The Potential Damages of Industrial Products from Sunlight
Do you think sunlight would not cause any damage to your products? There is a number of potential damages it can cause to the industrial products. Find out more from this blog.
Want to purchase a 3D printer but not sure which one to select? Want to know more about the various 3D printing technologies, and what is the latest innovation in the market?
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process whereby three-dimensional solid objects are created from a digital file. Here are seven technologies that you need to know about 3D printing, and what is good and bad about each of them!
In material extrusion, the first 3D printing technology we are going to introduce, is a process of using continuous thermoplastic, composite material or Metallic Filament, fed through an extruding nozzle, where it’s heated and then deposited onto a build platform layer by layer to construct 3D parts.
In FDM 3D printers, a common material extrusion process in many inexpensive, domestic and hobby 3D printers, the material is drawn through a nozzle, heated and deposited layer by layer. You might also hear about FFF – (Fused Filament Fabrication) which is commonly used for producing non-functional prototypes, or cost-effective rapid prototyping for multiple iterations of the same object. Both are actually similar terms, however, the FDM Technology was invented more than 20 years ago and has been patented under a trademark with Stratasys founder Scott Crump, while the FFF was created by the RepRap community so people could discuss the technology without fear of infringing on trademarks when 3D Printing gained popularity with makers.
Very simple-to-use and easily maintained
Supported production-grade thermoplastics are mechanically and environmentally stable
Complex geometries and cavities that would otherwise be problematic become practical with Material Extrusion technology
A wide range of thermoplastic materials is available in filament, suitable for both prototyping and some non-commercial functional applications.
FDM has the lowest dimensional accuracy and resolution compared to other 3D printing technologies, so it is not suitable for parts with intricate details.
FDM parts are likely to have visible layer lines, so post processing is required for a smooth finish.
The layer adhesion mechanism makes FDM parts inherently anisotropic
In vat polymerisation, a photopolymer resin is exposed to the light of a specific wavelength and undergoes a chemical reaction to become solid, together with a number of additive technologies to build up a solid part one layer at a time.
Under SLA 3D printers, it’s UV light source is a laser, precisely controlled by rotating mirrors to draw out each layer being printed.
SLA can produce parts with very high dimensional accuracy and with intricate details.
SLA parts have a very smooth surface finish, making them ideal for visual prototypes, such as clear, flexible and castable parts.
Short Lead time.
Resins are too photosensitive which will affect parts quality, More brittle compared to FDM & SLS process
The properties and visual appearance of parts are affected by Heat, Moistures & Chemicals.
Material are costly in large resin volume.
Instead of lasers, Digital Light Processing (DLP) printers have UV projectors, which work by using micromirrors to control the projected light.
Very high dimensional accuracy and with intricate details.
Fast Lead time, almost faster than SLA printing.
Less running costs than SLA as usually uses a shallower vat of resin, reducing waste.
Less Accurate compared to SLA But more accurate than FDM or Material Jetting.
The properties and visual appearance of parts are affected by Heat, Moistures & Chemicals.
Material Are costly in general, resins are far more expensive than filaments, and the regular replacements of resin tanks and occasionally print platforms also adds up
Powder bed fusion (PBF) uses a heat source (eg, laser, thermal print head) to consolidate materials in the form of powder to form 3D objects.
This is a 3D printing technique that uses laser to sinter powdered material (typically nylon or polyamide), automatically aiming the laser at points in space defined by a 3D model, binding the material together to form a solid.
IN MJF 3D printers, materials used are thermoplastic polymers (usually Nylon) that come in a granular form. An ink is dispensed on the powder that promotes the absorption of infrared light. An infrared energy source then passes over the building platform and fuses the inked areas.
This is a 3D printing process whereby complex geometries are created by melting layers of powdered metal with a laser or electron beam.
A 3D printing technology that uses lasers to fuse powdered metals into functional prototypes and end-use parts.
A fast prototyping or 3D printing technique designed to use a high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powders together.
A 3D printing technology that uses fuses metal powder using an electron beam to build parts.
Relatively inexpensive
Suitable for visual models and prototypes
Ability to integrate technology into small scale, office sized machine
Powder acts as an integrated support structure
Large range of material options
Relatively slow speed
Lack of structural properties in materials
Size limitations
High power usage
Finish is dependent on powder grain size
One of the fastest and most accurate 3D printing technologies. It builds parts layer upon layer using liquid photopolymer droplets, which are cured and made solid with UV light.
A 3D printing technology that uses a pair of ink jets to deposit the build materials. One deposits the build materials, which is typically a wax-like material. The second is used for dissolvable support material. As with typical types of 3D printing technology, DOD printers follow a predetermined path to jet material in a point-wise deposition, creating the cross-sectional area of an object layer-by-layer.
Fast build speed and excellent targeted dimensional accuracy
Ideal for Aesthetics and smooth surface quality-built parts.
Flexibility in production and options for certain customization.
Material and Machine are costly in general.
parts are structurally weak, meaning they’re not ideal for components that must handle some kind of load.
Mechanical Strength are relatively weak and parts are brittle compared to other printing technologies.
In this 3D printing technology, a binder is selectively deposited onto the powder bed, bonding these areas together to form a solid part layer by layer. Commonly used materials are metals, sand, and ceramics in a granular form.
Parts can be made with a range of different colours
Uses a wide range of materials from metal, polymers and ceramics
The process is generally faster
Large number of different binder-powder combinations and various mechanical properties
Not always suitable for structural parts, due to the use of binder material
Extra post-processing lengthens the overall process
With the ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF) 3D printing technology, you can tap into a whole new range of options for industrial additive manufacturing. Currently the newest 3D printing technology in the market, ARBURG’s open freeformer system can produce functional parts using qualified standard granulates via a layer-by-layer application of tiny plastic droplets. A key feature of the open freeformer system is that the same qualified standard granulates as used for injection moulding can be used. This means you can efficiently produce individual parts and small batches from original materials, but also individualise mass-produced items.
Open-source, able to use any plastic or polymer material of your choice
Save cost by using inexpensive materials instead of being restricted to limited and expensive materials
Flexibility in terms of special support materials for unusual or complex 3D geometries
Able to print functional parts from original materials
Only for small batch production, unable to cater to massive batch production
Only available for plastics and polymers
References:
Loughborough University. (2019) The 7 Categories of Additive Manufacturing. Retrieved from: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/amrg/about/the7categoriesofadditivemanufacturing/
Do you think sunlight would not cause any damage to your products? There is a number of potential damages it can cause to the industrial products. Find out more from this blog.
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