3D Printing The Next Five Years

Simon Fried

                                                                                                                 Printed, soldered and working 3D PCB produced by Nano Dimension                                                                          

You may have asked the question, “what does the future hold for 3D Printing?” Nano Dimension’s predictions for the next few years were recently published by 3D Printing Industry (3DPI) as part of a series of leadership articles written by additive manufacturing experts and 3D printing industry insiders. 

Industrialization of 3D Printing will be Hallmark of Next Half Decade

Industry adoption of additive manufacturing is clearly on the rise, with a broad range of businesses already dipping into the 3D waters. For instance, GE has acquired Arcam AB and SLM Solutions Group to help it gain competitiveness in the 3D manufacturing space; and Siemens, Ford and others are focusing on bringing 3D solutions into their factories.

Established contract manufacturing companies such as Flex and Jabil are looking at how 3D printing can be adopted not just as a powerful tool for faster and more cost efficient prototyping, but also as a tool for improving the way in which manufacturing operates. In other words, can they 3D-print part of the manufacturing process themselves? The truth is, production line efficiency and flexibility moving forward will almost certainly require 3D printing to be used in either the end-product or as part of the machine making the end part, or both.

It’s also worth thinking about how 3D printing fits into the wider logistics chain. The SAP Ariba business-to-business marketplace, for instance, might offer 3D-printed parts that fit into everyday business transactions; companies could order a part from a 3D printer that isn’t their own, and fit it into their machines.

3D printing also offers simplicity around things like warehousing and shipping, which can be eliminated altogether in many cases (or at least minimized) when companies can print their own parts.

Each of these areas – alone and in combination – signals ways the 3D printing market will evolve and grow over the coming years. It’s a multi-pronged process whereby it’s penetrating far beyond the prototyping stage, which is where things were just a few years ago.

                                                                                       
Real Future Possibilities

Over the next half decade, industrial 3D printing will be meeting more needs. In mechanical terms, that means 3D printing will use a broader range of materials or a higher quality of materials.

We also expect greater flexibility in combining materials – creating objects made of different types of metals, for instance, within the same print. Or printing metals and polymers, or metals and ceramics in one print job. With that capability, for instance, companies can begin deploying addition functionality within parts, such as electrical capabilities to mechanical objects. That’s the case with Nano Dimension, where polymers and metals are printed together with a very specific functional goal. Down the road, this capability will bring about stronger, smarter and more functional final products.

                                     Embedded QFN and Passives concept 3D printed by Nano Dimension

Printing many steps and materials into one printing job significantly increases opportunities for complexity far beyond the reach of traditional manufacturing processes. That frees up designers and manufacturers to whole new levels of flexibility and creativity. When 3D printers are used for solving design and functionality issues, the greater the contribution of additive manufacturing.

We also anticipate significant leaps in 3D printing size and speed, further enabling industry adoption in the coming years – several companies are focused on faster print processes in particular, which is crucial for 3D printing to earn its place as a true manufacturing tool.

We’ll also see a greater convergence of 3D printing and electronics. As a newer subcategory of additive manufacturing today, this convergence does not currently focus on wide-scale industrial applications, but improvements in speed for printing will help move this convergence into full-fledged production.

The Challenges

As with any technology, 3D printing faces challenges. Materials are truly the key to success, so questions on everyone’s minds include whether the materials can really do the job, and whether they hold up over time?

Another challenge revolves around standards. While traditional manufacturing relies upon and is bound by a variety of standards, 3D printing is very different from molded or computer numeric controls (CNC) manufacturing or forged parts. Standards must evolve – and very quickly – that will ensure quality, standardization and more.  

The final challenge in the coming years is software. 3D printing is complex, and with speeds increasing and the breadth of materials, colors and design properties all broadening, the design software must adapt. Clearly, the leap from CAD files to 3D-printed objects is not smooth.  In fact, the challenge on the designer is significantly larger than on the design itself. And while there are established testing and evaluating methodologies for assessing the mechanical properties of an item, with increasing material and geometric complexity it’s not always easily tested in current software packages.

The coming years will be exciting. And with faster printing, multiple materials and the integration of functioning electronic circuits, the possibilities for industries deploying 3D printing are nearly limitless.

Simon Fried

A co-founder of Nano Dimension, Simon Fried leads Nano Dimension’s USA activities and marketing for this revolutionary additive technology. With experience working in the US, Israel, and throughout Europe, he has held senior and advisory roles in start-ups in the solar power, medical device, and marketing sectors. Previously, Simon worked as a consultant on projects covering sales, marketing, and strategy across the automotive, financial, retail, FMCG, pharmaceutical, and telecom industries. He also worked at Oxford University researching investor and consumer risk and decision making.