ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | OVERVIEW
SFAECPATRSA FTRIONMG F ICTION
3D printing – also called additive manufacturing – is often touted as a
trend and technique to rival injection moulding. However, used for the
right application they complement each other very well.
In the last six years the global
3D printing market has more
than doubled. By 2020, analysts
estimate the sector will be worth
$3.1 billion. In comparison, the global
plastics moulding market is forecast
to reach $690bn by 2023.
“The idea that 3D printing will
overthrow traditional manufacturing
techniques – including moulding,
forging, casting, and even subtractive
CNC manufacturing – is simply
scaremongering,” says Nigel
Flowers UK managing director of
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, who shares
several counterarguments for both
techniques.
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
“Currently, 3D printing today is
neither fast nor cost effective enough
to mass-manufacture plastic precision
parts in large quantities,” Flowers
says. “Where 3D printing is beneficial
is for prototyping and for generating
customised parts in low volumes.”
For several years, the medical
sector has successfully used 3D
printing to produce bespoke
prosthetics, implants, hip
replacements, hearing aids and even
dentures. For these functional parts,
injection moulding would not be
financially viable due to the cost of
creating a mould tool.
Similarly, aerospace manufacturers
are embracing 3D printing to upgrade
components and create replacement
parts for maintenance, repair and
overhaul (MRO). An Airbus report
anticipates MRO spend doubling to
over $120bn per year in the next two
decades. For aircraft parts with long
lead times, complicated supply chains
or that are obsolete, 3D printing offers
an agile alternative.
Flowers adds: “The tipping point for
injection moulding will come relatively
quickly once mass-production
ramps up. Typically, a mass moulder
producing electronic casings
estimates a ROI of 10,000 parts.”
ENVIRONMENTAL
FOOTPRINT
The sustainability credentials of
3D printing are often inconclusive.
While some advocates say printing
locally saves on transportation costs,
gauging the true environmental
impact is more complex.
“Today’s injection moulding
machines, particularly all-electric
systems, continue to cut energy
use,” Flowers explains: “The latest
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag IntElect range
for example uses the same amount of
energy as switching on a household
kettle – some 3D printing processes
used 50-100 times more electricity
than injection moulding machines.”
Many equate 3D printing with
FNLIGOEWLE RS
Managing
Director,
Sumitomo (SHI)
Demag UK
20 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JULY 2019
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