4 minute read
Technology Forward
The most interesting additive stories of 2021
2021 began as a continuation of 2020. Many employees continued to work from home. Work was getting done, with some businesses thriving. Then along came a vaccine to fight the virus. As people received their vaccines by April, you could see some signs of returning to something resembling normal.
In 2020, the pandemic highlighted just how useful additive manufacturing technology could be for dealing with remote work, remote manufacturing, and supply chain issues.
Throughout 2020 and into 2021, the industry continued to move forward. As the industry matures, the big stories for 2021 involved announcements of partnerships, purchases, and going public. The technology focus was more on material development. As for markets, most of the stories revolved around additive advances in the medical market.
One example of the growth of additive in the medical market involves the range of new materials. While additive continues to build applications in the dental industry, several interesting advances can be found in bio 3D printing. The additive industry has made strides towards 3D printing organs, transplantable ones, not just anatomical models. Developments are ongoing, but there are advances in both the machines necessary to achieve this and the hydrogel materials needed.
Another major story for 2021 is the development of end-toend additive manufacturing flow software. Nearly every major vendor of additive machines introduced software or partnered with a company that can make the steps of going from CAD file to final product easier. Vendors report a tremendous amount of investment taking place on the design side, developing files and getting them prepared for manufacturing. And work continues on the machine side, where individual machines are now digital and connected to a network.
The pandemic highlighted some disadvantages of not having a supply chain close to home. Companies are rethinking their supply chain strategies and bringing more work closer to their customers, in many cases, turning to additive technology to solve supply chain shortages. Additive technology plays a key role in the concept of digital manufacturing.
As the use of additive increases, developers and users are also focusing on how this technology impacts the environment. An ASME survey of practicing engineers involved in the design or development of plastic parts found that 88% of respondents now use 3D printing/additive manufacturing in some way. But prototyping with plastic materials tends to produce a lot of environmentally unfriendly waste.
A relatively new organization, the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA), introduced itself and now has an impressive list of leading AM companies that have joined to advance sustainability in AM. As of press time, the organization has 33 active members from 11 countries.
The other big story is the introduction of new materials for various additive processes. More metal materials for office-style 3D printers, more variety in materials, and more flexibility in how many and what kind of materials you can 3D print. The only drawback is that some of these materials are specific to an additive machine. Opensourced materials are emerging, so options are available. DW
Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com
On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting
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