Top 5 3D printing techniques dominating the market

Top 5 3D printing techniques dominating the market makenica.com/top-5-3d-printing-techniques-dominating-the-market December 21, 2020

The world of 3D printing has been a big boon to the additive manufacturing industry.

3D printing services has become an integral part of several fields such as part manufacturing, education, robotics, automation, and there are no limits to its expansion.

As days progress, we are introduced to different 3D printing technologies that astound the ways of science and manufacturing. 3D printing has become a manufacturing tool that can be done anywhere and anytime, putting an end to time and structure-oriented manufacturing.

There are several 3D printing techniques followed by millions of industries globally.

However, few names dominate the global 3D printing market by quite a large margin.

Let us now delve into a discussion on the top 5 3D printing techniques that are quite popular and household names in the industry.

#1 Stereolithography SLA or stereolithography is one of the most primitive methods of 3D printing. SLA was the first 3D printer that was ever constructed. The brainchild of Chuck Hill has been dominating the 3D printing world over the past 4 decades and has been updated frequently based on the technological trend.

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The main principle behind SLA 3D printer is the function of UV rays or other light rays, which cures the liquid resin into a solid plastic. Generally, the curing temperature starts from 77 degrees to 300 degrees celsius. Another unique principle of SLA is the usage of mirrors, that are positioned in the X and Y coordinates.

These mirrors are used extensively for concentration variance and beam aiming. The mirrors direct high intensity or low intensity of light across the resin, which cures and solidifies the particular part under a defined cross-sectional area. The same process is done layer by layer for building the 3D model.

The UV laser emitted by the mirrors or also called galvanometers are used to draw the uploaded CAD shape on the photopolymer vat. A photochemical process takes place between the emitted UV rays and the resin, thus hardening the resin. The process builds the model layer by layer. Post the completion of the model, it must be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol to remove the wet surfaces of the resin.

Several S been developed over the years, but the Inverted SLA was something that revolutionized the 3D printing industry. In the inverted stereolithography, the resin can be injected manually or using a cartridge on the vat. The build plate on which the beam is loaded is then brought down on the photopolymer vat with a layer of resin jammed.

The UV rays emitted out of the build plate will be based upon the layer of the model, which cures and solidifies the resin, selectively. Slowly, successive layers are built on top to bottom approach.

SLA is considered only for industrial manufacturing that requires high precision and accurate manufacturing of parts. SLA is a very expensive type of 3D printer, making it more suitable for large-scale environments. SLA doesn’t offer any restrictions on resin materials, edging it slightly over the other 3D printing techniques.

#2 Selective Laser Sintering Just like stereolithography, selective laser sintering uses laser beams to sinter the powder material to form the solid part of the CAD module. Sintering is defined as the process where the solid mass is compacted and brought together utilizing heat and pressure.

To cater to the needs of this process, generally, we use Nylon 11 or Nylon 12 powders for the sintering process. The crux of the SLS mechanism involves the usage of highintensity laser beams produced and directed by galvanometers, for the fusion of powdered resins. One such common laser used in this process is the Carbon dioxide laser.

The Carbon dioxide laser will scan the entire surface and sinter the preheated resin powder selectively and will solidify the object. When the entire layer is scanned, the building platform will move down for the next layer. A new set of powdered resin will be added to the created layer, and the platform starts to build the next layer.

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The interesting thing here is that the unsintered powder will not be discarded, rather will be used to build support materials for the model, thus saving a massive amount of resources. The process is considered to be rapid and quick, owing to the intensity of the light beam used and the speed of the sintering process.

Printed parts produced by this method are generally, light weighted and chemically resistant. SLS is majorly used in plastic and nylon resing manufacturing industries such as air ducts, body for automobiles, etc, owing to its lightweight and its heat resistant capabilities.

SLS machines are as expensive as SLA machines, which makes it not affordable for 3D printing enthusiasts to try it out on their own. However, there are several online-based 3D printing manufacturers, who might help you get your parts done.

One of the worthy mentions in the Indian subcontinent would be Makenica and think3D. Makenica offers you several such services such as injection molding, CNC machining service, and vacuum casting at a market affordable rate and is one of the pioneers in providing maximum customer satisfaction. So, what’s the delay for? Hurry up and check them out.

#3 Fused Deposition Modelling FDM is one of the most popular and widely used 3D printing mechanisms worldwide.

FDM is a household 3D printing name, due to its availability and it’s cheaper pricing, that has attracted several design experts into the world of 3D printing online.

The mechanism behind FDM is however very simple, and not complex as the abovementioned techniques. The material is fitted onto the extrusion head, which consists of a small nozzle. The heat sink inside the head heats the material to the desired temperatures, based on its melting point.

The motor inside the extrusion head pushes the material into the heat sink, causing it to flow out continuously until the motor stops. The molten material flows out through the nozzle on the printer bed, where it cools down to room temperature and solidifies.

Based on the G-code generated, the printer will move to the specified co-ordinated and perform a similar operation, layer by layer, till the full object is formed. In this process, the bed is also preheated to a specified temperature, so that the material sticks on the build plate and solidifies.

One of the most common issues with these types of printing techniques is surface warping. Surface warping occurs due to the variance in cooling rate, which causes changes in dimension at variated speeds. This differential surface cooling builds internal stress within the print surface that causes the underlying layer to warp.

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Surface warping can be prevented but regulating the temperature of the heat sink and the bed of the 3D printer so that the adhesion increases between the part and the build plate. Warping can also be prevented by reducing sharp corners, removal of thin features, and provision of flat areas.

FDM printers are known for their compact structure and simplicity. Anyone can construct their own FDM 3D printers with the required set of basic apparatus, making the FDM technique one of the most flexible 3D printing mechanism. For a portable 3D printer, the build plate size varies from 200*200mm and for an industrial FDM printer, it comes around 1000*1000mm.

FDM printers are further classified based on the print head kinematics. Among the popular methods include cartesian motion planning and the delta motion planning of print heads. The cartesian coordinate method is a simple and cost-efficient motion planning method that uses motors to control the nozzle action in 3 coordinate axes.

Delta motion FDM printers are quite complex in structure. These type of printers have a very large open print volume and have a Delta shaped arm configuration mounted on the top. This design is known for its rapid movement over a large volume, however, the design is known for its complexity in terms of motion planning.

Although the costs are similar for both the Cartesian and Delta motion-based FDM printers, there is a slight advantage for Cartesian printers since it is straightforward to maintain. Also, Cartesian motion FDM printers are easy to construct, which has made its way into households of the common. #4 Binder Jetting 3D printer This is relatively a new concept of 3D printing technology that has attracted the eyes of several manufacturers who are looking to obtain models out of non-resin materials. The principle behind binder jetting 3D printers is similar to that of ink-jet based 2D printing. Binder jetting 3D printers were first developed by MIT in the year 1993.

The initial process of binder jetting is however similar to that of SLS printing. The powdered metal or sand or gypsum is deposited on the powder bed by the blades. The carriage consists of a nozzle, a tad similar to that of a 2D printer ink-jet nozzle.

The nozzle consists of the binder material that selectively deposits the binding material droplets onto the powdered layer, based on the CAD design. Once the layer is complete, the build platform is recoated with powder dispensed by the blade.

The process is repeated till the model is complete. Once the model is printed, it is left inside the powder for curing. The remaining powder is cleansed using pressurized air and the model is obtained. To increase the finesse of the print, post-processing such as infiltration and sintering are done on the printer part.

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Binder jetting printers are commercially available for metal 3D printing and sand/gypsum 3D printing. In metal binder jetting, the powdered metal is bound together by using a polymer as a binding agent. Binder jetting process allows the manufacturing of complex geometries that are way beyond the scope of conventional manufacturing techniques.

Binder jetting allows the manufacturing of colored 3D prints. In the case of sand binder jetting, the part is manufactured using a PMMA powder and liquid binder. The setup consists of two heads for binding liquid flow and flow of color ink, for the fabrication of completely colored parts.

Binder jetting printers are generally used for lightweight part manufacturing and it is also pretty expensive for non-commercial printing. However, several online 3D printing stores provide you Binder jetting print for affordable prices, something you can’t miss out on. Do check on the above-mentioned service providers for small scale and medium scale manufacturing.

#5 Selective Laser Melting (SLM) As the days progress, technological growth has begun towards the zenith. One of the major technological advancements in the field of 3D printers is the development of metal 3D printers. It is touted to be one of the most advanced 3D printing technology to date.

Metal 3D printers are now manufactured using a variant of SLS 3D printers called the Selective Laser melting process. The process flow of SLM is very much similar to that of SLS printers, but the major difference here is the usage of metal powders.

The metal powders are preheated to a certain temperature so that fusion can be achieved on a molecular level. Just like the SLS method, a laser beam of high-intensity is used to selectively melt the metal part to its fullest to form the object. This produces parts with a uniform melting point, that can’t be done for alloys.

One of the major differences between the SLS and the SLM method is the requirement of support materials. The SLS uses the unused powder for rigidity and support, whereas in SLM you require separate structural support to obtain a rigid print.

SLM is slowly gaining popularity in the automobile part manufacturing industries and as well material manufacturing industry, due to its high flexibility in producing complex parts.

That’s not all!

Rapid growth in technology never fails to amaze us and will certainly continue to do so for many more light years. What we have discussed are some of the most commonly deployed 3D printing techniques in the market, however what we haven’t discussed are aplenty.

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Several 3D printing techniques are being established that are aimed to improve the current technology that are actively used in the market. There are also several alternate techniques that are being used for specific industries drawn out of the principle of popular techniques.\ 3D printing and its marvel will continue to amuse us as we progress through the days, thick and fast as we might soon see 3D printers used for organ replacement and in complete automobile manufacturing. What awaits us, is the plethora of magnificence.

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