<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/t/2dae4200008015cd" target="_blank">Economist: 3D printing: The printed world</a>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bryan Bishop <<a href="mailto:kanzure@gmail.com" target="_blank">kanzure@gmail.com</a>></span>
Mar 21 04:32PM -0500
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From: Premise Checker <<a href="mailto:checker@panix.com" target="_blank">checker@panix.com</a>><br>
Date: Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 12:30 PM<br>
<br>
This is a terribly important article. Here are three paragraphs. If you<br>
can't get it all, let me know, since I have a password.<br>
<br>
3D printing: The printed world<br><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18114221" target="_blank">http://www.economist.com/node/18114221</a><br>
[Editorial added. Thanks to Jeff for this.]<br>
<br>
Three-dimensional printing from digital designs will transform<br>
manufacturing and allow more people to start making things<br>
<br>
Feb 10th 2011<br>
<br>
FILTON, just outside Bristol, is where Britain's fleet of Concorde<br>
supersonic airliners was built. In a building near a wind tunnel on<br>
the same sprawling site, something even more remarkable is being<br>
created. Little by little a machine is "printing" a complex titanium<br>
landing-gear bracket, about the size of a shoe, which normally would<br>
have to be laboriously hewn from a solid block of metal. Brackets<br>
are only the beginning. The researchers at Filton have a much bigger<br>
ambition: to print the entire wing of an airliner.<br>
<br>
Far-fetched as this may seem, many other people are using<br>
three-dimensional printing technology to create similarly remarkable<br>
things. These include medical implants, jewellery, football boots<br>
designed for individual feet, lampshades, racing-car parts,<br>
solid-state batteries and customised mobile phones. Some are even<br>
making mechanical devices. At the Massachusetts Institute of<br>
Technology (MIT), Peter Schmitt, a PhD student, has been printing<br>
something that resembles the workings of a grandfather clock. It<br>
took him a few attempts to get right, but eventually he removed the<br>
plastic clock from a 3D printer, hung it on the wall and pulled down<br>
the counterweight. It started ticking.<br>
<br>
Engineers and designers have been using 3D printers for more than a<br>
decade, but mostly to make prototypes quickly and cheaply before<br>
they embark on the expensive business of tooling up a factory to<br>
produce the real thing. As 3D printers have become more capable and<br>
able to work with a broader range of materials, including<br>
production-grade plastics and metals, the machines are increasingly<br>
being used to make final products too. More than 20% of the output<br>
of 3D printers is now final products rather than prototypes,<br>
according to Terry Wohlers, who runs a research firm specialising in<br>
the field. He predicts that this will rise to 50% by 2020.<br>
Related topics<br>
* Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
<br>
Using 3D printers as production tools has become known in industry<br>
as "additive" manufacturing (as opposed to the old, "subtractive"<br>
business of cutting, drilling and bashing metal). The additive<br>
process requires less raw material and, because software drives 3D<br>
printers, each item can be made differently without costly<br>
retooling. The printers can also produce ready-made objects that<br>
require less assembly and things that traditional methods would<br>
struggle with--such as the glove pictured above, made by Within<br>
Technologies, a London company. It can be printed in nylon,<br>
stainless steel or titanium.<br>
<br>
Click to manufacture<br>
<br>
The printing of parts and products has the potential to transform<br>
manufacturing because it lowers the costs and risks. No longer does<br>
a producer have to make thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of<br>
items to recover his fixed costs. In a world where economies of<br>
scale do not matter any more, mass-manufacturing identical items may<br>
not be necessary or appropriate, especially as 3D printing allows<br>
for a great deal of customisation. Indeed, in the future some see<br>
consumers downloading products as they do digital music and printing<br>
them out at home, or at a local 3D production centre, having tweaked<br>
the designs to their own tastes. That is probably a faraway dream.<br>
Nevertheless, a new industrial revolution may be on the way.<br>
<br>
Printing in 3D may seem bizarre. In fact it is similar to clicking<br>
on the print button on a computer screen and sending a digital file,<br>
say a letter, to an inkjet printer. The difference is that the "ink"<br>
in a 3D printer is a material which is deposited in successive, thin<br>
layers until a solid object emerges.<br>
<br>
The layers are defined by software that takes a series of digital<br>
slices through a computer-aided design. Descriptions of the slices<br>
are then sent to the 3D printer to construct the respective layers.<br>
They are then put together in a number of ways. Powder can be spread<br>
onto a tray and then solidified in the required pattern with a<br>
squirt of a liquid binder or by sintering it with a laser or an<br>
electron beam. Some machines deposit filaments of molten plastic.<br>
However it is achieved, after each layer is complete the build tray<br>
is lowered by a fraction of a millimetre and the next layer is<br>
added.<br>
<br>
And when you're happy, click print<br>
<br>
The researchers at Filton began using 3D printers to produce<br>
prototype parts for wind-tunnel testing. The group is part of EADS<br>
Innovation Works, the research arm of EADS, a European defence and<br>
aerospace group best known for building Airbuses. Prototype parts<br>
tend to be very expensive to make as one-offs by conventional means.<br>
Because their 3D printers could do the job more efficiently, the<br>
researchers' thoughts turned to manufacturing components directly.<br>
<br>
Aircraft-makers have already replaced a lot of the metal in the<br>
structure of planes with lightweight carbon-fibre composites. But<br>
even a small airliner still contains several tonnes of costly<br>
aerospace-grade titanium. These parts have usually been machined<br>
from solid billets, which can result in 90% of the material being<br>
cut away. This swarf is no longer of any use for making aircraft.<br>
<br>
To make the same part with additive manufacturing, EADS starts with<br>
a titanium powder. The firm's 3D printers spread a layer about 20-30<br>
microns (0.02-0.03mm) thick onto a tray where it is fused by lasers<br>
or an electron beam. Any surplus powder can be reused. Some objects<br>
may need a little machining to finish, but they still require only<br>
10% of the raw material that would otherwise be needed. Moreover,<br>
the process uses less energy than a conventional factory. It is<br>
sometimes faster, too.<br>
<br>
There are other important benefits. Most metal and plastic parts are<br>
designed to be manufactured, which means they can be clunky and<br>
contain material surplus to the part's function but necessary for<br>
making it. This is not true of 3D printing. "You only put material<br>
where you need to have material," says Andy Hawkins, lead engineer<br>
on the EADS project. The parts his team is making are more svelte,<br>
even elegant. This is because without manufacturing constraints they<br>
can be better optimised for their purpose. Compared with a machined<br>
part, the printed one is some 60% lighter but still as sturdy.<br>
<br>
Form follows function<br>
<br>
Lightness is critical in making aircraft. A reduction of 1kg in the<br>
weight of an airliner will save around $3,000-worth of fuel a year<br>
and by the same token cut carbon-dioxide emissions. Additive<br>
manufacturing could thus help build greener aircraft--especially if<br>
all the 1,000 or so titanium parts in an airliner can be printed.<br>
Although the size of printable parts is limited for now by the size<br>
of 3D printers, the EADS group believes that bigger systems are<br>
possible, including one that could fit on the 35-metre-long gantry<br>
used to build composite airliner wings. This would allow titanium<br>
components to be printed directly onto the structure of the wing.<br>
<br>
Many believe that the enhanced performance of additively<br>
manufactured items will be the most important factor in driving the<br>
technology forward. It certainly is for MIT's Mr Schmitt, whose<br>
interest lies in "original machines". These are devices not<br>
constructed from a collection of prefabricated parts, but created in<br>
a form that flows from the intention of the design. If that sounds a<br>
bit arty, it is: Mr Schmitt is a former art student from Germany who<br>
used to cadge time on factory lathes and milling machines to make<br>
mechanised sculptures. He is now working on novel servo mechanisms,<br>
the basic building blocks for robots. Custom-made servos cost many<br>
times the price of off-the-shelf ones. Mr Schmitt says it should be<br>
possible for a robot builder to specify what a servo needs to do,<br>
rather than how it needs to be made, and send that information to a<br>
3D printer, and for the machine's software to know how to produce it<br>
at a low cost. "This makes manufacturing more accessible," says Mr<br>
Schmitt.<br>
<br>
The idea of the 3D printer determining the form of the items it<br>
produces intrigues Neri Oxman, an architect and designer who heads a<br>
research group examining new ways to make things at MIT's Media Lab.<br>
She is building a printer to explore how new designs could be<br>
produced. Dr Oxman believes the design and construction of objects<br>
could be transformed using principles inspired by nature, resulting<br>
in shapes that are impossible to build without additive<br>
manufacturing. She has made items from sculpture to body armour and<br>
is even looking at buildings, erected with computer-guided nozzles<br>
that deposit successive layers of concrete.<br>
<br>
Some 3D systems allow the properties and internal structure of the<br>
material being printed to be varied. This year, for instance, Within<br>
Technologies expects to begin offering titanium medical implants<br>
with features that resemble bone. The company's femur implant is<br>
dense where stiffness and strength is required, but it also has<br>
strong lattice structures which would encourage the growth of bone<br>
onto the implant. Such implants are more likely to stay put than<br>
conventional ones.<br>
<br>
Working at such a fine level of internal detail allows the stiffness<br>
and flexibility of an object to be determined at any point, says<br>
Siavash Mahdavi, the chief executive of Within Technologies. Dr<br>
Mahdavi is working on other lattice structures, including<br>
aerodynamic body parts for racing cars and special insoles for a<br>
firm that hopes to make the world's most comfortable stiletto-heeled<br>
shoes.<br>
<br>
Digital Forming, a related company (where Dr Mahdavi is chief<br>
technology officer), uses 3D design software to help consumers<br>
customise mass-produced products. For example, it is offering a<br>
service to mobile-phone companies in which subscribers can go online<br>
to change the shape, colour and other features of the case of their<br>
new phone. The software keeps the user within the bounds of the<br>
achievable. Once the design is submitted the casing is printed. Lisa<br>
Harouni, the company's managing director, says the process could be<br>
applied to almost any consumer product, from jewellery to furniture.<br>
"I don't have any doubt that this technology will change the way we<br>
manufacture things," she says.<br>
<br>
Other services allow individuals to upload their own designs and<br>
have them printed. Shapeways, a New York-based firm spun out of<br>
Philips, a Dutch electronics company, last year, offers personalised<br>
3D production, or "mass customisation", as Peter Weijmarshausen, its<br>
chief executive, describes it. Shapeways prints more than 10,000<br>
unique products every month from materials that range from stainless<br>
steel to glass, plastics and sandstone. Customers include<br>
individuals and shopkeepers, many ordering jewellery, gifts and<br>
gadgets to sell in their stores.<br>
<br>
EOS, a German supplier of laser-sintering 3D printers, says they are<br>
already being used to make plastic and metal production parts by<br>
carmakers, aerospace firms and consumer-products companies. And by<br>
dentists: up to 450 dental crowns, each tailored for an individual<br>
patient, can be manufactured in one go in a day by a single machine,<br>
says EOS. Some craft producers of crowns would do well to manage a<br>
dozen a day. As an engineering exercise, EOS also printed the parts<br>
for a violin using a high-performance industrial polymer, had it<br>
assembled by a professional violin-maker and played by a concert<br>
violinist.<br>
<br>
Both EOS and Stratasys, a company based in Minneapolis which makes<br>
3D printers that employ plastic-deposition technology, use their own<br>
machines to print parts that are, in turn, used to build more<br>
printers. Stratasys is even trying to print a car, or at least the<br>
body of one, for Kor Ecologic, a company in Winnipeg, whose boss,<br>
Jim Kor, is developing an electric-hybrid vehicle called Urbee.<br>
Jim Kor's printed the model. Next, the car<br>
<br>
Making low-volume, high-value and customised components is all very<br>
well, but could additive manufacturing really compete with<br>
mass-production techniques that have been honed for over a century?<br>
Established techniques are unlikely to be swept away, but it is<br>
already clear that the factories of the future will have 3D printers<br>
working alongside milling machines, presses, foundries and plastic<br>
injection-moulding equipment, and taking on an increasing amount of<br>
the work done by those machines.<br>
<br>
Morris Technologies, based in Cincinnati, was one of the first<br>
companies to invest heavily in additive manufacturing for the<br>
engineering and production services it offers to companies. Its<br>
first intention was to make prototypes quickly, but by 2007 the<br>
company says it realised "a new industry was being born" and so it<br>
set up another firm, Rapid Quality Manufacturing, to concentrate on<br>
the additive manufacturing of higher volumes of production parts. It<br>
says many small and medium-sized components can be turned from<br>
computer designs into production-quality metal parts in hours or<br>
days, against days or weeks using traditional processes. And the<br>
printers can build unattended, 24 hours a day.<br>
<br>
Neil Hopkinson has no doubts that 3D printing will compete with mass<br>
manufacturing in many areas. His team at Loughborough University has<br>
invented a high-speed sintering system. It uses inkjet print-heads<br>
to deposit infra-red-absorbing ink on layers of polymer powder which<br>
are fused into solid shapes with infra-red heating. Among other<br>
projects, the group is examining the potential for making plastic<br>
buckles for Burton Snowboards, a leading American producer of<br>
winter-sports equipment. Such items are typically produced by<br>
plastic injection-moulding. Dr Hopkinson says his process can make<br>
them for ten pence (16 cents) each, which is highly competitive with<br>
injection-moulding. Moreover, the designs could easily be changed<br>
without Burton incurring high retooling costs.<br>
<br>
Predicting how quickly additive manufacturing will be taken up by<br>
industry is difficult, adds Dr Hopkinson. That is not necessarily<br>
because of the conservative nature of manufacturers, but rather<br>
because some processes have already moved surprisingly fast. Only a<br>
few years ago making decorative lampshades with 3D printers seemed<br>
to be a highly unlikely business, but it has become an industry with<br>
many competing firms and sales volumes in the thousands.<br>
<br>
Dr Hopkinson thinks Loughborough's process is already competitive<br>
with injection-moulding at production runs of around 1,000 items.<br>
With further development he expects that within five years it would<br>
be competitive in runs of tens if not hundreds of thousands. Once 3D<br>
printing machines are able to crank out products in such numbers,<br>
then more manufacturers will look to adopt the technology.<br>
<br>
Will Sillar of Legerwood, a British firm of consultants, expects to<br>
see the emergence of what he calls the "digital production plant":<br>
firms will no longer need so much capital tied up in tooling costs,<br>
work-in-progress and raw materials, he says. Moreover, the time to<br>
take a digital design from concept to production will drop, he<br>
believes, by as much as 50-80%. The ability to overcome production<br>
constraints and make new things will combine with improvements to<br>
the technology and greater mechanisation to make 3D printing more<br>
mainstream. "The market will come to the technology," Mr Sillar<br>
says.<br>
<br>
Some in the industry believe that the effect of 3D printing on<br>
manufacturing will be analogous to
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