3D Printing: Fad or the Future?

I think this graph of patents over the past ten years is pretty telling. We've definitely passed some sort of tipping point in terms of acceptance of the technology. I'm not sure why the graph is coming out so blurry. Basically it starts with less than 50 patents in 2004 on the left and ends with over 600 in 2014 on the right.

I do not know if 3d printing is capable of alloys, steel and stainless steel material, if it comes to this, i guess the lathe and the milling machine is a bit old for this modern world.

I believe Lockheed Martin's (Skunkworks) has one. I saw where a group built a model of a WWII flying wing built by the Horton brothers. And they used it to produce the intake cowlings, which was the largest area on the original that was metal to see if it showed any stealth applications. Which it did.

We will still need mills and lathes. I remember when Giddings and Lewis came up with parallel machining aka Hexapod mill.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7TowJZQi-qY

This was going to revolutions machine, and it did, for other industries such as simulators.

Also about 4-5 years ago, they even had toys that were 3d printers.

3D is really just additive manufacturing (a class of manufacturing operation), and it can be combined with subtractive manufacturing (machining, etc), to produce shapes that are hard to make other ways. This is really taking off in the aerospace industry of late.

It is not possible for instance, to fabricate turbine sections all in one piece without welding, without fitting blade roots into a spindle groove on a hub, etc.

This is a huge speed and parts integrity advantage! It beats casting the parts hands down for any material for which this process can apply (some materials defy being laid down in this fashion, as yet).

3D printing is definitely here to stay, and grow, and grow.

They even sent one into orbit.

Remember stereo lithography and the sticky mess that was.

I worked in the PCB fab equipment business when the "P" in PCB meant printing resist on copper foil so 90% of the copper could be etched away with acid!

Now they actually "print" the circuit in the literal sense. Think of the acid and copper they save.

Who ever though that robots would paint almost everything from cell phone cases to cars?

Somewhere some guy even printed a functional pistol. That's scary, but true.

Yes, it's the future.

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Nasa emails spanner to space station

This equipment most probably is expensive still. I fear for the future of the machinist and factory workers. This will be less man, more machine stuff.

Very interesting and educative blog. 3 D is the future of mfg technology i is not a fad.

There are companies that produce small precision stainless parts using 3d printing methods....precision axis control is easy. The holdup for a material is the deposition method at the print head. If you can control the material, you can 'print' it. The advantage with the multilayer approach is that you can develop shapes that are impossible with conventional machining.

I was in Sams the other day and they have 3D scanners and printers for under $2000. It can print roughly a cubic foot model.I can see where 3D printing will become a boom for model makers. Imagine printing out a box car in HO scale.

My uncle made model ships under contract, when I was at the shipyard in the 90's I always watch the technology at 3d printers to do this. Now model making is a whole new skills-set.

Just the thing to get that provisional patent off the drawing board?

Regards JD.