3D Printing Primer. An Introduction to Additive Manufacturing

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1 3D Printing Primer An Introduction to Additive Manufacturing Published by Micor Analytics 2014 [Type text] [Type text]

2 Author Profile James Minchella ASA is senior analysts and principal of Micor Analytics, Inc. The firm provides consulting, valuation and asset management services in telecommunications, media and advanced technology market sectors since Micor actively follows the technology and business activities of these sectors. Micor valuation services include machinery and high tech fixed assets appraisal for financing and accounting, intellectual property valuation, business valuation and appraisal review / management. Mr. Minchella at Micor is a regular consultant to major lenders, investors and businesses of these markets providing opinions of value for acquisitions, accounting, lending as well as court testimony, useful life studies, and market outlooks. He regularly presents seminars and papers to peer and other professional groups regarding value, business and technology issues. Audiences include the Equipment Lessors Association, American Society of Appraiser and the North Suburban Bar Association of Chicago. James M. Minchella ASA has been a designated Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) of The American Society of Appraisers since He has provided valuation services as well as technology and market consulting for over 20 years. He is an active ASA member with a discipline designation in Machinery and Technical Specialties (MTS). He is in compliance with continuing education requirement of the ASA to maintain ASA designation. In 2014 he has earn accreditation extension to the end of He holds membership in technical organizations and societies including SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) ACM (Association for Computer Machinery), and IEEE (institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers). He annually attends NAB, (National Association of Broadcast) a major trade show of equipment exhibitors, seminars and panel discussions for cinema, television and radio. He regularly attends seminars, trade shows and reviews trade journal and publications regarding lighting technology, computer graphics and computing technology, telematics, additive manufacturing, electronics design and development, RF and light transmission, sensor technology and other advance technology topics Micor Analytics, Inc Saint Louis Ave. Skokie, IL Phone Fax

3 Executive Summary 3D printing will change the way we think about making things. With dozens of technologies both commercial and consumer, it s easier than ever to design and prototype in a variety of materials. 3D printers can use plastics, metals, sugar, and some now are even able to print organic material. This has led to its adoption in a wide array of industries from medical to automotive to fashion design. With small price tags and relatively short useful lives, these machines are causing a big impact on lenders and industry players alike. Introduction 3D printing, also called Additive Manufacturing, is the process of making an object by fusing it together bit by bit instead of by cutting away material or molding it. There are over 2 dozen different types or technologies of 3D printing. Materials they can use range from plastic to titanium, sugar to sand, carbon to concrete. This technology has been around a long time (since the mid 80 ). Since 2005, however, the cost, applications, and volume it can accommodate have taken it from development lab equipment to manufacturing lines and home use. It can make everything from the very tiny to the very big. Many believe right now it is where the computers were in the late 70 s and early 80 s and is poised to be just as big. It s a value proposition game changer! No matter how simple or complex the item, it costs the same to make in a 3D printer. The process goes from the CAD (computer aided design) program to production with, no tooling and no assembly required. You get a finished product out of the printer. Little training is needed to operate a printer. It is extremely compact compared to the machine tool equipment it replaces. Micor Analytics 3D Printing Primer iii

4 Technologies Right now these 3D printing systems range from a few hundred dollars for low end, home hobby systems to over $500,000 for something that can make high tolerance metal aircraft parts. There are a wide variety of technologies employed in 3D printing. Most of the consumer 3D printers use a technology called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). FDM 3D printers are essentially a very precise hot glue gun which uses a CAD schematic to create items. These use primarily plastic filaments to create items although there are some models which use softer metals such as gold and copper. While some commercial 3D printers use FDM, there are many technologies employed in industrial use, each selected for its strength in a particular type of work. Here are some of the larger categories of 3D printing technology: Binder Jetting Good for printing in color and for end use products Direct Energy Deposition Good for printing metals Light Polymerization Good for making detailed plastic models Material Jetting Good for making detailed items in multiple materials There are, of course, more than just these and new technologies are being developed all the time. Technologies within these categories have been developed either to adapt a particular process to a certain material, to achieve a certain kind of geometry in a material, or to make the process use the material more efficiently. 3D printers have useful lives of 3 to 7 years or more based on the type of technology in them. However, the secondary market for this technology is anything but reliable. Its market share is growing but still small and segmented. This industry s continued rapid technology and capacity growth will constantly introduce new or accelerated obsolescence.

5 Applications Today, thousands of Invisalign dental braces are 3D printed daily. Highly complex, light weight, metal jet engine parts are printed for GE. Automotive companies like Ford and Mercedes Benz use 3D printing for individual parts. Prototypes with active systems in them have been developed with actuators, batteries, and wiring in place right out of the printer (no assembly required in the future). Almost every industry which participates in manufacturing is impacted by this technology. This is due to the fact that no matter how complex or how varied the item is, it can be made using 3D printing. Additionally it can utilize an amazing array of materials. While typically plastics are the preferred material for 3D printing at home modern 3D printers can use steel, concrete, or even rice flower. Scientists are currently working on 3D printing of organic materials for use as prosthetic organs. While 3D Printing is usually associated with rapid prototyping, it can, and is, being used for mass customization. One amazing example comes from the University of Michigan, where doctors were able to 3D print a tracheal stint for a baby with a collapsed windpipe. Dr. Glenn Green, who had already built a synthetic jawbone using 3D printing, worked with the university s engineering staff to create the stint, saving the life of 16 month old Garrett Peterson. Take Aways To summarize 3D printing, is revolutionizing the manufacturing. There are a variety of technologies both in manufacturing and design aspects of 3D printing with more being developed all the time. As both improve, the limitations on what can be made with 3D printing are imposed only by our own imaginations. By making design, prototyping and customization easier and cheaper be it for objects complex or simple, big or small 3D printing is poised to be a technological leap forward on the level of computers. Micor Analytics 3D Printing Primer v

6 Published by Micor Analytics