M AT E R I A L
(R)EVOLUTION:
Introduction ... 4
What is Additive Manufacturing Video ... 5
Primary Methods of Additive Manufacturing ... 6
State of the Industry... 17
Flyknit Case Study ... 26
Neon Ombre Sours Case Study ... 28
Contour Crafting Case Study ... 30
State of Materials ... 32
Dirk Vander Kooij Case Study ... 39
Spirula 4.0 Case Study ... 41
Stratigraphic Manufactury Case Study ... 43
Future Outlook ... 44
Disney Speaker Case Study ... 52
Prefabricated Houses in China Case Study ... 54
Teddy Bear Case Study ... 56
Medical Spotlight ... 57
Bioprinting For Life ... 62
R.ABS Case Study ... 69
L’Artisan Electronique Case Study ... 71
Directory of Materials ... 73
Company and Printer Directories ... 81
Directory of Companies by Process ... 82
Directory of Printers by Price ... 84
Glossary ... 86
ThinkLAB Contributors ... 93
About Us ... 99
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Report curated by ThinkLAB, A Division of Material ConneXion
This report covers the widely, yet ambiguously, reported field of Additive Manufacturing, or AM. AM covers an extensive range of processes and technologies that go beyond simple 3D printing (or even rapid prototyping, as it was first known when construction focused on the sole production of
prototypes). To provide better perspective on this ever-evolving spectrum of industries, we aimed to include a broad array of AM techniques and processes that are not typically highlighted within the industry.
Developed by Material ConneXion’s award-winning consulting team, ThinkLAB, we have curated a resource that provides digestible, enjoyable and insightful access to this amazing new manufacturing tool. Through our extensive materials knowledge and experience working to innovate the world’s leading products through material solutions, we have
produced a report that captures every aspect of AM’s diverse evolution.
In this report on AM, we cover applications for home and personal use, medical, industrial, consumer products, aerospace, architecture, automotive, military, fashion, food and art, all in a palatable format that is suitable for both the
introductory reader and seasoned professional. The report aims to bring you a fuller understanding of the breadth of both the machine and material types used in AM, and provides an overview of the industries it is impacting. We incorporated highly visual graphs, easy-to-understand schematics and breathtaking images that give full license to this often very beautiful method of manufacturing.
Within this report, directories of material and machine types and their respective suppliers and producers serve as an essential reference for anyone hoping to better understand AM and start making things through the process. Both a visual and written glossary eliminate the burden of having to log onto Wikipedia every time you come across a new term. We have also included interviews with a number of pioneers in the field and numerous case studies to highlight the true variety of what is being developed and produced.
All of this has been made possible by a team well accustomed to making technical jargon digestible—so read on and give yourself a head start in truly understanding what many have called the next Industrial Revolution.
W
elcome to the first edition of our new Material (R)evolution report series
focusing on material, product and technological developments that are
of current global interest for consumers and producers alike.
P R I M A R Y M E T H O D S O F A D D I T I V E M A N U F A C T U R I N G
This visual glossary
outlines the seven major
techniques for creating
AM products. We have
provided an overview of
each technique as well as
the types of materials used
and the industries in which
they find the most frequent
application.
This process uses a beam of highly excited electrons in a vacuum chamber to melt powdered metals into solid pieces. As each layer of the structure is completed, free flowing powder is added on top of the freshly created layer; this is then melted and the process repeats. The high temperatures in this process allow for metal to metal bonding without secondary processing steps. Imagine preparing a crème brûlée, melting granular sugar into a solid sheet with the heat from the torch, and only in the desired areas.
Materials:powdered metals such as titanium, titanium alloys, steel and nickel alloys and cobalt chrome
Uses:fine detail metal components such as tools and medical implants or parts for the aerospace, automotive and marine industries
Benefits: improved physical properties
over cast metals; fine detail and
surrounding powder negates the need for secondary support structures
Limitations: surface of parts tend to be rough, but can be machined for a smoother finish
ELECTRON
BEAM MELTING
(EBM)
Electron beam gun
Vaccum chamber
Powder hopper Leveler
Filament spool
Heater block Extruder
Heated nozzle
This process extrudes molten plastic to build successive layers of an object. This is accomplished by feeding filaments of meltable plastic material through a heated nozzle, which moves on multiple axes to form the shape of the desired object. Imagine a bag of icing, piping lines of sugary paste one on top of the previous. There are multiple types of and names for extrusion techniques, including: FDM (fused deposition modeling), FFF (fused filament fabrication) and occasionally PJP (plastic jet printing). Some printers have multiple extruders and can print different materials within the same part. New printers are being developed to use pellets, a more commonly used format in the plastics industry.
Materials:thermoplastic polymers, which can be commodity plastics such as PLA, PET and ABS, or high-performance materials such as ULTEM or PEEK, as well as plastics filled with fibers or particles
Uses: rapid prototyping, decorative objects and some functional parts
Benefits: low price point machinery; caters
to home and industrial markets
Limitations: low resolution in some lower price point machines, speed, resolution vs. speed tradeoff. Meso-layers of build visible. Some post processing (solvent dipping) required to get a smooth finish
EXTRUSION
This process uses material in a powdered format and an adhesive to bond together the particles in successive cross sections. The “glue” is laid down by the print head (similar to an inkjet) in the determined cross section and the powder is rolled over the top, adhering to the glue pattern. Heading back to kindergarten with this one, imagine craft time with glitter, a layer of glue is put down and the glitter is sprinkled on top, bonding only to the adhesive areas. This process is able to provide full color prints with the addition of an ink head, essentially using colored glue to add tint and pattern with each layer. This process is also known as Three Dimensional Printing™, and Color Jet Printing (CJP).
Materials: plaster powder and occasionally other granulate materials such as sand and sugar
Uses: decorative objects, visual prototypes and scale models
Benefits: full color options, no build-supports required, highly detailed and little to no shrink distortion
Limitations: material options, parts require careful handling, post processing for stability and adhesion
INKJET
3D PRINTING
Leveling roller Inkjet printhead Fabrication piston Powder delivery system
Powder bed Binder droplets
Binder feeders
S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
Photo courtesy of Nervous System
The who, what and why of
AM, highlighting the evolution
of the industry and providing
future outlook.
S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
With the explosive growth of Additive Manufacturing (AM), claiming to offer an accurate industry overview can be dangerous. There is staggering diversity in new
breakthroughs and innovation within the field, which evolves on an almost weekly basis. The number of individuals, groups and companies that have joined this “revolution” have made covering the news in AM a daunting game of “catch-up.” The diverse types of materials, processes and applications that AM offers make it difficult to even categorize as one industry. Food, human organs, prosthetics, houses, cars, weapons, clothing, toys—what other industrial process can manufacture such a wide range of products across such varied business sectors? What other new innovation has so quickly
superseded many well-established manufacturing processes? Unlike other recent “revolutions” such as nanotech or biotech, AM is inherently accessible, with costs, technical knowhow and raw material resources readily available. As such, it dovetails nicely with the recent maker movement, resulting in an evolution of machines and knowledge that is exponential compared to other industries. It is going to be an exciting next few years as the growth of this industry continues. Forbes estimates that the “3D Printing industry will reach $3.1 billion worldwide by 2016.” One can only imagine what new solutions this incredible technology will bring.
It is important to note that a critical milestone in the evolution of AM for part production (both prototype and finished product) is the
State of the Industry —
It’s a Revolution
Photos courtesy of Karl D.D. Willis/ Disney Research
S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
10 expiration of patents. The original Fused
Deposition Modeling (FDM) patent owned by Stratasys expired in the mid 2000’s, leading to the development of MakerBot, the maker movement’s white knight, and other desktop and professional machines using a similar process. Additionally, the main selective laser sintering (SLS) patent held by 3D Systems expired earlier this year, potentially opening up this area of AM to competitors, which could result in explosive growth for this section of the market.
Despite these patent expirations, Stratasys and 3D Systems remain the main players in the market, and will likely continue to dominate due to both companies’ aggressive acquisition models.
3D Systems is countering the inevitable challenge of its loss of patent rights for SLS by purchasing a number of AM related technologies, material suppliers and software developers, totaling over 40 companies in the past three years. These
S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
include material producers such as Huntsman’s photopolymer division and RPC Ltd. from Switzerland, as well as makers of consumer products such as Bits from Bytes in the UK and BotMill from Florida. 3D Systems subsumed these companies for the production of a desktop alternative to MakerBot’s line of Replicators— the Cube, an FFF printer for consumers that retails from $1-5K.
Stratasys sold their first FDM in 1991, and currently ships the largest number of professional AM machines (75,818 machines as of December 31, 2013). In 2012, the company merged with Objet, an Israeli AM company that produces polyjet (light polymerized) machines, and also introduced the first multi-material printer, the Connex500, in 2007. In June 2013, the company purchased MakerBot, enabling it to capitalize on the burgeoning FDM market. Due to FDM’s reliance on lower-melting-point plastics, and its relatively poor surface resolution, many in the industry thought the process to be inherently limiting when considering engineering and industrial applications. However, users seem to disagree, citing FDM’s reliability and simplicity, the ability to tinker with and hack the process and, of course, the lower machine cost.
This technology is strikingly different from many other industrial processes in that it is used on a personal, home, workshop or lab level by hundreds of thousands of “makers,” who, by experimentation—and probably a lot of failure— have expanded and diversified the types of things that can be done with a machine. Indeed, it was Janne Kyttanen, through his design label Freedom Of Creation (FOC) in 2000, who first saw the potential of using these machines for anything other than industrial purposes. Kyttanen pioneered the 3D development of lighting, jewelry, tableware, and yes, tchotchkes. (3D Systems acquired FOC in May 2011.)
OUTSIDE THE “BOX”
Despite the ability to create modular parts that can be pieced together, one of the major limitations of these types of AM machines has
Photos courtesy of Karl D.D. Willis/ Disney Research
S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
12 been the constraint in size. Everything has to
be printed within the confines of the box. It is intriguing then to see the beginnings of a movement that utilizes robots, some of which are mobile, to expand the maximum size of printed parts by removing the “box” altogether. “You can integrate a lot of components into a single part now,” said Richard Beckett, a London-based architect/designer and co-founder of Syn. De.Bio (Synthetic Design Biotopes), an online forum that aims to disseminate new bio-digital work that is emerging at the crossroads of design, biology and engineering. “So you can leave cavities for auto pipes, you can print door handles straight into doors; the notion of the architectural component is changing. I think that’s more interesting than the formal geometry. There’s something nice about being able to integrate all of these various systems that we see as separate, into one.”
From Dirk Vander Kooij’s use of car
manufacturing robot arms to print chairs, to the “Minibuilder” robots that print objects many times their size by moving around on caterpillar treads, these “outside the box” techniques allow for much greater freedom of form that cannot be achieved using traditional box-type printers.
There are still limits on this new area of robot printing that mimic other AM techniques, including speed and resolution. However, these innovations show that one limitation—size—has been overcome.
FOOD, ORGANS AND
WHATEVER ELSE
The most exciting aspect of AM beyond the speed of its evolution has been the way in which diverse industries have adopted it as a method of problem solving. Either as an adaptation of an existing process or as a disruptive challenge to existing tech, AM offers unique solutions. Its use in medicine is new and exciting; researchers in the U.S. from the University of Rochester, Alfred
CASE STUDY:
Flyknit
MATERIAL:
Polyester (PET) yarns of varying denier, some elastic yarn
MACHINE:
Flat bed knitting machine
WHY IT’S COOL:
When the Flyknit launched in 2012, Nike started a conversation around fabric construction with an entirely new group, athletes. Utilizing multiple yarn sizes and types in combination with hundreds of possible stitch structures creates zoned performance in a single unit. Knitting the upper decreased the number of components from 35 (average) to 2 and resulted in a reduction in waste and labor. Quality design and detailed engineering ensure fabrication with only what is needed, creating more from less.
“ The big plus of this technique is the
freedom of design; I’m very curious to
find out what architects and designers
are going to do with that.”
Salome Galjaard – ARUP
CASE STUDY:
Neon Ombre Sours
MATERIAL:
Sugar
MACHINE:
Chef Jet Pro (powder-bed printing
WHY IT’S COOL:
Though many materials are designed, formulated and sold specifically to be compatible with Additive Manufacturing (AM) systems, one comes ready-made from the grocery store—sugar. These treats are made using water (with coloring and flavors) to bind sugar granules together into complex shapes. Customization and confections go hand-in-hand, from the name on a birthday cake to decorative objects, both edible and non. Of the many products produced by AM, novel, accessible and trendy sugary shapes may have the broadest consumer marketplace.
D I R E C T O R Y O F M A T E R I A L S
A diverse selection of
the innovative materials
currently available for
Additive Manufacturing.
Directory of
Materials
MC# 7295-01 BETA - bronzeFill
Colorfabb
Bronze in a filament format made compatible with fused deposition modeling (FDM) machines for home use by including the metal particles in a polymer blend. This is the first instance of metal in a consumer-level 3D-printing material. The bronze material is three times heavier than a standard filament and will have a matte metallic shine when sanded and polished, providing the look and feel of metal. Makers and home printers can get more from their machines as companies innovate within the established systems.
MC# 7295-02
BETA – woodFill Fine
Colorfabb
A fiber-reinforced plastic comprised of 70% polylactic acid (PLA) and 30% recycled wood fiber. Unlike plastic, wood can’t be melted, making it incompatible with systems that use softened plastic to create layers of an object. By blending the wood fibers with a bio-plastic, this filament is both natural and easy to process. Though the fabrication and design are high-tech, traditional materials like wood are still compelling, perhaps even more so.
MC# 7071-02
Lay-Ceramic - porcelain-like
Kai Parthy
Ceramic filament designed for firing after printing; uses a polymer binder to create the filament for extrusion. The object is designed to be fired in a kiln after printing, which will remove the polymer portion and sinter the ceramic particles into a monolithic piece. The two-step process creates a fully ceramic piece, which can be processed and glazed like traditional ceramics. Multi-step and post-process finishing are changing the look, feel and finish quality of printed objects.
MC# 7071-03 Lay brick
Kai Parthy
A filament that combines chalk and co-polyester (PET) to create a sandstone-like material for fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers. The material has a decidedly un-plastic-y look and feel, offering a more stone or ceramic-like aesthetic. The milled chalk content helps to show less of the visible layering common in objects produced via FDM; the material can be smoothed further with sanding or isopropyl alcohol. Aesthetic demands on 3D-printed objects are increasing, often specifically due to a desire to disguise the hallmarks of manufacture.
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About
ThinkLAB
ThinkLAB is the consulting division of Material ConneXion. We are the go to resource for design inspiration and product innovation. From high-tech to design-oriented solutions, we track design, material and manufacturing innovations across industries and place them in context to expand our clients’ ability to innovate.
With vast knowledge of materials science and a keen understanding of the role materials play in design development, Material ConneXion ThinkLAB leverages innovation in materials and manufacturing to create better products and experiences. From inspiration to manufacturing support, we take you beyond the library to help you find the material solutions that will most impact your brand.
Our materials intelligence has been used by some of the largest, most innovative corporations in the world, as well as smaller, forward-thinking companies and government agencies. Numerous brands have benefited from our
expertise, adding untold value to their designs, products and bottom line.
About
Material ConneXion
Material ConneXion (materialconnexion.com), a SANDOW company, is a global materials and innovation consultancy that helps clients create the products and services of tomorrow through smart materials and design thinking. Material ConneXion is the trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, as well as forward-thinking agencies and government entities seeking a creative, competitive or sustainable edge. With eight locations—in Bangkok, Daegu, Hong Kong, Milan, New York, Skövde, Tokyo and a satellite library in Copenhagen—Material ConneXion’s international network of specialists provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials, design, new product development, sustainability and innovation. Material ConneXion maintains the world’s largest subscription-based materials library with more than 7,500 innovative materials and processes— an indispensable asset to a wide audience of users. The consulting division, ThinkLAB, works with clients to strategically incorporate trends, service and innovation into their business models and products, while sister company Culture + Commerce represents the world’s leading
designers, including Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders, in licensing their groundbreaking new products and projects.
