volume 3D productions is one of AM's greatest attributes. In all areas, design engineers began to rely on 3D printing for fast prototyping of their designs, making it possible to iterate daily, rather than a monthly iteration or even longer. Many designers create their project files and print the piece at night, getting a freshly executed 3D project in the morning.
With the production of low volume parts, the products can be customized to local markets or even according to individual preferences of each customer, driving their adoption in sectors as diverse as fashion, health and automotive.
In addition, with the ability to print on demand, companies also have the opportunity to eliminate inventory and reduce lead times by providing digital spare parts catalogs that can be printed when needed.
AM can break traditional economies of scale by allowing the production of cost-effective single or low-volume parts.
Life cycle sustainability
Another way of thinking about the sustainability of a part's life cycle is to think about its environmental impact. This thought begins within the factory that produces and continues through its active use, and after that. The environmental impact of a part can be substantially reduced when produced additionally, rather than being produced through traditional machining.
How? The AM is highly efficient in terms of materials. There is virtually no waste with 3D printing, since only the necessary material is used for the project. Thanks to digital technology, the construction of a part can be optimized by placing the material only where it is needed. This not only reduces the amount of discards, but also reduces the amount of energy needed to produce it.
Taking this a step further, this ability to design a part with an optimized strength-to-weight ratio also has an environmental benefit in the life cycle. Lightweight parts used in vehicles such as aircraft and cars further reduce fuel consumption and resulting emissions.
The ability to stop shipping is another feature that makes the additive technology have a positive effect on the environment. Parts can be printed closer to where they are needed, reducing or eliminating shipping and shipping. In addition, the disposal of end-of-life parts will no longer be performed because they will only be printed in case of actual need. Finally, 3D scanning allows reverse engineering to support discontinued products, so parts can continue to print long after the traditional stock becomes obsolete.
Although 3D printing has been around for almost 30 years, there are still many people who are unaware not only of their capabilities but of their ability to disrupt. And digital expansion during this time served only to push this additive technology to a new level.
So what exactly is 3D printing? Another term for 3D printing is Additive Manufacturing (AM). Often used for rapid prototyping in many industries, 3D printing is now finding its place on the shop floor as well.
AM uses a layer-by-layer or particle-by-particle manufacturing method. With additive manufacturing, it is possible to move directly from the digital design data to the final part, without intermediate steps of production. The information is collected from a scan or Computer Aided Design (CAD) file, and sent directly to a 3D printer. From these digital files, the 3D printer starts building from the bottom up to create a three-dimensional representation of the object.
There are many 3D printing processes and many other materials, but they all have one thing in common: scanning. Without digital technology, 3D printing would not exist. This is a way to easily print what was projected onto the screen, using a fully digital workflow.
3D printing has emerged as a hobby for hobbyists and has rapidly expanded its use in rapid prototyping (RP) of items that can, through additive manufacturing, be made faster and at a lower cost. RP is still the most used feature of 3D printing, but new production printers and materials that can replace metal parts have come up to add a whole new dimension to 3D manufacturing.
Additive technology deposits the materials layer by layer, and in subtractive or CNC manufacturing and other machined manufactures, the parts are made by successive cuts from a solid block of material. Subtractive technology, while proven over time, is slow, costly, costly, and ideal only for high volume operations.
Since its inception, it has been argued that 3D printing would completely replace traditional machining. This has not happened, and it probably will not. Instead, in the realm of manufacturing, there is now room for both for traditional manufacturing and for additive manufacturing. Often, these two processes can complement each other at the same level of production.
Low volume production
The ability to quickly and economically print low-volume or low-volume 3D productions is one of AM's greatest attributes. In all areas, design engineers began to rely on 3D printing for fast prototyping of their designs, making it possible to iterate daily, rather than a monthly iteration or even longer. Many designers create their project files and print the piece at night, getting a freshly executed 3D project in the morning.
With the production of low volume parts, the products can be customized to local markets or even according to individual preferences of each customer, driving their adoption in sectors as diverse as fashion, health and automotive.
In addition, with the ability to print on demand, companies also have the opportunity to eliminate inventory and reduce lead times by providing digital spare parts catalogs that can be printed when needed.
AM can break traditional economies of scale by allowing the production of cost-effective single or low-volume parts.
Life cycle sustainability
Another way of thinking about the sustainability of a part's life cycle is to think about its environmental impact. This thought begins within the factory that produces and continues through its active use, and after that. The environmental impact of a part can be substantially reduced when produced additionally, rather than being produced through traditional machining.
How? The AM is highly efficient in terms of materials. There is virtually no waste with 3D printing, since only the necessary material is used for the project. Thanks to digital technology, the construction of a part can be optimized by placing the material only where it is needed. This not only reduces the amount of discards, but also reduces the amount of energy needed to produce it.
Taking this a step further, this ability to design a part with an optimized strength-to-weight ratio also has an environmental benefit in the life cycle. Lightweight parts used in vehicles such as aircraft and cars further reduce fuel consumption and resulting emissions.
The ability to stop shipping is another feature that makes the additive technology have a positive effect on the environment. Parts can be printed closer to where they are needed, reducing or eliminating shipping and shipping. In addition, the disposal of end-of-life parts will no longer be performed because they will only be printed in case of actual need. Finally, 3D scanning allows reverse engineering to support discontinued products, so parts can continue to print long after the traditional stock becomes obsolete.
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