3/8/2024

Additive Manufacturing

Prof. Francis Davis

What is Additive Manufacturing?

Additive manufacturing is the process of
creating an object by building it one layer at a
time.

It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing,

in which an object is created by cutting away a
solid blank of material until the final product is
complete.

Additive manufacturing makes it possible to

create object of complex geometry.

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What is Additive Manufacturing

Cont’d?
• Additive manufacturing is also called 3-Dimensional Printing
• Is a set of technologies that assemble objects from smaller pieces
of material. Examples of these technologies include:
– Fused Filament Fabrication (Involve extruding thermoplastic
filament),
– Vat Polymerization (using an ultraviolet light to cure a
polymer),
– Powder Bed Fusion (melting together metal, ceramic, or plastic
powder with high-power lasers or other heat sources).
• Used for rapid prototyping. Technology is becoming less
expensive and are seeing use in production and affecting
industries such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical,
and consumer market.

What is Additive Manufacturing

Cont’d?
Examples of Products made
using additive
manufacturing techniques

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What is Additive Manufacturing

Cont’d?

How Does Additive Manufacturing Work?

• To create an object using additive manufacturing,
someone must first create a design.
• This is typically done using Computer Aided
Design (CAD) Software, or by taking a Scan of the
object someone wants to print.
• Software then translates the design into a layer by
layer framework for the additive manufacturing
machine to follow.
• This is sent to the 3-D printer, which begins
creating the object immediately.

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How Does Additive Manufacturing Work?

Cont’d
• Materials often used in creating the objects include:
• Polymers,
• Thermoplastics
• Metals,
• Ceramics
• Foams,
• Gels,
• Biomaterials.
• As long as you find a way to locally join two parts, you can
3-D Print it.

Details of Additive Manufacturing

Materials
• Biochemicals
Biochemicals used in Additive Manufacturing include
silicon, calcium phosphate and zinc while bio-inks
fabricated from stem cells are also being explored. These
materials are generally used for healthcare applications.
• Ceramics
A range of ceramics are used in Additive Manufacturing,
including alumina, tricalcium phosphate and zirconia
as well as powdered glass which can be baked together
with adhesives to create new types of glass product.

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Details of Additive Manufacturing

Materials Cont’d
Metals
A wide variety of metals and metal alloys are used for
additive manufacturing, including gold and silver, stainless
steels and titanium amongst others. These can be made to
create a variety of different metal parts, ranging from
jewellery to aerospace components.
Thermoplastics
Thermoplastic polymers are the most commonly used of
additive manufacturing materials and include a variety of
types with their own advantages and applications. These
include: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS),
Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polycarbonate (PC) as well as
water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which can provide
temporary support before being dissolved.

Additive Manufacturing Processes

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Binder Jetting: This technique uses a 3D printing style head moving on x, y and z
axes to deposit alternating layers of powdered material and a liquid binder as an
adhesive.

Binder Jetting or Spouting or Running

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Directed Energy Deposition: Is a 3D printing method which uses a focused energy
source, such as a plasma arc, laser or electron beam to melt a material which is
simultaneously deposited by a nozzle.

Directed Energy Deposition

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

 Is an additive manufacturing
technique that deposits a
continuous filament of
composite or thermoplastic
material to build 3D parts
layer by layer.
 The filament is fed from a
spool through a heated
extruding nozzle, which heats
the material and deposits it
onto a build platform.
 Although it is not as accurate
or fast as other additive
manufacturing processes
 Material extrusion technology
and materials are inexpensive,
making it the most popular
3D printing method for home
hobby-grade use.
 In an industrial setting, Material Extrusion Technique
material extrusion is used for
rapid prototyping.

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Picture of Material Extrusion Process

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Is an additive
manufacturing process
and works on the same
basic principle of
creation of a 3D CAD
model, which is
numerically 'sliced' into
several discrete layers.
For each layer, a heat
source scan path is
calculated which defines
both the boundary
contour and some form
of fill sequence, often a
raster (formation) pattern
since the heat source is
typically an energy beam
(e.g. a laser). Powder Bed Fusion Technique

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

 Is split into two technologies
namely laminated object
manufacturing and ultrasonic
additive manufacturing.
 Laminated object manufacturing
is suited to creating items with
visual or aesthetic appeal and
uses alternate layers of paper and
adhesive.
 Ultrasonic additive
manufacturing uses ultrasonic
welding to join thin metal sheets.
 Low energy, and low temperature
are utilized in this process.
 Can be used with various metals
such as aluminium, stainless steel
Sheet Lamination Technique
and titanium.

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Sheet Lamination Technique

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

 Is one 3D printing technology that
uses an alternative curing method.
 Instead of air drying, it uses
ultraviolet light to cure the material.
 This process uses a vat of liquid
resin photopolymer to create an
object layer by layer.
 Mirrors are used to direct ultraviolet
light which cures the successive
layers of resin through
photopolymerisation.

Vat Polymerisation

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Vat Polymerisation

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

 Uses arc welding power
sources and manipulators
to build 3D shapes
through arc deposition.
 This process commonly
uses wire as a material
source and follows a
predetermined path to
create the desired shape.
 This method of additive
manufacture is usually
performed using robotic
welding equipment. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

There are number of distinct additive manufacturing

processes with their own standards, which include:
Binder Jetting: This technique uses a 3D printing
style head moving on x, y and z axes to deposit
alternating layers of powdered material and a liquid
binder as an adhesive.
Directed Energy Deposition: Is a 3D printing
method which uses a focused energy source, such as
a plasma arc, laser or electron beam to melt a
material which is simultaneously deposited by a
nozzle.

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Material Extrusion: is an additive manufacturing

technique that deposits a continuous filament of
composite or thermoplastic material to build 3D parts
layer by layer. The filament is fed from a spool through a
heated extruding nozzle, which heats the material and
deposits it onto a build platform. Although it is not as
accurate or fast as other additive manufacturing
processes, material extrusion technology and materials
are inexpensive, making it the most popular 3D printing
method for home hobby-grade use. In an industrial
setting, material extrusion is used for rapid prototyping.

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Powder Bed Fusion: is an additive manufacturing

process and works on the same basic principle of
creation of a 3D CAD model, which is numerically
'sliced' into several discrete layers. For each layer,
a heat source scan path is calculated which defines
both the boundary contour and some form of fill
sequence, often a raster pattern since the heat
source is typically an energy beam (e.g. a laser).

Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Sheet Lamination: Is split into two technologies

namely laminated object manufacturing and
ultrasonic additive manufacturing. Laminated object
manufacturing is suited to creating items with visual
or aesthetic appeal and uses alternate layers of paper
and adhesive. Ultrasonic additive manufacturing
uses ultrasonic welding to join thin metal sheets.
Low energy, and low temperature are utilized in this
process. Can be used with various metals such as
aluminium, stainless steel and titanium.

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Additive Manufacturing Processes Cont’d

Vat Polymerisation: Is one 3D printing technology that uses
an alternative curing method. Instead of air drying, it uses
ultraviolet light to cure the material. This process uses a vat of
liquid resin photopolymer to create an object layer by layer.
Mirrors are used to direct ultraviolet light which cures the
successive layers of resin through photopolymerisation.
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing: Uses arc welding power
sources and manipulators to build 3D shapes through arc
deposition. This process commonly uses wire as a material
source and follows a predetermined path to create the desired
shape. This method of additive manufacture is usually
performed using robotic welding equipment.

Advantages of Additive Manufacturing

• Creating complex geometries and producing small lot
or batch sizes.
• Makes it possible to create objects with different
functionally-graded materials “Imagine you want
something that has high conductivity, but also is abrasion
resistant. On the outside, you have the abrasion-resistant
materials, like ceramics, and on the inside, you have the
conductive materials, like metals”.
• Much of the supply chain’s intermediate steps are
removed. “The speed at which you can get to a single part
is much faster,”. People can send a design directly from
their computer to the 3-D printer.

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Advantages of Additive Manufacturing

Cont’d
• Manufacturers can eliminate weight from an object.
This is particular important in the aerospace and
automobile industries, where weight can affect the
functionality of a final product.
• Makes it easier to create small amounts of
components. “With traditional manufacturing,
setup costs mean producing small lots is not cost
effective. But with additive manufacturing, setup
costs are mostly eliminated”

Advantages of Additive Manufacturing

Cont’d
• With additive manufacturing, setup costs are mostly
eliminated, so creating just a handful of objects
becomes more reasonable. This makes customizing
products, like prosthetics or implants, easier, and could
result in better outcomes for patients.
• Hearing aids, which are customized for each person, are
almost entirely additively manufactured.
• Parts that previously required assembly from multiple
pieces can be fabricated as a single object which can
provide improved strength and durability.
• Additive Manufacturing can also be used to fabricate
unique objects or replacement pieces where the original
parts are no longer produced.

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Issues with Additive Manufacturing

• Additive manufacturing machines are
expensive, sometimes hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
• Creating large lot sizes takes longer than with
traditional manufacturing.
• Many objects that are additively manufactured
require some post-processing to clean and
smooth out rough edges, among other things.
• If powders don’t quite sinter together, it forms
defects that lead to failure.

Hazards related to Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing hazards vary widely depending on the
technology and materials used.
 Inhalation of materials used in powdered form may occur.
Additionally, materials such as solvents may emit volatile organic
compounds, and some processes may promote emission of volatile
organic compounds (thermoplastic extrusion, vapour polishing).
 Exposure to hazardous materials is possible, especially with those in
powdered or liquid form.
 Some flammable or combustible liquids and powders may create a
risk of fire or explosion.
 Machine support and maintenance, loading of build materials, and
handling of products may create risks of mechanical or ergonomic
injury and stress.

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