Registration for Formnext Forum Austin is open. Join our sister brand, Additive Manufacturing Media, at this conference and expo for industrial 3D printing, August 28-30, 2023.
“Additive manufacturing” (AM) describes the use of 3D printing to make functional components, including tools and end-use production parts. Unlike “subtractive manufacturing” processes such as machining, where parts are created by removing material, additive manufacturing builds geometries by “adding” feedstock such as filament, wire or powder.
Depending on the 3D printing process and application, additive manufacturing can utilize a growing catalog of materials including metal alloys, thermoplastics, thermoset polymers and composites.
Even though it is newer than other manufacturing processes, AM is arguably the broadest category of manufacturing we have. While it first gained traction for production in the aerospace and medical industries, AM is now being applied to an ever-expanding collection of end markets including automotive, dental, heavy equipment, oil and gas, rail, marine, and even consumer goods.
Compared to subtractive processes like milling, additive manufacturing generally provides greater geometric freedoms and utilizes less material. In contrast to forming processes such as injection molding or composites layup, 3D printing does not require a mold or other tooling to create a part.
Additive manufacturing has been shown to be a good option in production applications where long lead times or associated costs preclude the use of expensive tooling; complexity of geometry is advantageous; and/or low volumes are required, though the quantities appropriate for 3D printing continue to increase.
Source: Additive Manufacturing Media
Optimizing a thermoplastic composite helicopter door hinge
9T Labs used Additive Fusion Technology to iterate CFRTP designs, fully exploit continuous fiber printing and outperform stainless steel and black metal designs in failure load and weight.
Additive Manufacturing: Essential Reading
High-temperature composite 3D printing facilitates design, manufacture of deployable space structures
Opterus R&D employs an AON3D printer and OOA prepregs to build the tooling, prototypes and end-use versions of its foldable CFRP satellite structures.
Clemson Composites Center leads research in low-cost composite tooling
Innovative technology approach to use additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence to produce tools faster, at a lower cost and with less environmental impact.
Low-void, large-scale, high-volume 3D-printed composites
Among its many composites-related projects, Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently installed its first AMCM test cell, combining extrusion with compression molding for fast, low-void, low-porosity thermoplastic composite parts.
Vestas implements composites 3D printing to increase efficiency for blade alignment tools
A Markforged digital repository and multi-material 3D printers enable faster, more accurate and less costly manufacture of a variety of tools and blade components across Vestas sites.
3D printing and AFP join forces in automotive demonstrator
Bavarian auto industry and TU Munich research how to reduce molding costs by combining continuous fiber and 3D-printed composites.
FAQ: Additive Manufacturing
What is additive manufacturing?
“Additive manufacturing” (AM) describes the use of 3D printing to make functional components, including tools and end-use production parts. Unlike “subtractive manufacturing” processes such as machining, where parts are created by removing material, additive manufacturing builds geometries by “adding” feedstock such as filament, wire or powder.
Depending on the 3D printing process and application, additive manufacturing can utilize a growing catalog of materials including metal alloys, thermoplastics, thermoset polymers and composites.
Source: What is Additive Manufacturing?
Is additive manufacturing the same as 3D printing?
Some say yes and we say no! AM and 3D printing are overlapping terms but not synonyms. 3D printing is the operation at the heart of additive manufacturing, just as “turning” or “molding” might be the operation at the heart of a conventional manufacturing process.
In a nutshell, 3D printing is one step in an overall additive manufacturing workflow that also includes design, build preparation, postprocessing, business considerations and more.
Importantly, “3D printing” does not describe just one type of technology. Per ISO/ASTM, there are seven different “families” of 3D printing processes and a growing number of material and machine options.
Source: What is Additive Manufacturing?
Why use additive manufacturing?
Some associate AM with prototyping, but this is outdated. 3D printing has become well-established as a means of creating tooling for a range of conventional processes. And, manufacturers are increasingly adopting AM for production, including full-scale production.
Source: What is Additive Manufacturing?
What are some trends in additive manufacturing?
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Decentralized or distributed manufacturing.
- Robots and automation.
- Simulation.
- Sustainability.
Source: What is Additive Manufacturing?
What is Formnext Forum?
Formnext Forum Austin (formerly The Additive Manufacturing Conference) is an industrial 3D printing conference that will be held August 28-30, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
This additive manufacturing conference and expo is the first of a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).
