The focus of CMTC is to function as a trusted advisor to small-to-medium manufacturers (SMMs) in California, so you can trust our consultants to ensure you are receiving the right answer to meet your specific needs.
CMTC knows that there is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to additive manufacturing. Each SMM is going to have different needs based on their size, industry, and goals—so CMTC consultants will meet with you to develop a customized additive manufacturing road map just for you.
Our additive manufacturing consulting experts will develop a custom strategy for your manufacturing business to guide AM adoption and grow additive manufacturing knowledge across your organization. Our consultants will look for opportunities in your manufacturing processes that can be optimized for additive manufacturing so you can maximize the ROI on your investment in this technology.
As its name implies, additive manufacturing works by adding materials, whether metal, plastic, or ceramics, to create an object by building it layer by layer. Additive manufacturing can augment, and in some cases, replace traditional methods of creating objects by machining, cutting, turning, shaping, milling, and other “subtractive” manufacturing processes.
To make an object using additive manufacturing, a design is created using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software or by taking a scan of the object that will be printed. The software is able to translate the scan into a precise framework for the 3D printing machine to follow layer by layer.
Additive manufacturing is an umbrella term for a variety of 3D printing processes. These vary in their methods of manufacturing objects. Some of the most common additive manufacturing processes are listed below.
Also known as stereolithography (SLA), vat photopolymerization is the process by which liquid photopolymer resin is exposed to light in the shape of each cross-cut layer of an object to construct that object layer by layer. This method was the first additive manufacturing technology.
This method is similar to that of a two dimensional ink jet printer. Material is jetted onto a build platform to print objects using either a continuous or drop on demand (DOD) approach.
By using powder-based material and a binder, a 3D-printing machine deposits layers of the build material and the binding material to build the object.
A more complex 3D printing process, this method operates as its name suggests — a focused energy source, such as a laser or electron beam, is directed at the building material to melt it while it is simultaneously being deposited layer by layer.
This additive manufacturing process works by drawing material through a heated nozzle to dispense it layer by layer. During the process, the nozzle moves horizontally while the platform moves up and down vertically when layers are deposited.
Powder bed fusion uses a thermal energy source to fuse powdered materials together and encompasses several commercial processes, including direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), electron beam melting (EBM), selective laser sintering (SLS), and more.
This method bonds sheets of material together layer by layer through bonding, ultrasonic welding, or brazing to build an object.
AM technologies are continuing to evolve at a fast pace. Mainstream equipment producers are now entering the market, leading to new additive processes being developed. These new processes, along with a growing range of production-grade materials, such as titanium, steel, and a range of plastics enable a wide range of capabilities.
Some of the advantages additive manufacturing offers SMMs include:
Why else would an SMM consider additive manufacturing?
Additive manufacturing reduces waste by eliminating the need for expensive tooling, saving your business money and time. Plastic and metal printers allow for 3D printing of a wide variety of materials to meet specific production needs.
A material's properties and overall performance are determined by its chemical composition, crystalline state, and underlying micro-architecture. These characteristics force engineers to accept certain trade-offs when choosing a material for a specific application. However, this concession may soon be a thing of the past due to advancements in 3D printing technology. There is an increasingly growing range of materials available for AM today. Some of the more common materials available to use include:
Recent advances in automated design have enabled production of products for a wealth of applications. Topology Optimization software allows designers to specify the parameters of a part and allow the software to define its architecture based on desired structural, functional, thermal, or other properties. As a result, designs can be made stronger, lighter, tougher, and more resistant to natural forces and external conditions.
The aerospace industry has been on the cutting edge of additive manufacturing for years due to its advantages.
Maintain Standards: Since aerospace companies must meet stringent standards, parts and components need to be made of the highest-performance materials. By employing the latest in 3D printing technology, engineers can design complex, high-strength parts that are significantly lighter than traditionally manufactured parts..
Reduce Weight: By 3D printing aerospace components, parts can be manufactured that are significantly lighter in weight. Additive manufacturing allows for the printing of more efficient, optimized geometries, thereby eliminating significant amounts of unnecessary material. The end result? Lighter aerospace components means lower fuel consumption, lower CO2 emissions, and reduced costs.
Just like with aerospace, the automotive industry has adopted additive manufacturing early on.
Improve Safety: Automotive parts need to withstand harsh conditions and still maintain their structural integrity. With 3D printing, manufacturers can build complex, high-quality components from one single piece, ensuring durability.
Rapid Prototyping: The speed of 3D printing allows automotive manufacturers to produce prototypes within hours. This allows for not only a superior product in the end, but it also reduces waste and time spent on model-making of parts. With no need for tools and model parts, automotive manufacturers can cut both development and production costs while saving time.
Additive manufacturing has revolutionized the medical industry, delivering breakthroughs to doctors and patients alike.
Dentistry: Currently, the 3D printing market for digital dentistry is valued at $2.5 billion — and that’s expected to grow. Additive manufacturing allows for 3D printed dental appliances and custom-made devices, such as dentures, crowns, and even Invisalign™, to be constructed from a variety of substrates and prints customized to each individual.
Anatomical Models: True-to-life anatomical models can be printed with relative ease due to 3D printing, which is helpful for students, researchers, and in surgical preparation.
Prosthetics & Devices: Additive manufacturing allows for the creation of durable prosthetics that can be customized to assist the recipient’s bone structure and their unique needs while being strong, lightweight, and still pliable for comfort. Likewise, devices such as hearing aids can be mass-produced using additive manufacturing and made for a better fit to ensure the highest level of comfort for the user.
Products that wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago are now made using metal additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Download this free flier on metal additive manufacturing from CMTC to see the latest in product advancements!
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, the leading collaborative partner in AM and 3D printing technology research in the United States and the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM). With public-private partnerships with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and both workforce and economic development resources, America Makes seeks to accelerate AM technologies to increase the nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Learn more about America Makes here: https://www.americamakes.us.
The MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) is a public-private partnership with locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. For the past thirty years, the partnership has equipped manufacturers with the resources they need to thrive and grow. In 2020 alone, MEP Centers assisted over 27,500 manufacturers, leading to $13 billion in sales and helping to create over 105,000 manufacturing jobs. By providing manufacturers with the resources they need for sustainable growth, the MEP National Network’s goal is for manufacturing to ultimately be the engine that delivers profitable business in the manufacturing environment, enabling expansion and profitability. For more information about the MEP program, please visit https://www.nist.gov/mep.
Manufacturing USA brings together industry, academia, and federal partners within a growing network of advanced manufacturing institutes to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust and sustainable national manufacturing R&D infrastructure. Learn more about Manufacturing USA at https://www.manufacturingusa.com.