Additive manufacturing is a new way of producing parts and other items using a system in which the material, whether metal or plastic, is deposited layer by layer in a controlled way exactly where it is needed. It is a technique used above all to produce customised geometric shapes. It is commonly known as 3D printing.
Advantages of additive manufacturing
More and more sectors are turning to additive manufacturing. The reason is that, compared with traditional manufacturing, it stands out because it does not require intermediate processes to reach the end result, such as making tooling. The main consequence is that parts are produced up to 90% faster. In addition, the machine only uses the exact amount of material that the final part will contain. As a result, no waste is generated with this technique, production costs are lower and items are made more sustainably.The rise of this type of manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly popular and widely used thanks to the precision, speed and savings it offers. Furthermore, many companies can benefit from it, whether they work in sectors such as aerospace or healthcare. So much so that these machines can produce parts for aircraft that withstand temperatures of up to seven hundred degrees, or customised implants tailored to each patient's needs.It should also be noted that this is a technique with limitless growth potential. In addition to the sectors mentioned above, furniture factories, jewellers, the textile industry, toy manufacturers and the automotive industry, among many other businesses, are also turning to additive manufacturing.
Additive manufacturing technologies
Every company has different needs, depending on its sector and activity. Therefore, each one will work with a different additive manufacturing technology. This will depend, for example, on the function of the parts and on whether they are to be made from metal alloys or polymers. Today, the main additive manufacturing technologies are:- Powder Bed Fusion : this involves depositing a layer of powder material in the build area and selectively melting it with an electron beam (EBM) or a laser (SLM).
- Fused Deposition Modelling: a technology in which a plastic filament is heated and deposited in a controlled way at the precise point where it is to be built up. All this is done through a calibrated nozzle while the material is molten, before it cools and therefore solidifies. The system follows instructions from a computer, which sends the vertical movement commands to the table and the horizontal commands to the nozzle to achieve the expected results.
- Material Jetting: this system works by selectively depositing droplets of photopolymer material onto the build platform. This makes it possible to build several layers in a single pass. The material is then cured and solidified with UV light.
Differences between additive manufacturing and 3D printing
Although they generally refer to the same concept, the two terms are not always used for the same purpose. 3D printing tends to be simpler and can even be done at home. It is also cheaper and more limited. Normally, 3D printing is used to create wax or plastic parts, such as toys, decorative figures or phone cases, among other thingsOn the other hand, additive manufacturing is more typical of industrial production, yielding more specialised, professional items. It can therefore work with other materials, such as metals, and more complex processes can be carried out. This makes additive manufacturing ideal for use in:
- The medical sector: to create surgical instruments, implants or anatomical models.
- Industry: to make moulds or specific tools.
- The aerospace sector: to design final parts or functional prototypes.