Additive manufacturing technology does not require traditional tools and multiple processing procedures, any complex parts can be precisely manufactured on 3d printers, thus solving the forming of many complex structural parts, and greatly reducing the processing procedures and shortening the processing cycle. And the more complex the product structure, the more significant the effect of its manufacturing speed. This makes it possible to manufacture complex structural parts that were constrained by traditional manufacturing methods in the past. So why is additive manufacturing widely concerned?
New Production Model
At present, the production of large factories requires many machines and a large number of professional design and processing technicians. For additive manufacturing, 3D printers can be used to produce suitable products through well-designed digital documents. This will realize the fundamental change in the production model, from the traditional manufacturing industry of mass, scale, and standardized manufacturing to customized, personalized, and distributed manufacturing.
New Design Concept
Because the additive manufacturing technology prints products layer by layer, products with highly complex shapes can be made. This makes it possible to manufacture complex structures. This will greatly simplify the product design, improve the integration of components, and accelerate the product development cycle. Take aerospace fuel supply and fuel nozzle for example, through 3D printing, the weight of these can be reduced by optimizing the geometry with good mechanical properties, to improve the strength-to-weight ratio and reduce fuel consumption.
Fuel Supply and fuel nozzle designed by Eplus3D engineering team and printed by EP-M260
New Business Model
With the development of digital technology, the combination of additive manufacturing and the Internet will also make consumers directly participate in the product life cycle, from the initial design process, to manufacturing, and to the later product maintenance, and realize the digital file sharing and transaction with the help of the network.
Personalized Product Manufacturing
With the advantages of "free design" and "no tools", additive manufacturing will make commercial personality manufacturing possible. With the further development of science and technology, the use of additive manufacturing technology can also directly print artificial organs that meet the needs of the human body, realizing the reconstruction of artificial organs, which will bring a revolution to modern medicine.
Green Economy Development Model
Compared with "reduced material manufacturing", additive manufacturing reduces the use of raw materials and reduces the pressure on natural resources and the environment. In addition, additive manufacturing can also greatly compress the supply chain, changing the traditional offshore economic model. It will allow simultaneous production at locations near consumer areas for distributed manufacturing. This will significantly cut back on a large amount of energy used to transport mass-produced goods from production to consumption, benefiting the local economy, the environment, and consumers.