There has been an undeniable surge of assertions that additive technologies are ready for production applications across the additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing sector. This can largely and correctly be attributed to the industry's evolution. As AM technologies have continued to mature over the last four decades, they have shifted beyond their traditional niche of prototyping and into the domain of production. As an industry leader, at Stratasys we believe we are currently in a transition period that has been — and continues to be — fuelled by combined advancements in machine capabilities, material properties, and software to deliver higher volumes of end-use quality parts with cost efficiencies built in.
Indeed, a number of AM technologies have been demonstrably proven as a viable method for producing end-use parts. We can testify to this as we work in partnership with an increasing number of clients to meet their needs in this area. However, we also understand that we are actually still in the early stages of the transition we are talking about here in this article. Utilizing additive processes to manufacture end-use parts is a positive sign of progress, yet it is not the same as using AM in a true production environment, producing medium to high volumes of qualified parts, reliably and repeatedly for demanding applications. While there are today some visible applications that do represent production using AM, they remain a minority. The good news is that we are heading in the right direction as we witness more companies undertaking the transition to AM for production applications at increasing volumes.
This has long been the goal – producing end use parts in increasing volumes, rather than the one-off or very low volumes of parts that additive manufacturing is traditionally associated with. Cost-per-part has always been a difficult barrier to adoption to overcome — the economics must make sense for higher volumes of parts in the range between 1 and tens of thousands, before injection moulding then takes over. Overcoming this barrier has required a holistic approach.
The evolution of the various AM hardware and software technologies, together with material development is enabling the increased viability of AM for much higher volume production. Some of the key factors driving this transition include higher performance materials; end-to-end process optimisation, including post processing; improved productivity and efficiency rates; and improved yield, process reliability and repeatability.
The ability to handle higher volumes of parts is an unmistakable trait of AM production systems together with high quality, reliable and repeatable output. It's about harnessing the power of advanced machinery and technologies to undertake larger-scale projects, ensuring that precision and speed are not compromised. Thus, such systems can weave seamlessly between intricate custom jobs, batch production and extended production runs in ways that traditional manufacturing systems can’t.
However, as has always been the case since the origin of additive technologies, no single process fits all requirements. This is why Stratasys has focused on developing and expanding its range of processes and the systems that deliver them to meet the demands of its industrial customers. In this way our P3, industrial FDM and SAF processes cover the broad spectrum of capabilities for production applications of AM addressing the requirements for speed, part volumes, quality output and mechanical properties.
If space is the final frontier, then human travel in to deep space, beyond the Moon, is the ultimate frontier. NASA’s Orion program intends to do just that. The conditions of deep space require a multi-mission approach with rigorous parts testing and the construction of a new spacecraft for each mission. This ensures both the integrity of the parts but also poses a challenge for Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the Orion vehicle: repeatability.
Founded by motorsport legend Jack Roush, Roush Performance develops aftermarket style and performance improvements for OEM vehicles like the Ford Mustang and F-150 pickup truck and upgrade packages for other select vehicles.
Instead of injection molding, Roush engineers 3D printed the mounts with SAF™ technology using the H350™ printer. This powderbed process provided sufficient throughput over several build cycles to make several thousand parts for the entire production run of F-150 vehicles.
There are many more examples available as case studies on the Stratasys website. It is likely that many more applications of additive technologies transitioning into production environments will emerge over the coming months and years. Stratasys technologies will continue to lead the way.
