UNIT-4

What is 3D Printing?
3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects
from a digital file.

The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process
an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each
of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.

3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a
piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine.

3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional
manufacturing methods.

Examples of 3D Printing
3D printing encompasses many forms of technologies and materials as 3D printing is being used
in almost all industries you could think of. It’s important to see it as a cluster of diverse
industries with a myriad of different applications.

A few examples:

 – consumer products (eyewear, footwear, design, furniture)

 – industrial products (manufacturing tools, prototypes, functional end-use parts)
 – dental products
 – prosthetics
 – architectural scale models & maquettes
 – reconstructing fossils
 – replicating ancient artefacts
 – reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology

The History of 3D Printing and its Development

The earliest record of 3D printing through the additive process was the Japanese inventor
Hideo Kodama in 1981. He created a product that used ultraviolet lights to harden polymers and
create solid objects. This is a stepping stone to stereolithography (SLA).

Charles Hull invented stereolithography, a process similar to 3D printing that uses technology to
create smaller versions of objects so they can be tested before spending time and money on
creating the actual product.  The object is printed layer by layer, rinsed with a solvent, and
hardened with an ultraviolet light. The process uses computer-aided designs (CAD) to create the
3D models.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is another, more advanced, form of 3D printing. It uses additive
manufacturing and a powder polymer—typically nylon—to create objects. SLS uses a laser to
fuse the powder together, layer by layer, into more complex shapes than SLA is capable of
creating.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), developed by Scott Crump, is the most common form of 3D
printing today. It is known as the “desktop 3D printers” because it is the most commonly used
form of the technology. To form an object, the printer heats a cable of thermoplastic into liquid
form and extrudes it layer by layer.

Overall 3D printing has changed and improved over the past thirty years. SLA, SLS, and FDM
show the history of 3D printing, and thus how it became a vital tool for manufacturing. It allows
you to make virtually anything simply by creating a computer file.

Design Principles for 3D Printing

There is a designer from the 1970’s named Dieter Rams came up with what he believed were
his 10 principles of good design.

1: Innovative

“The possibilities for innovation are not by any means exhaustive.” I think that is the point of innovation.
It is constantly being reformed by new inputs of data, materials, and technology. Just think about what
goes on in the world of music. You have a limited set of notes, and yet, there is so much beautiful music
going on out there. If a design is not innovative, it can happen because there are too many
restrictions.

2: Good design makes a product useful.

This is one of the most controversial in terms of design principles for 3D printing. There are lots of
people that design does not have to be useful.

3: Good design is aesthetic.

This is a little bit more where 3D printing needs to improve and needs to create this as a hard and
fast design principles for 3D printing. Feeling something is as important as the aesthetics of
something. You have a color pattern texture; all the senses go into aesthetics. When you are
missing some of those or they are just not normal to us and they go against how we feel about
something, then we are pushing against it. That is why we are having a lack of acceptance. It is
the emotional connection that the person experiences by touching the design.

4: Good design makes a product understandable and 5: Good design is unobtrusive.

I think this is a very debateable one in terms of design principles for 3D printing. A good design
can make a product understandable or should make it understandable. This is the role of product
design. It is neither decorative nor work of art. I don’t know with the definition of unobtrusive.
Design just makes something understandable in the sense that you are creating an intuitive sense
to how something work. It is making sense on a psychological basis.

6: Good design is honest.

A good design has integrity and is honest about what it is. A good example of this is a terrible
design element was that trend in the 1970s and 1980s where you have vinyl fake wood grain on
the side of your car that wasn’t actual wood. There was a time when it was made of wood. It was
fine. There is honesty and integrity on that.

7: The mark of a great design is that it gets used over and over again for generations.

That a hallmark of our designs if they get bought and used again and again, then we succeed on
it. That is our goal.

8: Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

9: Good design is environmentally friendly.

10: Good design is as little design as possible.

Emerging trends of 3D printing:

1. The 3D printing landscape will become even more diverse 

The growing number of exhibitors is encouraging, as it means that the industry is on a steady growth
path. But at the same time, this growth is signalling the increasing number of companies entering the
market as start-ups and spinoffs, with new technologies or their own take on existing ones.
Some examples of newcomers with promising technologies, include silicone 3D printing start-
up, Spectroplast; a developer of low-cost Laser Powder Bed Fusion 3D printer, One Click Metal; and
Stratasys spin-off, Evolve Additive Solutions, which has developed a completely new 3D printing based
on the electrophotographic process

2. A wider range of application-specific materials are on the horizon 

In addition to a renewed focus on material development, large material companies will get even more
involved in the AM industry by expanding across the AM value chain. 
 Gradually, a number of material producers, like BASF and GKN Additive, are transforming to solution
providers. This makes them well-positioned to gain a stronger foothold in the market, while driving the
industrialization of AM. 

 3. Expect more options for high-temperature polymer 3D printers and materials 
These thermoplastics have many compelling properties, like heat and chemical resistance, as
well as high strength and durability, which make them sought-after in many industrial
applications. But due to such properties, they can be challenging to print.  
3D printer manufacturers are overcoming this challenge, by equipping their printers with a
heated bed and a high-temperature nozzle. 

4. Composite 3D printing will enter a growth stage 

Composites are lightweight, strong materials, highly sought-after in industries like aerospace,
automotive, oil and gas and industrial goods. When combined with 3D printing, the technology
can streamline and cut the cost of composite manufacturing, when compared to typically manual
traditional composite manufacturing methods. 

5. The evolution of 3D printing software will accelerate significantly

Until recently, focus on 3D printing software has been lacking, when compared with the
hardware and materials segments. With 3D printing, designers have had to deal with a
cumbersome design preparation process, where a lot of disparate design tools create an
inefficient and complex workflow. 

6. MES software will become essential for scalability

 Many companies are now looking to establish an AM serial production line. However, in doing
so, they’re faced with many workflow challenges. 
For example, many AM operators and technicians still have to manually manage work orders,
check build statuses and spend a lot of time identifying parts after they’re printed. This results in
a lot of operational bottlenecks, which make scaling and effectively managing AM production a
challenging task. 

7. Data will become key to increasing repeatability for 3D printing

Most AM technologies require a comprehensive build setup to ensure the part completes the
printing process and can undergo post-processing. As most AM users know, this is sometimes
easier said than done, as it’s not uncommon to face part-to-part and machine-to-machine
variations and inconsistencies. 

INTRODUCTION OF DRONES:
“Drone” is the common name for an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV for short. UAVs are
vehicles that do not carry humans inside of them. They can be controlled by either a human or by
a computer. UAVs were originally used in the military to carry out tasks that were either too
difficult or too dangerous for humans to perform. Some other military applications include drone
surveillance and drone attacks.
Civilian UAVs have become more and more popular. Some recreational drone activities include
photography, and racing. UAVs have also been used to smuggle drugs and other types
of contraband. Many companies are now pushing for drone delivery services. There are 4 major
types of drones which have different characteristics to cater to different need.

 Multi Rotor Drones

Multi rotor drones are most commonly used for photography and videography. The can be
further classified by the number of rotors: tricopters have three rotors, quadcopters, have four
and hexacopter and octocopter have 6 and 8 rotors respectively. Multi rotor drones typically have
a limited flying time of only 20 to 30 minutes because most of the drone’s energy is used to
power each rotor to help it stay balanced. Thus, energy efficiency increases as the number of
rotors decrease. Multi rotor drones are beginner friendly because they require minimal skill and
are usually the cheapest and easiest to manufacture. Multi rotor drones can only operate on
electric motors due to their fast and high precision throttle changes that gas engines have
difficulty supporting.

 Fixed Wing Drones

 Single Rotor Helicopter

UAVs have more applications than just leisure:

 Drone Deliveries

 Drones used in Rescues

 Drones Used in Entertainment

DRONE REGULATORY POLICY

In order to successfully (and might we add, legally) pursue a career as a drone pilot, you must be
well-versed with the regulatory policy surrounding piloting commercial drones in India. The
policy came to effect in 2018 when the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation)
announced the release of its Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) to ensure safe usage and flight of
UAVs in India. 

Firstly, the policy classified drones in different categories based on their weight. The categories
include – Nano drones (up to 250 gms), Micro drones (250 gms – 2 kg), Small drones (2 kg – 25
kg), Medium drones (25 kg – 150 kg) and lastly, Large drones (anything higher than 150 kg).
Under this policy, all drone sizes apart from Nano drones, are required to be registered by the
pilot/operator on the Digital Sky Platform. Therefore, civilians can no longer simply buy any
drone and fly it. They are required to follow a lengthy list of compliances. The Digital Sky
Platform is a platform which allows the Indian government to control commercial usage of
drones with national Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM). India also has an NPNT (No
Permission – No Takeoff) clause which prohibits drones (micro and above) from flying unless
they have been given regulatory permission. Nevertheless, as per the DGCA, only a mere four
companies are NPNT compliant, meaning there are plenty of drone manufacturers selling in
India, both online and offline, who fail to even mention NPNT on their products.

Apart from this, pilots/operators require an Unmanned Aerial Operator’s Permit (UAOP) or a
Remote Pilot License which costs around `25,000. However, drone operators from the National
Technical Research Organization, Central Intelligence Agency and Aviation Research Centre are
exempt from this, and so are Nano drone operators (flying under 50ft). Drones also need to apply
for a Unique Identification Number (UIN), which is equivalent to a number plate. This costs the
operator about `1000 and the number will typically be engraved on a fire-resistant plate which is
embedded on the drone. 

Lastly, a drone operator must be at least 18 years old, should have passed at least the 10th
standard and must have undergone drone piloting training at a DGCA-approved Flying Training
Organization (FTO). 

Procedure to Become a Drone Pilot:

In order to fly your drone under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107), you must obtain a
Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. This certificate demonstrates that you understand the
regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for safely flying drones.
 First-Time Pilots

Eligibility

To become a pilot you must:

 Be at least 16 years old

 Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English
 Be in a physical and mental condition to safely fly a drone
 Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge exam

Requirements for Remote Pilot Certificate:

 Must be easily accessible by the remote pilot during all UAS operations

 Valid for 2 years. Certificate holders must pass a recurrent knowledge test every two
years

Navigating the Process to Become a Drone Pilot:

Step 1: Obtain an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an Integrated Airman Certification

and Rating Application (IACRA) profile prior to registering for a knowledge test.

Step 2: Schedule an appointment with a Knowledge Testing Center which administer initial and
recurrent FAA knowledge exams. Be sure to bring a government-issued photo ID to your test.

Step 3: Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge test. Knowledge test topic areas include:

 Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating privileges,

limitations, and flight operation

 Airspace classification and operating requirements, and flight restrictions affecting small
unmanned aircraft operation

 Aviation weather sources and effects of weather on small unmanned aircraft performance

 Small unmanned aircraft loading and performance

 Emergency procedures

 Crew resource management

 Radio communication procedures

 Determining the performance of small unmanned aircraft

 Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol

 Aeronautical decision-making and judgment

 Airport operations

 Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures

Step 4: Complete FAA Form 8710-13 for a remote pilot certificate (FAA Airman Certificate

and/or Rating Application) using the electronic FAA Integrated Airman Certificate and/or Rating
Application system (IACRA)*

a. Register using the FAA IACRA system

b. Login with username and password

c. Click on "Start New Application" and 1) Application Type "Pilot", 2) Certifications

"Remote Pilot", 3) Other Path Information, 4) Start Application

d. Follow application prompts

e. When prompted, enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID (Note: it may take up to 48
hours from the test date for the knowledge test to appear in IACRA)

f. Sign the application electronically and submit for processing.

Step 5: A confirmation email will be sent when an applicant has completed the TSA security
background check. This email will provide instructions for printing a copy of the temporary
remote pilot certificate from IACRA.

Step 6: A permanent remote pilot certificate will be sent via mail once all other FAA-internal
processing is complete.

Step 7: Have your Remote Pilot Certificate available whenever you fly your UAS.