Chemical Engineering January 2017 - 14

Newsfront
Linde
3-D Printing for
Finished Products
Moving 3-D printing beyond prototyping toward production of finished parts has driven innovation
and spurred investment, but has also forced the industry to address a host of challenges
IN BRIEF
REALITY REPLACES HYPE
DESIGNED FOR 3DP
3D-PRINT SIMULATION
METALS AND QUALITY
SPEED AND POSTPRODUCTION
I
ndustrial
use of 3-D printing (3DP; also
known industrially as additive manufacturing;
AM) for research and development
(R&D) projects and prototyping is widespread,
but the focus of this potentially disruptive
technology has shifted toward utilizing
3DP as a manufacturing platform to produce
finished parts. Fully realizing the benefits of
3DP in the manufacturing space requires the
industry to address a number of challenging
questions about equipment capabilities, material
properties and about the integration of
3DP into wider industrial processes.
" 3-D printing is already a key R&D and
prototyping tool, but a fundamental shift is
ongoing right now to use it for the production
of final parts, " explains Terry Wohlers,
a 3DP industry analyst and consultant with
Wohlers and Associates (Fort Collins, Colo.;
wohlersassociates.com). " This is where the
most significant financial benefits are found.
3DP technology continues to advance in
terms of printing equipment, availability of
engineered raw materials, and software for
designing and building 3D-printed components.
Along with these advancements has
come investment from companies seeking to
position themselves to either supply the 3-D
printing industry or to take advantage of the
benefits offered by this manufacturing approach,
which include design freedom, mass
customization and the ability to reduce or
eliminate assembly. Although the 3DP industry
remains relatively small (estimated $5.2 billion
in 2015, according to the Wohlers Report
2016), it is growing rapidly (26% compound
average growth rate in 2015; anticipated
growth to $26 billion by 2021, according to
the report), and a number of indicators are
signaling that 3DP is entering mainstream
industry, including investment from both the
public and private sectors.
Reality replaces hype
As AM's objective crystallizes around production
of final parts, the frothy hype sur14
rounding
industry a few years ago has given
way to an optimistic, but sober reckoning of
key real-world issues: chief among them are
how to ensure the safety, quality and consistency
of 3D-printed components and how to
integrate AM equipment and digital attributes
into broader manufacturing processes.
" For many industries, AM offers huge potential
benefits, but as you move from prototyping
to production, there are many questions
that need to be considered carefully in
order for these potential benefits to be made
real, " explains Chris Chung, head of strategic
development and external affairs at Lloyd's
Register (LR; Singapore; www.lr.org). " We
need to get a good handle on all essential
variables for AM processes, and develop
standards for systems and personnel, so
that there is a methodology to producing a
series of AM-printed products, and the effectiveness
of the printed parts can be demonstrated, "
says Andy Imrie, LR business development
and global product launch manager.
" We want to make sure that AM enters the
mainstream in a safe way. "
In addition to ensuring the quality and consistency
of final parts from 3PD, the industry
must also address questions of reliability and
repeatability of the process itself. " When you
are talking about mass production of finished
parts, machine uptime is a critical aspect, "
says analyst Wohlers, as are the supporting
processes, equipment and systems upstream
and downstream of the printer. " The
overall process steps need to be streamlined
and automated for 3DP manufacturing processes, "
including powder handling before,
for example, and surface finishing after.
" Companies are still figuring out how to do
this, " he says.
In October 2016, the LR Foundation (www.
lrfoundation.org.uk) released a " Roadmap for
Additive Manufacturing, " a consultation document
that outlines the work needed to safely
implement AM technologies for commercial
production of final parts, especially in safetyCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
JANUARY 2017
http://www.lr.org http://www.wohlersassociates.com http://lrfoundation.org.uk http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering January 2017

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