LAYER3D AM: 3D Printing Industry Blog

When you need threads in a 3D printed part, you've got two main approaches: design the threads in the part or use heat-set inserts.

Although 3D printing technology has been around for nearly 40 years, its uses in additive manufacturing are still fairly new.

Re3DTech, A premier HP 3D Printing Service Provider, expanded its portfolio of 3D printing materials, to include TPU (Polyether Thermoplastic Polyurethane). 

 

Re3DTech was the first service provider to bring on the Markforged Metal X System, and have been producing metal parts for nearly 2 years.

3D Printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing, improves upon the traditional product design and development process and offer manufacturers many advantages. Below is a summary of what Additive Manufacturing (AM), can do for product design and development – and it should be noted that nearly all of these benefits save companies either time, money, or both!

Additive Manufacturing, AM, is one of the fastest growing industries in the US today. AM, commonly known as 3D printing, has proven to have matured beyond prototyping and is capable of full-scale production. For example, in 2018 the HP MJF printers alone produced more than 10 million parts worldwide – and that is expected to double in 2019! 3D printing technologies are advancing rapidly and are becoming more widely adopted by manufacturers.

There is a long-standing myth that 3D printing is only suitable for prototyping and that additive manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing, are not suitable for production. However, due to recent advances in build rates and quality control, 3D printing for production is rapidly being adopted by many manufacturing processes worldwide. More and more manufacturers are viewing 3D printing as a viable option for producing quality parts that are just as capable as machined or molded parts. Additionally, industrial 3D printing has not only proven itself capable for production, it is competing with traditional manufacturing methods as a cost-effective solution for low, medium and even large-scale production volumes! 

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing is a process that builds a three-dimensional object based on a Computer Aided Design (CAD) sketch. A 3D printer uses the CAD data to add successive layers of liquid, powder, or other material to manufacture a 3D object. A wide range of materials can be used for 3D printing including metals, plastics, and composites.

 

Markforged, a leading provider of metal and carbon fiber 3D printers, has announced Blacksmith, the first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered software that makes manufacturing machines ‘aware’ so they can automatically adjust programming to ensure every part is produced as designed. Blacksmith is a breakthrough in smart factories and the first example of Adaptive Manufacturing, which will reduce the cost of production and reshape the industry as we know it.