Earlier, components and parts that were not possible to make a few years ago can now be manufactured precisely. This is possible with the use of metal powders. One of the technologies that have completely changed the manufacturing process is metal additive manufacturing. Today, additive manufacturing (AM), which is also known as 3D printing, has been adopted and implemented by most manufacturing companies. The manufacturing industries use AM technology for the production of different components for numerous applications.
For any sort of manufacturing industry, additive manufacturing has proven to be the best in terms of growth, productivity and profit. Manufacturers are getting numerous benefits, such as manufacturing lighter components, reduction of wastes and emissions, and improved efficiency.
Why is additive metal manufacturing trending? What’s the future scope of metal additive manufacturing technology (AM) in the coming years? If you want to know about these entire, then scroll down to read more:
Understanding metal additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing of components and parts is done by layering materials. In traditional methods, components were made through different processes such as cutting, shaping, turning, and milling, which was not only time-consuming but also caused a lot of waste and emissions. Today, most manufacturing industries have replaced these traditional processes with additive manufacturing technology. In simple words, this technology is a technique for creating a 3-dimensional object using a CAD model or a digital 3D.
In the metal additive manufacturing process, the components are made by layering the materials. Some of the materials that are used in this process are metal powders, ceramics, and plastics. This technology is digital-driven in which a digital data file is transmitted to a machine that generates the three-dimensional object.
How is Additive Manufacturing beneficial for manufacturing industries?
If additive manufacturing is implemented in the right way, it can benefit the manufacturing industries by reducing production steps and waste. Not just this, many core advantages are there that make the industries adopt this additive manufacturing technology. Let’s check them out discreetly:
- There is no hassle of creating a sketch during the production process. Without any need for a sketch, component designs can be printed directly from a 3D model. Additive manufacturing helps professionals such as engineers and designers to find innovative solutions. 3D printing in additive manufacturing also helps to create better product designs.
- Another crucial advantage of implementing additive manufacturing technology is that there will be a reduction in inventory costs and storage. When a manufacturing industry pairs 3D printing with distributed manufacturing, they get to witness a more efficient and transparent supply chain.
- With the use of additive materials and innovation, even complicated 3D designs can be printed without any use of tooling.
- Additive manufacturing lets the manufacturing industries design creatively without worrying about cost and time which were once not possible with traditional manufacturing. Along with this, this AM technology allows you to modify the original specifications so that industries can provide customized designs to their valued customers.
- For improving manufacturing sustainability and reducing waste, most industries are using this metal additive manufacturing technology. On comparing traditional and additive manufacturing, you’ll get to see that the latter is more efficient in reducing environmental waste.
- It also allows engineers and designers to lessen the manufacturing cycle and test different variations with ease.
How a reliable company meets your additive manufacturing needs
The best company understands how crucial it is for a manufacturing industry to design complex parts and components. To make manufacturing easier and quicker, the best company offers innovative solutions for diverse requirements for additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
They offer a comprehensive range of metal 3D printers that are well-suited to fabricate complex components. Right from process-optimized to ultra-complex, these SD metal printers can design any sort of component.
Along with this, they also offer reliable and innovative software that simplifies your additive manufacturing process and reduces the print process workloads.
The 3D printers and software that the company is offering are an ideal fit for different industry verticals. Here are the crucial features of the 3D printers that they offer:
| Ifusion325 | Ifusion150 | IFusion450 |
| Highest-in-class laser power | Largest in class build size | More parts per build |
| Largest-in-class build size | Maximum productivity | Optimized cost-per-part (cpp) |
| Easy printing with various types of materials | Truly customizable parameters | Largest-in-class build size |
| Automation of processes | Easy printing with various types of materials | Powder handling |
Additive Manufacturing market size and its growth
Over the years, advancements can be seen in additive manufacturing techniques. This has made the majority of industries choose and implement metal 3d printing in their production processes. According to several research institutions, it has been observed that 3D metal printing is becoming crucial for both tool-making and mechanical engineering.
The global additive manufacturing market size is estimated to increase in the coming years. Reports and research say that additive manufacturing will acquire approximately a 30% increase in the total market share by 2028. The adoption of advancements in additive manufacturing technology across different industries is the biggest reason for its expanding market size.
Industries benefiting from the additive manufacturing
AM technology is now being used in most of the manufacturing industries that want to increase efficiency, reduce waste & costs and make complex designing easy.
Some of the crucial areas of applications of AM technology are:
Automobile
The automotive industry is one of the industries that look for ways to innovate new designs of components. With additive manufacturing technology, automobile industries can easily develop complicated parts that can also ensure safety. Because of rapid prototyping, there will also be an improvement in the vehicle’s quality.
Medical
The medical sector is another crucial industry that has got revolutionized by additive manufacturing. This AM technology is giving medical professionals an opportunity to turn science into a new reality. Whether it’s about creating anatomical models or surgical-grade components, 3D printing & additive manufacturing is of great importance in the medical industry for various reasons.
Aerospace
The aerospace industry is one such industry that started the implementation of additive manufacturing at a very early phase. With the use of this AM technology, engineers and designers can design even complex aerospace components while also reducing their weight.
Gas, oil, and energy
There is a long list of components such as control valves, rotors, stators, and so on that find application in these oil, gas, and energy industries. Additive manufacturing technology is useful for the development of corrosion-resistant metal materials as customized parts for these industries. Along with this, AM technology also finds application in the designing of consumer products.
To sum up
As most industries have started using this additive manufacturing (AM) technology, they now understand what its positive impacts are. The designing of complex parts and components has become a lot easier with the help of additive manufacturing technology. Right from automobiles to energy and infrastructure to aerospace, additive manufacturing technology is in high demand everywhere. No doubt, it has a great future ahead in different sectors.
In the coming years, AM technology is going to dominate mass-manufacturing techniques. For helping the manufacturing industry through digital technology, Intech Additive Solutions is here that offers excellent Additive Manufacturing software along with metal 3D printer solutions. They can meet their customer’s specific metal additive manufacturing requirements by offering innovative solutions.
-Edited by Amit Kumar Singh
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