OCTOBER 2020 3D PRINTING
“3D printing is like an electric motor,” says Andreas
Langfeld, president EMEA of Stratasys. “A 3D printer
can make 10 different things in sequence as easily
as it can make 10 parts that are identical.”
the world in suitcases. It is safe to say that for most
businesses, the effects of a momentary standstill
in production and the ripple effect of disrupted
supply chains will still be felt in the months and
even years to come.
There’s a real sense that this is now the kind of
world we need to learn how to operate successfully
within. With this level of uncertainty looming
over businesses, industries and economies,
manufacturing and supply chain leaders are
seeking solutions that bring speed and adaptability
so production can ramp up and down, switch gears
or even shift to new locations. This has put the
spotlight on 3D printing.
Answering the call to arms
3D printing truly made its mark during the
pandemic, offering manufacturers the ideal
solution to facilitate an immediate switch in
production. Traditionally, producing Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) is done primarily via
an injection moulding process, but it takes several
weeks or months to produce the moulds, and
once they are created, the design can no longer be
modified. Similarly, other products like ventilators
require costly and time-consuming tooling work
before manufacturing can begin.
In contrast, 3D printing is
like an electric motor – flip a
switch and it is on full power
immediately. In particular,
there’s no tooling required,
and a 3D printer can make 10
different things in sequence as
easily as it can make 10 parts
that are identical. 3D printing
provided a critical bridge for face
shield production, enabling fast
on-demand production while
the volume injection moulding
process ramped up.
Automakers such as Daimler,
Ford and Jaguar Land Rover
used their 3D printing firepower
to pivot production and create
PPE. Stratasys’ own coalition
of over 150 companies – among
them the likes of Boeing, Toyota
and Medtronic – produced over
100,000 3D-printed face shields
alone in just a couple of months.
Meanwhile, General Motors
turned to 3D printed tooling to
quickly convert production lines
designed for automobiles into
ventilator production lines.
In France, the University
Hospital Trust (AP-HP) in
Paris went one step further and
invested in 60 F123 Series 3D
Printers to bring this on-demand
production capability on-site.
Unable to wait any longer for
its suppliers to traditionally
manufacture vital medical
equipment, the hospital took
matters into its own hands and
has since produced thousands
of parts on-site using its farm
of 3D printers. These include
protective face shields and
masks, intubation equipment
and respirator valves. Post-crisis,
the 3D printers will be allocated
across AP-HP’s hospital network
to enable even more distributed
manufacturing capabilities. This
will allow them to react faster
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