3d printing additive manufacturing state of the … printing additive manufacturing state of the...

In 2013, Hybrid

Manufacturing

Technologies, based

in England, launched its

AMBIT tool-changeable

powder deposition head that

turns nearly any CNC machining

center into a hybrid system using

directed energy deposition.

Photo courtesy Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies

May 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 67

3D PRINTING

AdditiveManufacturingState of theIndustry

Tim CaffreySenior Consultant

This is an exclusive preview of the

Wohlers Report 2015, which has

provided an annual summary on the

state of additive manufacturing, with

estimates and forecasts, for the past

two decades

The additive manufacturing industry has entered a

new era, propelled forward by expiring patents,

bursts of new investment, and increasing de-

mands on quality, price, and performance from

every segment of a rapidly growing user community.

Evidence of this new era for AM can be seen in the

proliferation of emerging technologies, materials, markets,

businesses, collaborations, and services. The rate at which

the industry is growing and diverging into these emergent

segments is truly staggering.

Emerging Technologies

Many startup efforts around new materials and

processes are underway. Most are focused on versions

of existing AM technology, although some are novel and

could create entirely new markets. Among the most

interesting are printed electronics, hybrid metal systems,

and a new process from Hewlett-Packard (HP).

Terry WohlersPresidentWohlers Associates Inc.

68 AdvancedManufacturing.org | May 2015

Other new developments are similar to established pro-

cesses, such as laser sintering and stereolithography. The

opportunity to produce lower-cost versions of these processes

has stimulated innovation and brought startup companies

into the AM field. Using new or multiple materials is attractive

to groups that demand special properties from parts made

by additive manufacturing. It is

exciting to see so many devel-

opments occur in such a short

period of time.

The final foundation patent

for selective laser sintering, held

by the University of Texas at Austin, expired in June 2014.

More than a half dozen new machine developments have

emerged in the US, Europe, and China in the past year. One of

the most serious is China’s Hunan Farsoon, which recently en-

tered the North American market with machines and materials.

Vat photopolymerization, the “granddaddy” of all AM

processes, continues to be popular. Many of 3D Systems’

stereolithography patents have expired, and a significant

number of new manufacturers have entered the photopoly-

mer machine market. The trend accelerated in 2014, result-

ing in more than a dozen new offerings in the low-cost and

industrial machine segments. Much of the development has

been around small machines that use digital light processing

(DLP) technology for jewelry and

other small, intricate parts.

Ceramics are a material fam-

ily with tremendous untapped

potential when paired with the

freeform capabilities of AM.

Lithoz and 3DCeram (and by extension, Prodways) offer pho-

topolymer systems that produce precision ceramic parts. The

binder jetting process is a natural for producing ceramic parts,

so ExOne, Voxeljet, and 3D Systems have developed, or are

developing, ceramic materials for their binder jetting systems.

3D-printed electronics is developing rapidly, with many

recent investments. In October 2014, for example, the

3D PRINTING

Ceramics are a material family with tremendous untapped potential

when paired with the freeform capabilities of AM.


FlexTech Alliance awarded $1.3 million to nScrypt and NovaCentrix to co-

develop a new system for 3D printing integrated circuits onto 3D objects and

flexible surfaces.

Aerosol Jet technology from Optomec was one of the first commercially avail-

able methods of printing electronics. The process can produce line widths of less

than 10 µm on a

line pitch of less

than 20 µm, and

layers as thin as

50 nm. Aerosol jet

materials include

metal and nonme-

tallic conductors

and dielectrics,

adhesives, and

etchants. Aerosol

Jet print engines

are used in high-

volume production

applications to

make antennas

and sensors for

mobile electronics.

In late 2014,

startup Voxel8

unveiled its new multimaterial electronics printer. The company’s “Developer’s

Kit” 3D printer is a dual-extruder system that prints in PLA and conductive silver

ink. The company launched pre-sales of the $9000 printer in early 2015.

Hybrid Metal Systems

In late 2011, Matsuura displayed metal parts produced with its machine that

combines metal powder bed fusion with periodic CNC milling. Then came Hybrid

Manufacturing Technologies in 2013, with its AMBIT tool-changeable powder

deposition head that turns nearly any CNC machining center into a hybrid system

using directed energy deposition. DMG Mori Seiki followed shortly thereafter by

showing its Lasertech 65 hybrid system at EuroMold 2013.

This trickle of hybrid metal systems turned into a flood in 2014. Established in-

dustrial machine makers Mazak, Fonon Technologies, Sodick, Hurco, and Hermle

announced plans for hybrid AM metal systems. Lesser-known companies such as

RPM Innovations and Flexible Robotic Environment emerged with new metal or

metal hybrid systems developed over a period of several years.

The promise of combining near-net-shape metal deposition with precision

machining is immense, but still unproven. Potential issues include the quality of the

metallurgical bond between layers, control of the microstructure, and complex pro-

gramming and optimizing of toolpaths. Also, fine metal powder is at odds with the

operation of precision machine parts, which can potentially accelerate wear and

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Thermoplastic parts printed by HP’s Multi Jet Fusion.

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cause other problems. With cutting fluids and metal chips,

the recycling of expensive powder could be problematic.

HP Multi Jet Fusion

HP introduced a new technology called Multi Jet Fusion in

October 2014. It produces parts from thermoplastic powder

that resembles laser sintering, but without a laser. The process

uses HP thermal inkjet arrays to print fusing and detailing agents

onto thin layers of thermoplastic powder. An energy source is

used to fuse the areas where the agents were deposited.

The inkjet arrays can deposit 30 million droplets per sec-

ond across each 25 mm of area, which means the process

is fast. Test parts—gears—pro-

duced by HP took three hours

using Multi Jet Fusion. The same

parts required 38 hours using

laser sintering and 83 hours us-

ing FDM.

The edges of the parts are

crisp, the features are well

defined, and areas that are sup-

posed to be flat are flat. Multi Jet

Fusion is capable of producing

multicolor parts—something that

has not been done before with

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injection-molding press.


nylon AM. Bringing together this speed, part quality, and multi-

color using thermoplastic materials is a first in the AM industry.

The AM industry will better understand the impact of

Multi Jet Fusion after customers have used the machine.

The technology could compete with

conventional plastics processing, such

as injection molding, for certain types

of parts and quantities, disrupting both

the 3D printing and plastics process-

ing industries.

Emerging Processes and Materials

High speed sintering (HSS) is a

combination powder bed fusion and

binder jetting that was developed at

Loughborough University and now at

the University of Sheffield. The process

is somewhat similar to HP Multi Jet Fu-

sion. Instead of using a laser, print heads

selectively deposit infrared-absorbing

ink onto a powder bed. Infrared lamps

irradiate the entire surface of the bed,

and the areas of the bed that have been

printed absorb sufficient energy to melt

the underlying powder.

HP’s Multi Jet Fusion could compete with injection molding for certain types of parts

and quantiities.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

(ORNL) and Lockheed Martin have

developed a technology called Big

Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM).

Machine tool maker Cincinnati Inc. is

further developing and commercial-

izing the BAAM technology. BAAM is

a material extrusion process, but it ex-

trudes thermoplastic at a rate of about

15.9 kg per hour. The build volume of

the BAAM prototype is 2.4 × 2.4 × 2.4

m and the next-generation proto-

types will be even larger. The nozzle is

capable of extruding a variety of materials, including PEKK,

ULTEM, and carbon- and fiber-reinforced ABS. The BAAM

system uses the same plastic pellets used in injection mold-

ing, making materials for the process relatively inexpensive.

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A foundation patent for selective laser melting (metal

powder bed fusion), held by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser

Technology, will expire in December 2016. This may lead to

a new wave of manufacturers entering the metal powder bed

market. However, the technical barriers to entry are much

higher than for the material extrusion, vat photopolymeriza-

tion, and even polymer laser sintering.

The number of third-party AM material suppliers is

increasing steadily, especially of metal powders. Nano-

steel, CVMR Corporation, ATI Specialty Products, Sandvik,

Erasteel, and Carpenter are a few of the metal powder

producers. Diamond Plastics and 3DP Materials have joined

the ranks of suppliers of polymers for industrial AM sys-

tems. Others include Oxford Performance Materials, SABIC,

Viridis3D, DSM Somos, Advanced Laser Materials, CRP

Technology, Exceltec, and Arkema.

Graphene and graphite are hot areas of development

in AM. Researchers at Imperial College London created a

graphene paste and extruded it on a 3D printer. 3D Graph-

tech Industries and Australia’s CSIRO have teamed to

research graphene for 3D printing. Graphoid Inc. announced

that it would build an atomization plant for graphene-based

powders. Graphene 3D and Taulman 3D are co-developing a

graphene-enhanced nylon filament, scheduled for commer-

cial availability this year.

Emerging Markets

Impressive new markets are emerging for AM, and several

existing markets are developing rapidly. Among them are the

printing of living tissue, flight-critical parts for the aerospace

industry, and interesting tooling applications. Work in these

areas has been underway for years, but momentum has

increased in the recent past.

Perhaps more than any other major OEM, Airbus is pushing the limits

of AM, especially in the production of complex metal parts.

Developing a capability to print living tissue is not some-

thing that happens overnight, or even in several years. Yet

the steady march toward commercial bioprinting continued in

2014, with many notable milestones. One startup company,

TeVido Biodevices, plans to 3D print skin and fat grafts using

the recipient’s own cells following breast surgery. The PrintAlive

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Bioprinter from MaRS Innovations, still in development, is said

to be capable of printing skin cells, including hair follicles and

sweat glands. Organovo has printed living liver tissue for medi-

cal and drug research and clinical trials using a 3D printer that

it has been developing and using for years.

GE Aviation is making history with its well-documented

development of fuel nozzles for the LEAP engine. The com-

pany is building a $50 million production plant in Auburn, AL,

and will be producing up to 40,000 fuel nozzles per year using

metal AM systems. GE is also building a $140 million Additive

Development Center in Cincinnati. Using laser sin-

tering equipment, Boeing has been quietly produc-

ing environmental control system ducting for many

military and commercial aircraft for years. More than

100,000 production parts have been installed.

These companies are not alone. Nearly

all major aerospace OEMs, including Airbus,

Bell Helicopter, GKN Aerospace, Honeywell,

Lockheed Martin, MTU Aero Engines, Northrop

Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, and

Rolls-Royce, have built infrastructures within

their corporations to evaluate and implement

AM technologies. The sky is the limit for AM in

aerospace, where the attributes of near-free

3D PRINTING

Satellite parts made in ULTEM 9085 by FDM.

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complexity, near-net-shape production, and low piece-part

volumes are a perfect fit.

Perhaps more than any other major OEM, Airbus is push-

ing the limits of AM, especially in the production of complex

metal parts. A complex and struc-

tural topology-optimized metal cabin

bracket first flew on an Airbus A350 in

June 2014. The company has worked

closely with Laser Zentrum Nord GmbH

(LZN) in the design and production

of metal parts. Experts at LZN have

used advanced methods of topology

optimization to reduce material and

weight in designs, sometimes by more

than 50%.

The company has also done con-

siderable work with the design and

production of plastic AM parts for its

aircraft. It has manufactured and is

flying 45,000–60,000 different types

of plastic brackets, clips, and other

devices for holding cables, wires, and

hoses in place. The first few thousand

were produced in ULTEM 9085 on

FDM equipment.

We live in an era where science fic-

tion becomes reality on a routine basis,

and perhaps we become desensitized

to the wonder of these developments.

One such amazing development oc-

curred in 2014. In collaboration with

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center,

Made in Space designed and built a

material extrusion system that oper-

ates in low/zero gravity. The 3D printer

was launched in September 2014 and

installed on the International Space

Station (ISS). Twenty-five test parts (14

unique shapes) were produced and de-

livered to NASA Marshall for inspection

in mid-March 2015.

The European Space Agency (ESA)

is also developing a 3D printer for the

ISS, and is scheduled to deliver its

system to the ISS in June 2015. NASA,

ESA, and the China Aerospace Science

and Technology Corporation have launched R&D initiatives to

develop AM systems capable of printing metal parts in space.

In the 1990s and 2000s, rapid tooling was a promise that

AM was unable to deliver. Most tooling initiatives fell short

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on speed, cost, surface finish, and dimensional accuracy.

Meanwhile, the toolmaking industry, using increasingly

advanced CNC machines and software, became faster and

more competitive.

CNC-machined tooling remains the preferred option

for most production applications, but AM has crept back

into the picture. Many toolmakers are adding metal AM

to their capabilities. Rowenta, a German manufacturer of

clothes irons, uses metal tool inserts made on Concept

Laser systems to injection-mold plastic parts. The inserts

include conformal cooling channels that improve part ac-

curacy and reduce molding cycle time. Unilever and Worrel

Design are two companies that are now producing mold

inserts on the Connex system from Stratasys for prototype

injection-molded parts.

Emerging Business Models

For many, 3D printing has created a new way of think-

ing and conducting business. It has become the genesis for

fresh ideas, startup companies, and new business models.

Also, it is leading to new types of educational and training

programs that offer hands-on learning, experimentation,

creativity, and invention. Many individuals and organizations

have launched new types of products, services, and busi-

nesses that were unimaginable 15 years ago.

Maker spaces are resources that have grown like wildfire.

Sometimes called hacker spaces, they are physical locations

where makers meet, socialize, and collaborate. 3D printing

is often the focus, along with software, open hardware, and

conventional machine shop tools. These open community

labs have emerged in cities around the world, as well as in

schools and educational institutions.

Online 3D printing marketplaces and communities are

also growing. These websites include libraries of digital con-

tent, available for purchase as a dataset or as a 3D-printed

model. Better-known marketplaces, such as Shapeways,

Thingiverse, i.Materialise, and Sculpteo, are being joined by

such names as Threeding, Layer by Layer, Cuoyo, 3DLT,

Archetype Z Studios, 3DShare, and Rinkak, to name a few.

Many of these marketplaces offer business-to-consumer

commerce, while others—particularly the larger marketplac-

es—sell to both individuals and businesses.

Roland, Dremel, and Ricoh each announced or have introduced 3D

printers. Kodak created a new business unit for 3D printing.

HP is not the only large manufacturer to enter the AM in-

dustry. Roland, Dremel, and Ricoh each announced or have

introduced 3D printers. Kodak created a new business unit

for 3D printing. Adobe added features to Photoshop CC that

it hopes will help streamline the preparation of data for 3D

printing. Microsoft is promoting its new 3MF file format as an

alternative to the STL and AMF formats. Dell, Home Depot,

Office Depot, and Staples are selling 3D printers.

Never before have we had access to such powerful

tools—and so many of them—for design, product devel-

opment, and manufacturing. This has resulted in creativity

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3d printing additive manufacturing state of the … printing additive manufacturing state of the...

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