Additive Manufacturing Technologies: An Overview about 3D Printing Methods and Future Prospects

Abstract

The use of conventional manufacturing methods is mainly limited by the size of the production run and the geometrical complexity of the component, and as a result we are occasionally forced to use processes and tools that increase the final cost of the element being produced. Additive manufacturing techniques provide major competitive advantages due to the fact that they adapt to the geometrical complexity and customised design of the part to be manufactured. The following may also be achieved according to field of application: lighter weight products, multimaterial products, ergonomic products, efficient short production runs, fewer assembly errors and, therefore, lower associated costs, lower tool investment costs, a combination of different manufacturing processes, an optimised use of materials, and a more sustainable manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing is seen as being one of the major revolutionary industrial processes of the next few years. Additive manufacturing has several alternatives ranging from simple RepRap machines to complex fused metal deposition systems. This paper will expand upon the structural design of the machines, their history, classification, the alternatives existing today, materials used and their characteristics, the technology limitations, and also the prospects that are opening up for different technologies both in the professional field of innovation and the academic field of research. It is important to say that the choice of technology is directly dependent on the particular application being planned: first the application and then the technology.

Investigating Commercial Filaments for 3D Printing of Stiff and Elastic Constructs with Ligament-Like Mechanics

“…Additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a fabrication process by which 3D constructs are built in a layer-by-layer fashion using 3D computer-generated models. Additive manufacturing is open source and used for a variety of applications due to its ability to produce geometries and parts that are too complex for long-standing manufacturing processes that are subtractive in nature [ 23 , 24 ]. 3D printing of polymeric scaffolds can generate mechanically competent structures that can act as templates for tissue formation and regeneration [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Accelerating Fuel Cell Development with Additive Manufacturing Technologies: State of the Art, Opportunities and Challenges

“…According to the general principles of additive manufacturing (ISO/ASTM 52900:2015), AM technologies can be classified into seven groups which are binder jetting, directed energy deposition (DED), material extrusion, material jetting, powder bed fusion (PFB), sheet lamination, and vat polymerization and the detailed classification can be found from the works of Jimenez et al. , . The categorization is based on the state of starting material (liquid, filament/paste, powder, solid sheet) and the methods used to fabricate the material (extrusion, thermal, ultraviolet light, laser or electron beam) , .…”

“…Most of 3D printed parts made from binder jetting need post‐processes to achieve the final desired properties. The minimum achievable layer thickness is between 13 to 76 μm . A wide variety of powdered feedstocks include polymers, metals and ceramics have been used successfully in this technology.…”

“…Last but not least, high costs associated with additive manufacturing is another barrier for its wide applications in fuel cell manufacturing. According to the recent review , the cost of additive manufacturing is mainly from production cost, material cost, processing labor cost, and finishing post‐process cost . Among them, the material cost has been recognized as the key contributor to the overall costs.…”

Influence of the process parameters on mechanical properties of the final parts obtained by selective laser sintering from PA2200 powder

“…Additive Manufacturing technologies are being used in the medical, aerospace and automotive areas thanks to their methodologies of building the object by adding material layer upon layer, thus allowing the manufacture of specific implants, based on a 3D model and the manufacture of complex and internal detailed parts [1]. However, the additive process continues to show a number of problems of parts, which leads to the necessity to continue experimental research in the literature, with the purpose of validating a process focused at the correlation between the machine's capabilities and the requirement of the parts [2,3].…”