Page 6 - 3D Metal Printing Winter 2018

3D EDITORIAL
Knocking Down the Barriers
to Production Metal Printing
By Brad Kuvin
My time spent at the formnext additive-manufacturing (AM) exhibition late last year in Frankfurt, Germany, strongly reinforced the belief that 3D metal printing is the real deal. There can be no doubt regarding expectations for commercializing the technology for production applications. As my show review (beginning on page 10 of this issue) reveals, attendees spied an endless array of new developments—machines, automation, software, etc.— that either have arrived or will soon, aimed at knocking down barriers to production printing.
These technology developments include specialized software for process design, optimiza- tion and simulation, including simulation of support structures; build-plate preheating systems for powder-bed machines with extended temperature ranges that allow manufacturers to expand their list of printable materials, and increase part complexity; and automation enhance-
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“New automation enhancements are helping 3D metal-
printing operations tackle, among other tasks, powder and part handling, including de- powdering and finishing.”
ments to tackle, among other tasks, powder and part handling, including de-powdering and finishing.
All of this rapid development of new metal-printing technology supports a slew of recent market surveys pointing to a steep growth curve for AM. Among them: Global Market Insights pre- dicts that the 3D-printing equipment market will expand at a whopping CAGR of 14 percent through 2024. And, on the metal- printing front, BCC Research predicts “a tenfold increase in AM- produced metal products by 2021.”
Lastly, among key market segments, researchers at Markets- andMarkets predict that AM applications within the automotive industry will record year-over-year growth of 4 percent through 2024; investment in the healthcare market to grow at a CAGR of 20 percent through 2024; and, the aerospace 3D-printing market is
predicted to grow at a whopping CAGR of 27.42 percent from 2017 to 2022.
All of this adds up to good times ahead, sentiments echoed during my recent interview with
3Diligent CEO Cullen Hilkene (see the article on page 34). Fueling Hilkene’s optimism is the rela- tively user-friendly features and safe work environment created by the newer extrusion-style metal printers coming to market.
“Word is getting out,” Hilkene says, “and more companies are testing the waters with metal AM. We’re seeing new applications all the time, and not just for prototyping. The industry is pushing for acceptance of the processes for tooling and for the ‘holy grail’ of production.”
Yes, there’s little doubt that metal AM sits on “the cusp of becoming production-grade tech- nology”—the words of BasTech, Inc. president Ben Staub, interviewed for this issue of 3D Metal Printing by Todd Grimm (page 20). The rapid-prototyping shop—well-seasoned in numerous AM processes, including direct-metal printing and selective laser sintering—relies on, among other technologies, new software to help make its metal-printing processes more “predictable,” Staub says. Process predictability represents one of three key areas of focus for the company. Give the article a read to learn about BasTech’s other two areas of focus.
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