SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, MANIPAL

IT SKILLS FOR MANAGERS
REPORT ON 3D PRINTING

Presented by:
Group 6 (Section B):

Gautham Shetty (141202095)
Kruthika S.L. (141202096)
Rikith Soans (141202097)
Sughosh R. Iyengar (141202098)
Brajesh Kumar Pandey (141202099)

INDEX

Content Page No.

1. Introduction 3 2. History 4 3. The Evolution of 3D Printing 5 4. How the 3D Printing Works 6 5. General Principles of 3D Printing 7 6. Methods & Techniques 8
Selective Laser Sintering 8
Stereolithography 9
Fused Deposition Modelling 10
Laminated Object Manufacturing 11 7. Applications 12 8. Industrial & Personal Printing 13 9. The Cost of 3D Printers 14 10. Future 15 11. Effects of 3D Printing 16 12. Challenges 17 13. Conclusion 18 14. References 19

INTRODUCTION

3D printing is one of the emerging trends in the IT sector which has gained importance.

Now a days, in the 21st century we can see that IT sectors plays a major role in development of all sectors. It has become the integral part of our life.

IT has acted as a change agent in the present day scenario which has and will keep on bringing big changes in everyday life and 3D printers are one among the changes brought down from the IT sector.

Printing is nothing but a process of reproducing texts and images, with the use of ink or color on page using a printing press.

Where as 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the process of making a 3D object of any shape using additive processes. In this process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created and each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

3D printing or Additive Manufacturing is a method that adds material to an object layer by layer to create the final product. 3D printing has many processes and methods that has to be followed up in creation of a three dimensional object. It has wider applications as well as challenges to face.

3D computer aided design is a relatively new visualization tool that has served to assist many aspects of modern industrial production. It has also become increasingly evident that these technologies hold enormous potential as a tool for the creation of artefacts by artists and crafts people
The development of rapid prototyping technology has already seen several phases; the first being purely a virtual visualization tool for assisting conventional fabrication, the second a means of visualizing and outputting 3D objects using both stereo lithography and subtractive, numerically controlled modelling techniques. The most recent however, enables 3D computer rendered objects to be created using a far more user friendly digitally driven output, especially through the additive 3D printing process.

HISTORY

First printing machine was invented by Johannes Gensefleish in the year 1803 where as the technology of printing 3D objects from digital data was first developed by Charles Hull in 1984. He named it as Stereolithography.

By the end of 1980s other similar technologies such as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) & Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) were introduced.
In 1993, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) patented another technology named ‘3D Printing Techniques’, which was similar to the Inkjet technology used in 2D printers.
In 1996, three major products, ‘Genisys’ from Stratasys, ‘Actua 2100’ from 3D Systems & ‘Z402’ from Z Corporation were introduced.
In 2005, Z Corporation launched a breakthrough product, named ‘Spectrum Z510’, which was the first high definition colour 3D printer in the market
And in 2006 another breakthrough in 3D printing occurred with the initiation of an open source project, named REPRAP which was aimed at developing a self-replicating 3D printer

Additive manufacturing’s earliest applications have been on the tool room end of the manufacturing spectrum. For example, rapid prototyping was one of the earliest additive variants and its mission was to reduce the lead time and cost of developing prototypes of new parts and devices. However, as the years go by and technology continually advances, additive methods are moving ever further into the production end of manufacturing. Parts that formerly were the sole province of subtractive methods can now in some cases be made more profitably via additive ones.

THE EVOLUTION OF 3D PRINTING

HOW THE 3D PRINTING WORKS

3D printable models may be created with a computer aided design package or via 3D scanner. The manual modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting.
It all starts with making a virtual design of the object in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file using a 3D modelling program (for the creation of a totally new object) or with the use of a 3D scanner (to copy an existing object).
To prepare the digital file created in a 3D modelling program for printing, the software slices the final model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers. When this prepared file is uploaded in the 3D printer, the printer creates the object layer by layer.
The 3D printer reads every slice & proceeds to create the object blending each layer together with no sign of the layering visible, resulting in one 3D object.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF 3D PRINTING:

There are three principles of 3D printing: * MODELING * PRINTING * FINISHING

MODELLING:

Additive manufacturing takes virtual blueprints from computer aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software and "slices" them into digital cross-sections for the machine to successively use as a guideline for printing.
3D printable models may be created with a computer aided design package or via 3D scanner. The manual modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting. 3D scanning is a process of analyzing and collecting data of real object; its shape and appearance and builds digital, three dimensional models

PRINTING:

To perform a print, the machine reads the design from 3D printable file, STL file (Stereolithography).
It lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, paper or sheet material to build the model from a series of cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross sections from the CAD model, are joined or automatically fused to create the final shape.
Printer resolution describes layer thickness and X-Y resolution in dpi (dots per inch), or micrometers. X-Y resolution is comparable to that of laser printers. The particles (3D dots) are around 50 to 100 µm (510 to 250 DPI) in diameter.

FINISHING:

Though the printer-produced resolution is sufficient for many applications, printing a slightly oversized version of the desired object in standard resolution, and then removing material with a higher-resolution subtractive process can achieve a greater precision. Supports are removable or dissolvable upon completion of the print, and are used to support overhanging features during construction.
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

Some of the methods used in the process of 3D printing are: * Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) * Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) * Stereolithography (SLA) * Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks, and some companies consequently offer a choice between powder and polymer for the material from which the object is built.
The main considerations in choosing a machine are generally speed, cost of the 3D printer, cost of the printed prototype, and cost and choice of materials and color capabilities. Printers that work directly with metals are expensive. In some cases, however, less expensive printers can be used to make a mold, which is then used to make metal parts.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
This technology uses a high power laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic or glass powders into a mass that has the desired 3D shape.
The laser selectively fuses the powdered material by scanning the cross-sections generated by the 3D modelling program on the surface of a powder bed.
After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness. Then a new layer of material is applied on top and the process is repeated until the object is completed.
All untouched powder remains as it is and becomes a support structure for the object. Therefore there is no need for any support structure, which is an advantage over SLS and SLA. All unused powder can be used for the next printing. SLS was developed and patented by Dr. Carl Deckard at the University of Texas in the mid-1980s, under sponsorship of DARPA.

Stereolithography (SLA)
The term stereolithography was defined by Charles W. Hull as a "system for generating three-dimensional objects by creating a cross-sectional pattern of the object to be formed"—in a 1984 patent.
The main technology in which photo polymerization is used to produce a solid part from a liquid is SLA. This technology employs a vat of liquid ultraviolet curable photopolymer resin and an ultraviolet laser to build the object’s layers one at a time. For each layer, the laser beam traces a cross-section of the part pattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the ultraviolet laser light cures and solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and joins it to the layer below.

After the pattern has been traced, the SLA’s elevator platform descends by a distance equal to the thickness of a single layer, typically 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm (0.002″ to 0.006″). Then, a resin-filled blade sweeps across the cross section of the part, re-coating it with fresh material. On this new liquid surface, the subsequent layer pattern is traced, joining the previous layer. The complete three dimensional object is formed by this project. Stereolithography requires the use of supporting structures which serve to attach the part to the elevator platform.

Stereolithography Process

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)
The FDM technology works using a plastic filament or metal wire which is unwound from a coil and supplies material to an extrusion nozzle which can turn the flow on and off. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions by a numerically controlled mechanism, directly controlled by a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software package. The object is produced by extruding melted material to form layers as the material hardens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle.
FDM was invented by Scott Crump in the late 80’s. After patenting this technology he started the company Stratasys in 1988. The software that comes with this technology automatically generates support structures if required. The machine dispenses two materials, one for the model and one form a disposable support structure.

The term fused deposition modelling and its abbreviation to FDM are trademarked by Stratasys Inc. The exactly equivalent term, fused filament fabrication (FFF), was coined by the members of the RepRap project to give a phrase that would be legally unconstrained in its use.

Fused Deposition Modelling Process

Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)
It is a rapid prototyping system developed by Helisys Inc. In it, layers of adhesive coated paper, plastic or metal laminates are successively glued together & cut to shape with a knife or a laser cutter.

LAMINATED OBJECT MANUFACTURING PROCESS
APPLICATIONS
* Design visualization * Prototyping/CAD * Metal Casting * Architecture * Education * Geospatial * Healthcare * Entertainment/Retail

Other applications would include reconstructing fossils in paleontology, replicating ancient and priceless artifacts in archaeology, reconstructing bones and body parts in forensic pathology and reconstructing heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.
As of 2010, 3D printing technology was being studied by biotechnology firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts are built using inkjet techniques. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium and slowly built up to form three dimensional structures. Several terms have been used to refer to this field of research like: organ printing, bio-printing, and computer-aided tissue engineering.

INDUSTRIAL & PERSONAL PRINTING
3D printing is broadly used in industrial and personal printing purposes.

Industrial Printing
In the last couple of years the term 3D printing has become more known and the technology has reached a broader public. Manufacturers have long used these printers in their design process to create prototypes for traditional manufacturing and research purposes. Using 3D printers for these purposes is called rapid prototyping.
Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing is also used for rapid manufacturing. Rapid manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing where companies are using 3D printers for short run custom manufacturing.
In this way of manufacturing the printed objects are not prototypes but the actual end user product.

Personal Printing
Personal 3D printing is mainly for hobbyists and enthusiasts and started growing in 2011. The RepRap open source project ignited this hobbyist market. For about a thousand dollars, people have been able to buy the RepRap kit and put together their own personal 3D printer.
This rapid development of open source 3D printers is gaining interest in both the developed as well as the developing world.

The COST of 3D PRINTERS

Future
It is predicted by some additive manufacturing advocates that this technological development will change the nature of commerce, because end users will be able to do much of their own manufacturing rather than engaging in trade to buy products from other people and corporations.
With effects on energy use, waste reduction, customization, product availability, medicine, art, construction and sciences, 3D printing will change the manufacturing world.

EFFECTS OF 3D PRINTING
Additive manufacturing, starting with today's infancy period, requires manufacturing firms to be flexible, ever-improving users of all available technologies to remain competitive. Advocates of additive manufacturing also predict that this arc of technological development will counter globalization, as end users will do much of their own manufacturing rather than engage in trade to buy products from other people and corporations. The real integration of the newer additive technologies into commercial production, however, is more a matter of complementing traditional subtractive methods rather than displacing them entirely.

Social Change
Since the 1950s, a number of writers and social commentators have speculated in some depth about the social and cultural changes that might result from the advent of commercially-affordable additive manufacturing technology. Amongst the more notable ideas to have emerged from these inquiries has been the suggestion that, as more and more 3D printers start to enter people's homes, so the conventional relationship between the home and the workplace might get further eroded.
As 3D printers became more accessible to consumers, online social platforms have developed to support the community. This includes websites that allow users to access information such as how to build a 3D printer, as well as social forums that discuss how to improve 3D print quality and discuss 3D printing news, as well as social media websites that are dedicated to share 3D models.

Space Exploration
As early as 2010, work began on applications of 3D printing in zero or low gravity environments. The primary concept involves creating basic items such as hand tools or other more complicated devices "on demand" versus using valuable resources such as fuel or cargo space to carry the items into space.
Additionally, NASA is conducting tests with company Made in Space to assess the potential of 3D printing to make space exploration cheaper and more efficient.

CHALLENGES
3D Printing has a number of challenges ahead. In the domestic market it is immature, expensive and unavailable. 1. Cost
A sub $500 price is preferred.
(June 2011 – The current cost for a Hobbiest Printer was $1200. The cheapest Commercial printer can be commissioned at $30,000)

2. Ability to easily print in multiple materials on the same machine.
Particularly plastic, metal and conductive materials. Much like colour printers print multiple colours with no fuss these days, so should 3D Printers.

3. Availability.
Getting a 3D printer isn’t that easy! You need to order them online, often with a several month delay.

4. Intellectual Property Rights of the 3D printer users.

5. Nearly anything can be printed by 3D printers and this is troubling prospect if criminals use 3D printers to create illegal products.

6. Firearms could be downloaded and reproduced by anyone with a 3D printer.

CONCLUSION

3D printing technology could revolutionize and re-shape the world. Advances in 3D printing technology can significantly change and improve the way we manufacture products. This technology may soon start an industry in which everyone has the possibility of being a manufacturer.

The last industrial revolution brought us a mass production and the advent of economies of scale, the digital 3D printing revolution could bring mass manufacturing back a full circle – to an era of mass personalisation and return to an individual craftsmanship.

3D printing has a lot of possible benefits to society, although the products created must be regulated.

RFERENCES

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing * http://www.3dprinter.net/reference/what-is-3d-printing * http://computer.howstuffworks.com/3-d-printing.htm * http://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers/technologies/fdm-technology * http://reprap.org/