Innovation in additive manufacturing is moving fast – both complementing traditional manufacturing methods and opening up additional ground-breaking avenues.
1. Generative Design
To be simply put, generative design basically takes your design requirements and autonomously produces solutions for you.
Before you suggest Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking over your job, let’s state the basics. The computer isn’t doing the engineering for you. It simply shows a range of possible designs that meet the specified constraints. The process is interactive – which gives you opportunities to enter limits on materials, weights, strengths, stresses, and costs.
Generative design puts your software to work – helping you create initial designs faster. Then, helps you finalize a product with fewer iterations. While it can work with a variety of manufacturing methods, additive manufacturing can deliver the most organic, unconstrained shapes generative design might suggest.
2. Self-Supporting Lattices
You can produce nearly any shape on a 3D printer, and design engineers appreciate that. It is common for these individuals to use honeycomb and beam-based lattices with additive manufacturing in order to optimize their parts for weight and strength.
The only problem with this is that these parts could need extra supports to prop them up during printing. Furthermore, that extra support wastes printing material, which tends to be costly and not always 100% recyclable. Plus, it requires extra labor afterward to remove the supports. To take on this challenge, CAD systems are innovating ways for design engineers to create more self-supporting geometry. These support-free structures can then play a major role in efficient, affordable production.
An example of this can be found in formula-driven lattices. These structures, such as gyroids, primitives, and diamonds, can be self-supporting when oriented correctly. That leads to less material, faster print times, and minimal post processing.
3. Materials Advancement
Over the past few years, things have advanced dramatically. If you still think 3D printing is simple extrusion and breakable trinkets, you’re in for a surprise. Materials have been evolving at an accelerated pace to satisfy industry needs. Within the past few years, researchers have introduced countless new materials to 3D printing capabilities. Some of these materials include advanced polymers, metals, rubber, Kevlar and carbon fiber.
For example, take powder bed fusion in the aerospace industry. It’s now possible to print a part that’s up to 25% lighter, and much more durable, than a traditionally manufactured part. Plus, manufacturers can print a single part that replaces the multiple welded parts of a traditionally fabricated part.
To browse 3D printing options….
EnvisionTEC: https://www.visible-edge.com/envisiontec/
Method X: https://www.visible-edge.com/method-x/
German RepRap: https://www.visible-edge.com/german-reprap/
3D Printing Courses and other products: https://www.visible-edge.com/product-category/3d-printing/