After listening to somewhat bit concerning the idea of creating “designer supplies” for 3D printing, we at Design Information puzzled whether or not this was changing into a pattern within the {industry}. So, we reached out to a number of additive producers and requested them what they thought. We had been met with just about the identical response from every firm: basically, in a phrase, “huh?”
However after we defined that we meant supplies that had been customized formulated particularly for 3D printing purposes, we bought so much higher response. It seems that the time period “designer supplies” will not be fairly but a “factor,” however some corporations are exploring the chances round creating new supplies developed particularly for additive manufacturing applied sciences.
What we discovered is that, simply as in conventional manufacturing, there are challenges and parameters in creating these new customized supplies, however corporations are embracing the pattern, with the purpose of advancing additive manufacturing applied sciences.
Design Information spoke with Preston Souza, product supervisor of startups enterprise models at igus, who mentioned, “It does appear that corporations are providing or starting to supply custom-made 3D printing supplies. One thing like, ‘deliver us your materials necessities and we’ll make a combination and develop a mix that’s appropriate in your utility,’ ” he continued. “It is actually attention-grabbing. I feel materials alternative, normally, opens up the door for various utility alternatives.”
Nevertheless, Souza famous that materials improvement at igus will not be often buyer particular. Slightly, he sees customization taking place extra throughout an {industry}, or an utility, the place new supplies are being developed for the same objective. Souza mentioned that igus has used its 50 years of information with injection molding plastics wanted for top put on resistance and has developed 3D printing supplies that provide those self same qualities.
“With that being mentioned, we don’t have corporations reaching out and asking for particular properties after which we’ll present a selected materials for his or her use,” he mentioned, noting that igus decides on a yearly foundation whether or not it’ll launch new supplies into the market based mostly on such elements as whether or not they have developed one thing new or they’ve found an {industry} pattern that they imagine they should supply their prospects. Software necessities similar to these from FDA for meals contact and packaging in addition to ESD drive the event course of.
“However we don’t have a service the place prospects come and say, ‘I want this actual mix of fabric’ and we’ll produce that completely for them to make use of,” he defined.
Tom Krause, head of additive manufacturing at igus GmbH, famous that regardless of this, igus is creating new supplies for the particular wants of whole industries. He cites an instance of iglidur i8-ESD for microchip manufacturing, which gives excessive abrasion resistance and is electrostatically dissipative. However for particular prospects, he says that igus at the moment solely provides particular colours.
Creating new customized supplies might be troublesome, Krause mentioned. “In addition to the common challenges in creating new plastics, there’s a entire different set of necessities for supplies which can be made for 3D printing,” he mentioned. “And these necessities are completely totally different for the totally different 3D printing strategies like FDM, SLS, DLP, and so forth,” he continued. “Often, an SLS materials cannot be used on FDM printers, and vice versa. So, that is most likely probably the most troublesome half, to develop such a cloth, which nonetheless might be processed on common printers.”
Goal-Constructed 3D Printing Supplies?
Formlabs has ventured somewhat additional into the customer-specific enviornment, the corporate’s Head of Supplies, R&D, Sharon Soong relates. “Customized, purpose-built supplies have been essential for a few years, however have gotten more and more vital as 3D printing purposes develop into much more particular and exacting, particularly within the healthcare house,” she mentioned.
Soong went on to say that Formlabs has labored with many corporations similar to Hasbro and New Steadiness to create supplies that combine into their workflows, obtain the outcomes they want, and carry out on the degree they count on of historically manufactured parts. For Hasbro, Formlabs developed the resin used to make customized Hasbro Selfie Collection figures, and for New Steadiness, it made Rebound, a structured but versatile resin for the corporate’s sneakers.
Formlabs additionally produces top-level, high-performance, general-purpose supplies, similar to Robust 2000 and Versatile 80A resins for among the commonest makes use of, like prototyping. In all, the corporate has greater than 40 resins and 4 powders in its library. Every gives particular features and properties for a wide range of use-cases, similar to dental and medical home equipment, jewellery, engineering purposes, and common makes use of.
For instance, the corporate’s Draft resin was designed to print as much as 4 instances quicker than Formlabs normal supplies, making it splendid for preliminary prototypes and speedy iterations to assist deliver merchandise to market quicker, whereas the polyurethane resin household produces powerful, sturdy, and long-lasting elements to take away the restrictions of conventional polyurethane manufacturing, scale back manufacturing prices, and enhance workflow efficiencies, Soong mentioned.
Formlabs additionally makes industry-specific supplies. Its BioMed resins are appropriate for healthcare purposes, and Castable Wax 40 helps a variety of misplaced wax casting circumstances for the jewellery design {industry}.
Soong mentioned 3D printing will not be designed simply to interchange conventional manufacturing, however oftentimes supplies allow it to enhance these processes. For instance, she mentioned, manufacturing has lengthy relied on injection molding to supply plastic elements in excessive precision and in excessive quantity. “However molds are gradual and expensive to make, taking 4 to eight weeks to supply, they usually value wherever from $2,000 to greater than $100,000,” she mentioned. “3D printing can velocity the manufacturing course of as the tactic to create injection molds for plastic merchandise to allow designers and producers to experiment with a number of bodily prototypes. 3D printing can solely be used on this manner with the suitable resins that may match the advantages of conventional aluminum molds.”
Formlabs’s Inflexible 10K resin can be utilized to 3D print short-run injection molds and cores, whereas slashing manufacturing prices in half with the flexibility to resist excessive temperatures and immense stress, Soong defined.
Overcoming Challenges
Although Formlabs has made some large strides in making new customized supplies, it has not at all times been a simple path, Soong famous. “One of many challenges of creating customized supplies is designing, testing, and optimizing them to work alongside historically manufactured supplies and as a part of hybrid workflows that contain each additive and subtractive manufacturing,” she mentioned.
Nevertheless, by working with customers to create new, customized supplies, Formlabs is instantly supporting 3D printing adoption, Soong mentioned. “Formlabs customers envision thrilling and progressive methods to make use of 3D printing, and typically a brand new materials is the important thing to unlocking a brand new case or utility for the expertise,” she mentioned.
Max Siebert, CEO and co-founder of Replique, additionally believes there’s a pattern towards new materials improvement within the 3D printing enviornment, significantly with polymers which can be manufactured extra particularly to sure sectors. “I feel that’s what we see now,” he mentioned. “It’s beginning with very broad purposes of ABS or polycarbonate and all the standard mass polymers and now it’s getting increasingly more focused and increasingly more particular.”
Siebert explains that whereas there may be definitely an curiosity in offering customer-specific supplies, there won’t be a enterprise case to assist it. “So, we attempt to determine the related instances after which a minimum of a supplies producer can begin with the primary case, which is healthier than nothing,” he mentioned. “Though the primary case will not make you wealthy, however a minimum of you could have expertise and examples of utility.”
Replique works so much with prospects within the transportation and railway industries, the place there are very strict laws round fireplace and smoke safety. “And subsequently, we needed to look into new supplies in improvement and only in the near past a variety of new supplies got here out that are kind of customized developed for these industries as a result of you’ll check to based on particular laws of those industries,” he mentioned.
Siebert pressured that any new materials has to satisfy the testing and specs which can be in place in conventional manufacturing, “as a result of we’ll at all times be in contrast in opposition to them. You manufacture a brand new materials, however all of the norms and guidelines apply for fireplace safety for all the opposite testing,” he mentioned. “It is advisable to present [documentation] concerning corrosions, stuff like that, and there are surprises in there.”
He additionally sees will increase in creating new metals, particularly as a result of databases with steel properties have been collated. “Sure producers demand sure supplies. After which that is the standard start line, the place supplies producers begin to develop a brand new materials for manufacturing and I feel that is changing into simpler for a lot of as a result of there are generated databases the place they will estimate the hassle very properly,” he mentioned. Siebert talked about that many materials producers are attempting to get a minimum of one pilot accomplice to collaborate with.
Recycled Supplies for 3D Printing
Polymer recycling is one space that Siebert believes will emerge as a pattern in creating 3D printing supplies. With injection molding, he mentioned, supplies properties should be very constant as a result of there may be at all times somewhat shrinkage whether it is deformed out of the mildew.
“A 3D printer can modify within the parameters, and thus allows you to modify to small recycled polymer batches. In case you would have a sure batch to batch variation, a 3D printer can cope with that,” he mentioned. “You modify somewhat little bit of the parameters and you’re in spec once more with a brand new recycled grade materials. When you’ve got somewhat totally different shrinkage no one would care. You possibly can modify. I would not say it is at all times straightforward, however you may modify,” he defined.
Siebert mentioned that in injection molding, this isn’t doable, making it essential to create a brand new mildew, which might value tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
“I feel that is very, very early, however I feel you will notice this quickly, that 3D printing will probably be a simple enabler for recycling of supplies,” he opined. “As a result of within the case of injection molding, you must be very particular in separating the polymer grades even from one another to recycle them. And I might personally count on from my materials science background that with regard to 3D printing you is usually a little broader within the grade of supplies, you could have a variety of totally different grades of polypropylene.”
Early Days?
Whereas it appears to be like like it could be early days for customized supplies improvement for additive manufacturing applied sciences, there does appear to be an excessive amount of curiosity by each producers and their shoppers. As Soong mentioned, “Customized supplies are an essential aspect to advancing 3D printing’s functionality and adoption in a wide range of industries, from client merchandise to automotive and aerospace to medical and past.”
