The supply chain problems since the first Covid-19 lockdowns and following the blockade of the Suez Canal have given manufacturers a wake-up call. They want shorter supply chains with more certainty. Both 3D printing service companies and suppliers of 3D printing technology see this reflected in the interest from, among others, the machine building industry. The interest in 3D printing of end parts is growing. Companies each have their own reasons for this.
AM for Production, Mikrocentrum’s new trade fair, will visualize the entire chain around additive manufacturing as a production technique at the end of March. “The acceptance of 3D printing as a production technique is increasing”, notes director-owner of QDP, Maick Klaassen. “Three years ago we printed 70% prototypes and 30% finished parts, today it is exactly the other way around.”
AM for Production focuses on workflow industrial additive manufacturing
High-quality parts
At MakerPoint Digital Fabrication Solutions, Marloes Homburg, sales and marketing manager, sees another signal that indicates an increase in AM for manufacturing purposes: the shift in material use. She sees an increase in materials such as ABS, TPU and PC, but also a high-quality plastic such as PEEK. An AM system such as the miniFactory Ultra then comes into the picture. “Melting PEEK is not an art, but printing a dimensionally stable, semi-crystalline part is another story. If you want a validated process, for example for parts for trains, you end up with high-end machines.” The demand for these FFF printers is also increasing. For example, companies that want to replace milled parts with 3D-printed parts made of ultrapolymers. “In the requests that come in, we really see a shift that people also want to invest in more expensive machines.” This development forces potential buyers to think regarding the investment they are going to make. A complete SLS system from Formlabs requires an investment of roughly half a ton. “Then you need a business case.” She also notices that interest in 3D metal printing with FFF printers is increasing, even if it takes extra time because the filament manufacturer carries out the sintering process. “Some customers buy this because it allows them to bypass the purchase of CNC milling parts. They print themselves and no longer need to create a purchase order.”
More flexibility
Machine builders and manufacturing companies each have their reasons for going 3D printing. In addition to avoiding supply chain problems, it is also regarding increasing flexibility. “With 3D printing, it makes no difference whether you order 100 or 1,000 pieces. As a result, the customer is much more flexible, because they can now change the design between orders,” says Neil van Es, CEO of Parts on Demand. The Utrecht 3D printing company has customers who have converted their entire injection molding work to 3D printing. And that work no longer goes to a low-wage country, but is produced in the Netherlands. Although the cost price for tens of thousands of units is higher than for injection moulding, we keep the customer open the option of adjusting the design following each batch. Neil van Es: “This allows them to respond more quickly to feedback from the market, for example if a click connection does not really fit well. “Due to the flexibility, customers find the additional price of 3D printing more than worth it.”
QDP 3D prints a hearing protector with an internal tesla valve geometry, no assembly required
Circumvent shortages in the labor market
A third reason why interest in 3D printing is increasing is that machine builders want to take advantage of advantages such as weight savings. For example, by applying lattice structures to make parts lighter yet strong. “Then the production process has already been determined and there is no alternative,” concludes Maick Klaasen of QDP. Function integration is another reason he comes across. As an example, he gives hearing protection with an internal tesla valve geometry. “As an injection moulder, I wouldn’t burn my fingers on that. You then have to micro-injection mold and then ultrasonic weld or otherwise connect the parts. Now we print it in one piece.” This function integration can also be a good reason to start 3D printing because less assembly is then required. The manufacturing companies feel the tightness on the labor market.
AM for Production
Despite the increase in the number of industrial applications, Neil van Es of Parts on Demand still sees a certain cold feet. According to him, one of the shortcomings of additive manufacturing is that it is a collective name for a lot of techniques, one intended for form and fit prototypes, the other more for end applications. “The industrial market sometimes gets snowballed between all the applications.” He thinks it’s unfair. “I therefore hope that AM for Production will become the exhibition where the wider public comes to see how you can use 3D printing for production purposes.”
AM for Production takes place on March 29 in the Brabanthallen in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. This is where the entire AM workflow is brought together.
