Katana VentraIP

3D printing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.[1][2][3] It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control,[4] with the material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.

For methods of transferring an image onto a 3D surface, see pad printing. For methods of generating autostereoscopic lenticular images, see lenticular printing and holography.

In the 1980s, 3D printing techniques were considered suitable only for the production of functional or aesthetic prototypes, and a more appropriate term for it at the time was rapid prototyping.[5] As of 2019, the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing have increased to the point that some 3D printing processes are considered viable as an industrial-production technology; in this context, the term additive manufacturing can be used synonymously with 3D printing.[6] One of the key advantages of 3D printing[7] is the ability to produce very complex shapes or geometries that would be otherwise infeasible to construct by hand, including hollow parts or parts with internal truss structures to reduce weight while creating less material waste. Fused deposition modeling (FDM), which uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material, is the most common 3D printing process in use as of 2020.[8]

Terminology

The umbrella term additive manufacturing (AM) gained popularity in the 2000s,[9] inspired by the theme of material being added together (in any of various ways). In contrast, the term subtractive manufacturing appeared as a retronym for the large family of machining processes with material removal as their common process. The term 3D printing still referred only to the polymer technologies in most minds, and the term AM was more likely to be used in metalworking and end-use part production contexts than among polymer, inkjet, or stereolithography enthusiasts.


By the early 2010s, the terms 3D printing and additive manufacturing evolved senses in which they were alternate umbrella terms for additive technologies, one being used in popular language by consumer-maker communities and the media, and the other used more formally by industrial end-use part producers, machine manufacturers, and global technical standards organizations. Until recently, the term 3D printing has been associated with machines low in price or capability.[10] 3D printing and additive manufacturing reflect that the technologies share the theme of material addition or joining throughout a 3D work envelope under automated control. Peter Zelinski, the editor-in-chief of Additive Manufacturing magazine, pointed out in 2017 that the terms are still often synonymous in casual usage,[11] but some manufacturing industry experts are trying to make a distinction whereby additive manufacturing comprises 3D printing plus other technologies or other aspects of a manufacturing process.[11]


Other terms that have been used as synonyms or hypernyms have included desktop manufacturing, rapid manufacturing (as the logical production-level successor to rapid prototyping), and on-demand manufacturing (which echoes on-demand printing in the 2D sense of printing). The fact that the application of the adjectives rapid and on-demand to the noun manufacturing was novel in the 2000s reveals the long-prevailing mental model of the previous industrial era during which almost all production manufacturing had involved long lead times for laborious tooling development. Today, the term subtractive has not replaced the term machining, instead complementing it when a term that covers any removal method is needed. Agile tooling is the use of modular means to design tooling that is produced by additive manufacturing or 3D printing methods to enable quick prototyping and responses to tooling and fixture needs. Agile tooling uses a cost-effective and high-quality method to quickly respond to customer and market needs, and it can be used in hydro-forming, stamping, injection molding and other manufacturing processes.

History

1940s and 1950s

The general concept of and procedure to be used in 3D-printing was first described by Murray Leinster in his 1945 short story "Things Pass By": "But this constructor is both efficient and flexible. I feed magnetronic plastics — the stuff they make houses and ships of nowadays — into this moving arm. It makes drawings in the air following drawings it scans with photo-cells. But plastic comes out of the end of the drawing arm and hardens as it comes ... following drawings only" [12]


It was also described by Raymond F. Jones in his story, "Tools of the Trade", published in the November 1950 issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine. He referred to it as a "molecular spray" in that story.

1970s

In 1971, Johannes F Gottwald patented the Liquid Metal Recorder, U.S. patent 3596285A,[13] a continuous inkjet metal material device to form a removable metal fabrication on a reusable surface for immediate use or salvaged for printing again by remelting. This appears to be the first patent describing 3D printing with rapid prototyping and controlled on-demand manufacturing of patterns.


The patent states:

Benefits of 3D printing

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing has rapidly gained importance in the field of engineering due to its many benefits. The vision of 3D printing is design freedom, individualization,[54] decentralization[55] and executing processes that were previously impossible through alternative methods.[56] Some of these benefits include enabling faster prototyping, reducing manufacturing costs, increasing product customization, and improving product quality.[57]


Furthermore, the capabilities of 3D printing have extended beyond traditional manufacturing, like lightweight construction,[58] or repair and maintenance[59] with applications in prosthetics,[60] bioprinting,[61] food industry,[62] rocket building,[63] design and art[64] and renewable energy systems.[65] 3D printing technology can be used to produce battery energy storage systems, which are essential for sustainable energy generation and distribution.


Another benefit of 3D printing is the technology's ability to produce complex geometries with high precision and accuracy.[66] This is particularly relevant in the field of microwave engineering, where 3D printing can be used to produce components with unique properties that are difficult to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods.[67]

holes

faces normals

self-intersections

noise shells

manifold errors

[72]

overhang issues

[73]

Vat photopolymerization

Material jetting

Binder jetting

Powder bed fusion

Material extrusion

Directed energy deposition

Sheet lamination

In early 2014, Swedish manufacturer Koenigsegg announced the One:1, a supercar that utilizes many components that were 3D printed.[167] Urbee is the first car produced using 3D printing (the bodywork and car windows were "printed").[168][169][170]

supercar

In 2014, debuted Strati, a functioning vehicle that was entirely 3D printed using ABS plastic and carbon fiber, except the powertrain.[171]

Local Motors

In May 2015 Airbus announced that its new included over 1000 components manufactured by 3D printing.[172]

Airbus A350 XWB

In 2015, a Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet flew with printed parts. The United States Air Force has begun to work with 3D printers, and the Israeli Air Force has also purchased a 3D printer to print spare parts.[173]

Royal Air Force

In 2017, revealed that it had used design for additive manufacturing to create a helicopter engine with 16 parts instead of 900, with great potential impact on reducing the complexity of supply chains.[174]

GE Aviation

Lipson, Hod; Kurman, Melba (2013). Fabricated: the new world of 3D printing. Indianapolis, Indiana: John Wiley & Sons.  978-1-118-35063-8. OCLC 806199735.

ISBN

Tran, Jasper (2017). "Reconstructionism, IP and 3D Printing".  2842345.

SSRN

Tran, Jasper (2016). "Press Clause and 3D Printing". Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. 14: 75–80.  2614606.

SSRN

Tran, Jasper (2016). "3D-Printed Food". Minnesota Journal of Law, Science and Technology. 17: 855–80.  2710071.

SSRN

Tran, Jasper (2015). "To Bioprint or Not to Bioprint". North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology. 17: 123–78.  2562952.

SSRN

Tran, Jasper (2015). "Patenting Bioprinting". Harvard Journal of Law and Technology Digest.  2603693.

SSRN

Tran, Jasper (2015). . John Marshall Journal of Information Technology and Privacy Law. 31: 505–20.

"The Law and 3D Printing"

Lindenfeld, Eric; et al. (2015). "Strict Liability and 3D-Printed Medical Devices". Yale Journal of Law and Technology.  2697245.

SSRN

Dickel, Sascha; Schrape, Jan-Felix (2016). "Materializing Digital Futures". The Decentralized and Networked Future of Value Creation. Progress in IS. pp. 163–78. :10.1007/978-3-319-31686-4_9. ISBN 978-3-319-31684-0. S2CID 148483485.

doi

. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

"Results of Make Magazine's 2015 3D Printer Shootout"

. makezine.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

"Evaluation Protocol for Make Magazine's 2015 3D Printer Shootout"

. Boots Industries. Retrieved 7 September 2015.

"Heat Beds in 3D Printing – Advantages and Equipment"

Stephens, B.; Azimi, P.; El Orch, Z.; Ramos, T. (2013). . Atmospheric Environment. 79: 334–339. Bibcode:2013AtmEn..79..334S. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.06.050.

"Ultrafine particle emissions from desktop 3D printers"

Easton, Thomas A. (November 2008). "The 3D Trainwreck: How 3D Printing Will Shake Up Manufacturing". . 128 (11): 50–63.

Analog

Wright, Paul K. (2001). 21st Century Manufacturing. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

"3D printing: a new industrial revolution – Safety and health at work – EU-OSHA". osha.europa.eu. Retrieved 28 July 2017.

at Curlie

Rapid prototyping websites