Additive Manufacturing Special Report - November 2023 - 17

materials. The need for lubricated
materials also is vital to reduce part
friction and wear, along with the
addition of UV-stable materials to
reinforce part longevity. Many of these
attributes are designed to extend the
usefulness of materials for traditional
manufacturing and 3D-printing
applications, and vice versa.
Spotlight on Sustainability
The opportunity to boost material
sustainability is gaining significance
for all the right reasons. For starters,
companies are beginning to care more
about where their materials come
from - are they petrochemical or biobased?
PLA, which is extremely easy to
use, is based on renewable resources,
such as corn, sugarcane, or sugar beet
pulp. Polyamide 11, or PA 11, one of the
most widely used additive materials,
is a bioplastic made from castor oil.
In contrast, PA 12, another commonly
used plastic, is a petrochemical-based
material, as is ABS, among others.
While materials made from renewable
resources can reduce carbon footprints,
they are not necessarily biodegradable.
As the downstream side is vital, it is
critical to consider whether materials
can be recycled or composted once
a part or product reaches end of life.
For single-use plastic items, the type
of material is a big concern, which is
driving significant interest in the use
of home compostable, bio-degradable
and marine degradable materials.
Ongoing research and development in
formulating biodegradable polymers
and additive materials focuses on
how best to meet strict temperature,
oxygen, and water-barrier properties.
The use of post-consumer recycled
materials to create filaments for
AM also poses process and cost
considerations. The morphology
control to compensate for the inherent
flaws and defects of recycled materials
is complicated, especially when dealing
with rigorous mechanical requirements.
Luckily, efforts to repurpose and
recycle powders and other materials
used in AM are less complicated,
and therefore, growing faster.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SPECIAL REPORT
Lightweighting and
Localization
The ability to reduce carbon
footprints by decreasing product
weight and localizing manufacturing
are prime benefits of AM. It is now
possible to create extremely intricate
geometric forms with fewer parts for
bill-of-materials (BOM) consolidation.
Moreover, scientists are experimenting
with different chemistries to
improve how fillers can be applied
throughout the polymer chain to
create stronger yet lighter materials.
A great example is the work of
carbon-fiber fillers, which can be
bonded throughout the complete
polymer chain to enable a much higher
load transfer to the fibers. This achieves
significant improvements in material
strength, requiring less material to
be used. Ultimately, fewer resources
are needed to produce stronger yet
lighter parts or products at reduced
cost, waste, and energy consumption.
While lightweighting has been a
major accelerant for AM applications
in the aerospace, automotive, and
healthcare industries, now it is picking
up speed in consumer electronics.
Localization is another important driver
as it offers the chance to manufacture
and deliver goods closer to endcustomers
to streamline supply chain
management, decrease logistical
costs, and reduce carbon footprints.
New eco-friendly materials
also are garnering interest for
significant environmental benefits
over incumbents. An example is an
innovative polyketone that can deliver
the durability and strength of PA 12
but is made from carbon monoxide,
which helps remove this atmospheric
pollutant from the environment.
Other innovative materials can
reduce and/or eliminate toxic fumes
and emissions that potentially are
harmful to people and the planet.
Repeatable, Reliable Processes
The use of highly specialized material
science, advanced formulations, and
compounding processes are essential
ingredients to the ideal recipes for
additive materials. Where the rubber
meets the road, however, is the
ability to validate and certify these
materials for optimal performance
on various 3D-printing platforms.
Rigorous process control is
mandatory to ensure muchneeded
reliability and repeatability
of crucial characteristics, such
as mechanical performance and
dimensional accuracy. Systems
integration across different processes
and platforms is essential to
ramping production volumes.
In this regard, the AM industry lags
behind traditional manufacturing,
which uses high levels of automation,
intelligent process control, machine
learning, and data analytics.
Sophisticated manufacturing lines
continuously monitor and adjust
production processes to ensure
top-quality outputs. To achieve
similar levels of consistency and
quality from AM will require ongoing
investment and innovation.
Internal specifications and industry
certifications for additive materials
and processes are needed to propel
the industry forward. While the
rules are still being written, there
are lots of examples emanating
from materials innovation centers
and manufacturing centers of
excellence to help inform and guide
development of best practices and
next steps for additive materials.
Organizations with experience and
expertise in additive and traditional
manufacturing are poised to provide
the best of both worlds. Not only can
these experts empower customers
to capitalize on the transformative
power of additive materials, they
also can apply the ideal mix of
manufacturing solutions to produce
better-performing parts and products
at decreased cost and with less waste.
This article was written by Luke
Rodgers, Senior Director, Research
and Development, Jabil (St.
Petersburg, FL). For more information,
visit www.jabil.com/services/
additive-manufacturing.html.
NOVEMBER 2023 17
https://www.jabil.com/services/additive-manufacturing.html https://www.jabil.com/services/additive-manufacturing.html
Additive Manufacturing Special Report - November 2023

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