Is a form of computer-aided production that builds a three dimensional object by adding layers of material one upon the other until an object is created?

Building three-dimensional structures out of plastic, metal, concrete, or even human flesh may be described as "additive manufacturing," which is an apt term for the processes that use layer upon layer of material to construct the objects.

CAD (Computer-Aided Design or CAD), machine equipment, and stacking material are all common to AM technologies. Layer upon layer of liquids, powders, sheets, or other materials are laid down or added by AM equipment in order to build a 3D item from scratch using data from a CAD file.

In addition to 3D printing, rapid prototyping, direct digital manufacturing (DDM), layered manufacturing, and additive fabrication, the word AM embraces a wide range of technologies.

The possibilities for using AM are almost endless. Rapid Prototyping, an early type of AM, was used primarily to create preproduction models. In more recent years, AM has been utilised to produce end-use goods in aeroplanes, dental restorations, medical implants, vehicles, and even fashion items.

Amplifying layers is a basic method for adding layers, however there are numerous more complex AM applications that may be used for different purposes.

• one day, as industrial tooling for the manufacturing of small numbers of production components, a visualisation tool in the design may generate highly customised goods for consumers and professionals alike... human organ production

For many, additive manufacturing (AM) is seen as a supplement to traditional subtractive manufacturing (e.g., drilling out material) (like forging). Regardless, additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to provide both consumers and professionals the ability to design, customise, and repair their own products, while also redefining conventional production methods.

Simple or complex, AM is a marvel to see and is best defined by the addition of layers upon layers of any material, whether it plastic, metal, concrete, or perhaps one day... human tissue.

Additive manufacturing vs. subtractive manufacturing

the ability or tendency to add is connoted by the term "additive" Additive processes result in the addition of new elements.

'Tending to or capable of removing or subtracting' is the definition of the adjective'subtractive.' It is a subtractive procedure that removes or eliminates something.

Subtractive manufacturing

Subtractive manufacturing is the most common method of producing goods in the world today. Starting with a huge piece of anything, you chop it down into smaller and smaller pieces until you get your intended result.

Machining is another name for this procedure.' Hollowing, cutting, or removing pieces from a block of material are all examples of machining. It might be a piece of plastic or metal, for example.

Additive manufacturing

Starting with nothing and building one layer at a time, AM creates 3D things from the ground up. 3D printing is a kind of additive manufacturing (AM).

AM technology has come a long way in the last several decades. The current generation of 3D printers is capable of printing everything from jet engine turbines to car spare parts to whole homes.

How does additive manufacturing work?

Additive manufacturing refers to processes that build three-dimensional products one tiny layer at a time using computer-aided design software. The melted or partly melted substance in each subsequent layer binds to the one before it. Layering materials may include metal powder, thermoplastics, ceramics, composites, glass, and even consumables like chocolate.

Computer-aided design (CAD) software is used to create files that "slice" the thing into ultra-thin layers, which are then utilised to print the product. This data directs the nozzle or print head to deposit material exactly on top of the previous layer. Alternatively, a laser or electron beam may selectively melt or partly melt a powdered material bed. A three-dimensional entity is formed when liquids or solids cool or cure.

Manufacturing is undergoing a revolution as a result of the file-to-3D-object transition. The need for time- and money-consuming intermediate procedures like creating moulds or dies is history.

Additive Manufacturing Processes

There are a variety of AM processes, each of which has its own set of criteria.

Binder Jetting

An x, y, and z-axis 3D printing type head is used to deposit alternating layers of powdered material and a liquid binder.

Directed Energy Deposition

Ceramics, metals, and polymers are just a few of the materials that may be utilised in additive manufacturing using direct energy deposition. As a bed travels up and down, a laser, electric arc, or electron beam cannon situated on the arm melts wire, filament feedstock, or powder.

Material Extrusion

Polymer spools are either extruded or dragged via a heated nozzle positioned on a moving arm in this popular AM method. As the nozzle travels horizontally and the bed moves vertically, the melted material builds up layer by layer. The adhesion of the layers is ensured either by regulating the temperature or by using chemical bonding agents.

Powder Bed Fusion

All of these processes are part of the powder bed fusion process: direct metal laser melting (DMLM), DMLS; electron beam melting (EBM), SLS; selective laser sintering (SLS); and selective heat sintering (SHS). Fine layers of material are heated using electron beams, lasers or thermal print heads, and superfluous powder is blasted away.

Sheet Lamination

Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) and ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) are two methods of sheet lamination (UAM). Alternating layers of paper and glue are used in laminated object manufacture to create products that have a pleasing appearance. It is possible to weld aluminium, stainless steel, and titanium using UAM, a low-energy, low-temperature ultrasonic welding method.

Vat Polymerisation

The item is built layer by layer in a vat of liquid resin photopolymer. Photopolymerization of each resin layer is accomplished by directing ultraviolet light via mirrors.

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Welding arcs are used in conjunction with manipulators to produce 3D forms by arc deposition in wire-arc AM. In order to get the required form, wire is usually used as a material source in this procedure. In most cases, robots are used to carry out this kind of additive manufacturing process.

Additive Manufacturing Technologies

There are three major categories of AM technology.

The first is sintering, in which the material is heated but not melted to form intricate, high-resolution objects. Selective laser sintering employs a laser on thermoplastic powders, while direct metal laser sintering uses metal powder.

Direct laser metal sintering, which utilises a laser to melt layers of metal powder, and electron beam melting, which uses electron beams to melt the powders, are both examples of the second AM method, which completely melts the materials.

For torque-resistant ceramic pieces that can withstand high temperatures, stereolithography utilises a method called photopolymerisation, which involves firing an ultraviolet laser into a vat of photopolymer resin.

How Does it Work & Processes Involved?

Rather of removing material to produce a final product, additive manufacturing instead adds to it.

Parts of a material are removed in various ways to carve or shape it into the desired product using traditional manufacturing procedures. If you're looking for something that's completely different from subtractive manufacturing, go no further than additive manufacturing. In order for the printer to "print" the correct form, a computer and specialised CAD software are required.

The cartridge may be used with a variety of different materials and the substance is "printed" into the form one wafer-thin layer at a time using the technology. In order to finish the form, these layers are printed on top of each other and fused together throughout the process.

What are the Benefits?

A wide variety of forms and patterns may be produced using conventional manufacturing processes, but additive manufacturing raises the bar even further.

A major advantage of this newer technology is that it allows for a wider diversity of forms to be created. This technology makes it possible to produce designs that would otherwise be impossible to produce in one piece using conventional methods. If you want something with a hollow centre, for example, you don't need to weld or assemble separate parts to make it. Aside from being more durable, this has no weak points that may be compromised or overworked.

Rather than requiring an unending series of meetings with engineers to be able to change ideas, the additive manufacturing process is incredibly fast. Changes may be made with the simple click of a mouse using CAD software. Full models may be created overnight in certain circumstances using rapid prototyping techniques. Because of this, businesses have a lot more leeway and may cut prices as well.

The restrictions of manufacturing have affected design far too frequently in the past, resulting in the rejection of innovative concepts due to their impossibility. The process has been turned on its head as a result of the invention and subsequent development of this new technology.

Examples of Additive Manufacturing (AM)

SLA

High-end technique that uses lasers to cure photopolymer resin in many layers (polymer that changes properties when exposed to light).

It's all done in a big vat of resin. The cross-sectional pattern of the model is traced and cured by a laser beam focused into the resin pool. The platform on which the build is performed is lowered by a single layer thickness throughout the construction cycle. It's amazing to observe how the construction or model progresses. Some model characteristics may need the use of specialised materials. Injection moulding, thermoforming, and other casting methods employ models as patterns, which may be machined.

FDM

The use of indexing nozzles to inject thermoplastic (polymer that becomes a liquid when heated and solidifies back into a liquid when cooled) materials onto a platform is process-oriented. The thermoplastic material hardens before to the application of the next layer, allowing the nozzles to trace the cross-section pattern. It's amazing to observe how the construction or model progresses. Perhaps specialised material is required to provide support for certain model attributes. They may be machined or used as templates like SLA. It's simple to use and looks great.

MJM

It is comparable to an inkjet printer because it uses hundreds of little jets to apply a layer of homopolymer material, one layer at a time, in a similar manner to an inkjet printer.

3DP

Using either starch or plaster-based powder, one builds a model in a container. A little quantity of binder is applied to a layer by an inkjet printer head that shuttles. Powder is swept over the previous layer of binder with the application of more binder after the binder has been applied. Repetition of this procedure is required until the model has been completed. Loose powder provides the model's structural support. The only process that incorporates colour is this one.

SLS

Similar to SLA technology, but not quite. A high-powered laser is used in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to bind together tiny pieces of plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass in a controlled manner. The platform on which the build is performed is lowered by a single layer thickness throughout the construction cycle. The procedure is repeated until the model or construct is complete. It's finished. Unsintered material is used as a support instead of SLA's support material.

Additive manufacturing applications

From culinary inventions to jet engine components, additive manufacturing has already produced an astounding diversity of items.

Aerospace

AM is particularly good at creating components with intricate geometric patterns that save weight. As a result, it is often the ideal material for making both lightweight and sturdy aeronautical components.

NASA tested an SLM-printed rocket injector in August 2013 and was able to produce 20,000 pounds of thrust during the test. The FAA gave the go light in 2015 for the first commercial aircraft engine component to be 3D printed. A total of 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles are used in the LEAP engine from CFM International. According to Aviation Week, titanium wire-fabricated Boeing 787 structural components were on show at the 2017 Paris Air Show.

Automotive

Three-dimensional printing is being used in McLaren's F1 vehicles, according to CNN. Rear wing replacements were completed in roughly 10 days instead of the five weeks it would have taken otherwise. Using additive manufacturing, the team has now built more than 50 distinct pieces. Rapid prototyping in the automotive sector has gained a lot of attention as manufacturing components have started to emerge in the market. These include aluminium alloys for exhaust pipes and pump components, as well as polymers for bumpers and other automotive parts.

Healthcare

A clinical research of 300 patients at the New York University School of Medicine will examine the effectiveness of patient-specific, multi-colored kidney cancer models created using additive manufacturing. It will be studied to see whether these models can aid surgeons in making pre-operative evaluations and providing direction during surgeries.

In Australia, Stryker is supporting a research project that will employ additive manufacturing technology to make unique, on-demand 3D printed surgical implants for bone cancer patients.

Healthcare applications for AM are growing, especially as the safety and usefulness of AM-built medical devices are shown. Also promising is the creation of one-of-a-kind synthetic organs.

Product Development

Design ideas that were previously thought to be unattainable are now being successfully re-imagined because to the AM's design flexibility potential. Designers may now unleash their creative potential thanks to additive manufacturing, which removes the limits they previously had to work under.

Besides 3D printing and fast prototyping, there are many more subcategories of additive manufacturing, such as direct digital manufacturing and direct digital manufacturing (DDM). This technology's recent advancements have seen its usage become significantly more ubiquitous, and it provides great prospects for future growth.