The Definition and Process of 3D Printing Technology
The 3D printing technology creates products by making three dimensional model of such object on the computer; the machine adds one layer of material at a time to build the product. The 3D printing technology assists companies in creating complex objects which are difficult to produce using any other technique; the computer provides a significant amount of detailing in the object which cannot be achieved by using any other method of production. Many experts have predicted that additive manufacturing technology will completely change the process of creation in next few decades and many industries will benefit from the technology. This report will focus on analysing the role of additive manufacturing in the production industry and suitable situation for the industry. The report will evaluate the future of 3D printing technology from the perspective of different industries. Further, the report will discuss the valuable conditions for the 3D printing technology and its impact on the traditional manufacturing procedure.
The 3D printing technology is also considered as additive manufacturing technology because of its process. In the traditional method of manufacturing, the products are creating using various techniques such as cutting, forming or molding. These methods are also known as subtractive methods because they subtract material to create a new object. In case of additive manufacturing, the content is added by the machine in cross-sectional layers which form the product. This method reduces the wastage of material in production procedure and creates highly accurate products.
The 3D printing technology assists companies in making highly precise products which cannot be made otherwise. The three-dimensional model captures every detail of the object and creates a digital image of the product; then such picture is sent to the printer which produces a three-dimensional copy of such representation. The 3D printing technology is not fast enough to be used in the mass production process, but according to experts, the technology will soon advance to create 3D products at a large scale (Campbell, Williams, Ivanova & Garrett, 2011).
The additive manufacturing in more suitable for producing objects in low volume. The technology is not advance enough to use in mass production, the products created in 3D printer takes a while to manufacture. As per Bingheng & Dichen (2013), corporations can use this technique in making a few complex products which are difficult to assemble with the traditional method of production. In case of injection molding, the enterprises have to create a large number of products to decrease their operation cost. Therefore, they did not have any choice but to manufacture a large number of products. The 3D printing technology enables companies to build a small quantity of product at a lower price. Usually, the operation cost reduces with the increase in production, but 3D printing technology reduces the expenses at lower output.
Suitable Situation for Additive Manufacturing
The technology is used by corporations of medical, military and automobile sector to produce small components for their products. These companies require a highly accurate part for their products which cannot be manufactured using traditional process of manufacturing. For example, the parts of formula one racing car engine are created using additive manufacturing because they require a high level of accuracy in the production. The companies use 3D printing technology because they did not need these parts in high quantity and they can reduce their expenses of manufacture by using additive manufacturing. In 3D printing technology, wastage of material is also reduced because the machine utilises more than 90 percent of the raw material used in the product, it also reduces the expense of production for a company (Manners-Bell & Lyon 2012).
The 3D printing technology is significantly relevant in industries which require small components with a high level of accuracies such as aerospace, military, and automobile. In the medical sector, the additive manufacturing is used by companies to create complex parts for various health devices. For example, the hearing aid devices market is dominated by the 3D printing technology, in which more than 90 percent of the devices are created using this technique. As per Lipson and Kurman (2013), many corporations use 3D printing in manufacturing prosthetic arm or leg for people; these devices require highly accurate parts to work perfectly which can efficiently produce by companies using additive manufacturing.
The utilisation of 3D printers in defense equipment industry is continuously enhancing because defense sector companies use 3D printers for making small mechanical parts of aircraft and defenses weapons. According to Mironov et al. (2008), these components require a high level of precision which can only be achieved by using 3D printing technology. The automatable sector is also adopting latest 3D printing technology because they understand that these printers can be used for manufacturing complex engine part of luxury and formula one cars. These components cannot be made using any other machinery or human labour, the precision of 3D printer allow them to achieve a high level of accuracy. In aerospace industries, companies use additive manufacturing technology to produce small air place components such as fuel nozzles. The 3D printing technology is significantly valuable in these sectors because it allows them to create highly accurate products at low cost (Weller, Kleer, & Piller, 2015).
The industry of 3D printers may see three to four-fold growths in next five to ten years according to various experts of this sector. Currently, 3D printers are used in limited areas, such as rapid prototyping and small production, and they have not achieved their optimum level of utilisation. The way technology is changing in this modern era, most of the experts believe that other method of manufacturing will become obsolete in upcoming few years. As per The Economist, this technology will become accessible by consumers after the reduction of prices of printers. Just like the computer industry, the 3D printer will be affordable to the consumers, and they will be able to manufacture their products (The Economist 2017).
The Role of 3D Printing Technology in Different Industries
As per the report of Gartner, in next five to ten years, 3D printing will revolutionise the entire production sector (Gartner 2016). The medical industry will significantly benefit by the advancement of additive manufacturing technology because it will enable companies to create prosthetic arm or legs and hearing aid devices which are necessary for people’s disabilities. It helps them overcome their limitations and makes their life more comfortable (Smith & Liu 2016). As per Bhasin & Bodla (2014), the additive manufacturing technology will improve the value chain process of the production, and it will assist companies in overcoming its problems. The technology will reduce wastage, increase efficiency and enhance the accuracy of the product which will improve the value chain.
Corporations prefer to adopt the latest technology after its popularity, the sale and utilisation of 3D printing technology will increase in the future, and it will become more popular than the older method of productions. As per Gross et al. (2014), the 3D printing technology will bring transformation in the printing process and in upcoming time it will make other sources of production out-dated. For example, injection molding is significantly popular currently, but it has several issues such as it require a high quantity of precision to reduce the price, and it did not provide a high level of accuracy, the additive manufacturing technology can overcome these challenges.
The outsourcing method of production will be obsolete as well; companies will be able to manufacture the product in domestic markets which will reduce the dominance of countries such as China and India from manufacturing market (Yampolskiy et al. 2014). The consumer will be benefited by the popularity of 3D printing technology; the consumer will be able to buy their printers which they will be able to use in order to produce their products. The companies will provide a software application to the consumers which they can use to build their products in their home. Therefore, the technology will be significantly benefited for the consumers, and it will bring them closer to the production procedure.
Conclusion and Recommendations
From the above observations, it can be concluded that 3D printing technology creates products by adding a layer of material at a time; therefore it is also known as additive manufacturing. The 3D printing technology is more suitable for low volume production because it reduces the price of output in low volume. The valuable situation for additive manufacturing is in sectors such as medical, military and automobile. The pharmaceutical industry considerably benefited by the advancement of 3D printing technology because assists in the building of hearing aid devices and prosthetic arm or leg. Many experts forecasted that in next five to ten years the 3D printing technology would transform the entire production industry.
As per my recommendations, companies should start investing in the 3D printing technology because it can benefit them in production procedure. The easy accessibility of 3D printer can transform the manufacturing process for companies. The advancement of additive manufacturing can reduce production cost for corporations, therefore, they should implement this technology into mass production as well. The improvement of technology will significantly benefit the consumers because it will enable them to make products at homes. The companies should attract consumers by creating more customer related product which attracts people towards 3D printing technology.
References
Bhasin, V., & Bodla, M. R. (2014). Impact of 3D printing on global supply chains by 2020 (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Bingheng, L., & Dichen, L. (2013). Development of the additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology. Machine Building & Automation, 4, 001.
Campbell, T. A., Williams, C., Ivanova, O., & Garrett, B. (2011). Could 3D Printing Change the World? Technologies, Potential and Implications of Additive Manufacturing, Strategic Foresight. Atlantic Council (www. acus. org).
Gartner. (2016). Gartner Says Worldwide Shipments of 3D Printers to Grow 108 Percent in 2016. Gartner. Retrieved from < https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3476317 >
Gross, B. C., Erkal, J. L., Lockwood, S. Y., Chen, C., & Spence, D. M. (2014). Evaluation of 3D printing and its potential impact on biotechnology and the chemical sciences.
Lipson, H., & Kurman, M. (2013). Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. John Wiley & Sons.
Manners-Bell, J., & Lyon, K. (2012). The implications of 3D printing for the global logistics industry. Transport Intelligence, 1-5.
Mironov, V., Kasyanov, V., Drake, C., & Markwald, R. R. (2008). Organ printing: promises and challenges. Regenerative medicine, 3(1), 93-103.
Smith, J. R., & Liu, J. (2016). Three-Dimensional Printing in Medicine: Promise and Challenge-ft. Science, 2016.
The Economist. (2017). 3D printers will change manufacturing. The Economist. Retrieved from < https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21724397-sceptics-doubt-technology-can-be-used-mass-production-just-wait-3d-printers-will-change >
Weller, C., Kleer, R., & Piller, F. T. (2015). Economic implications of 3D printing: Market structure models in light of additive manufacturing revisited. International Journal of Production Economics, 164, 43-56.
Yampolskiy, M., Andel, T. R., McDonald, J. T., Glisson, W. B., & Yasinsac, A. (2014, December). Intellectual property protection in additive layer manufacturing: Requirements for secure outsourcing. In Proceedings of the 4th Program Protection and Reverse Engineering Workshop (p. 7). ACM.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
