As I arrived at the Nottingham Belfry for this year’s Additive International conference, I took a quick scan around the accompanying exhibition space. Populated by some 30 exhibitors, the technologies and applications on display were those that regular additive tradeshow goers like myself would have already been very familiar with yet, just five years ago, the last time I attended the event, were but a twinkle in the industry’s eye. Here, the likes of Desktop Metal’s office-friendly metal 3D printing system and Renishaw’s quad-laser additive manufacturing technology were present and complemented by the real-life applications.
I first attended this conference as a fresh TCT recruit back when Star Trek comparisons were still a common analogy and the event was known as the rather lengthy Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing International Conference. Thankfully, the sci-fi comparisons are no more, and its new moniker is much more Twitter friendly.
Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself how far this technology has come in order to appreciate where it’s going.
Luckily the first day of the event was about just that: the future of AM. This year delegates were invited to attend a pre-conference session exploring the latest research and development activities happening around additive manufacturing here in the UK. As per the event’s location, much of that activity is happening in universities such as the University of Nottingham, where we were able to get a closer look at the institute’s well-stocked Centre for Additive Manufacturing and nanofabrication and metal jetting developments. Key takeaway? There is a LOT of time and money being invested into the UK’s additive future.
Throughout the event, materials continued to be referred to as a major bottleneck in AM progression. Currently, it can take up to six months to formulate a new material but as part of a 3.5 million GBP four-year programme, researchers in Nottingham are aiming to develop a “plug and play” platform that will enable rapid identification of materials for AM. The university has already applied a high throughput method for material identification for biomaterials and now intends to adapt that methodology to develop formulations, particularly around inkjet and hot metal extrusion, that can be used for a number of verticals. The goal is to have a library of materials for 3D printing that will be readily available as a tool for the UK industry.
Stewart Williams at Cranfield University spoke about the strides the university is making in wire-based AM. Far from being simply “nice processes to put on the end of robots” as Williams described, there is a lot more to be explored with this technology that many view as simply an off-the-shelf robotic arm with a welder attached to it. A programme from the EPSRC has been set up to amplify this process. Led by Cranfield University, New Wire Additive Manufacture – or NEWAM – is a collaborative effort with the University of Manchester, Strathclyde and Coventry which is targeting high build rates for net shape parts at low cost. This includes the design of new materials, delivery of homogenous microstructures and properties, and the guarantee of full structural integrity. A common challenge with this type of technology is that much of its make-up is based on standard components, including software, so the collaborators have developed their own specifically for the WAM process rather than adapting from pre-existing subtractive programmes. Ultimately, the technology could potentially be used by industrial project partners like BAE Systems to produce end-use parts.
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
Another programme from the EPSRC is looking at next generation multi-functional AM. What exactly is that, you ask? Well currently, a lot of additive comes down to just components. Multi-material is a reality but in order to get to real functionality, more focus on combining more complex materials and inherent functionality is key. Richard Hague at the University Nottingham commented on the “massive material challenges in all additive manufacturing” which forms the basis of a multi-institution team which is aiming to go beyond single material manufacturing with the deposition of heterogeneous materials during the same build. The 5 million GBP project centres on 3D printed pharmaceutical devices and electronics using drop-on-demand print techniques and the goal is to establish this multi-material AM process for application in further research and industry. The technology is being actively explored by Nesma Aboulkhair, Anne McLaren Fellow at the Nottingham Centre for AM, through a unique 3D printing platform based on Océ MetalJet technology which enables precision jetting of molten droplets of conductive materials with a melting point up to 2,000°C.
Another interesting area explored during the conference was that of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals. Johanna Laru, Associate Director at AstraZeneca, UK spoke about the developments and challenges around 3D printing pills. Like any worthwhile AM application, it’s about finding the right fit and added value. Currently, the way medicines are manufactured through direct compression is pretty efficient, so in order for AM to be worthwhile, it needs to bring something different. In fact, “it needs to be better” as Laru explained. Areas where AM could offer an advantage include the creation of customised medicines which provide different dosing rates for patients or tailoring the aesthetic of pills designed for children.
Laru commented: “This could really make a difference, not for the whole of pharmaceuticals but those really bespoke needs.”
Furthering the healthcare conversation, Morgan Alexander, Professor of Biomedical Surfaces at the University of Nottingham spoke about the opportunities for 3D materials in biomedicine including manmade 3D polymeric structures in medical devices and regenerative medicine. In addition to some valuable insight into how the university is exploring such materials and devices, some of the most interesting output came from the audience who offered up a number of personal, real-life cases where these kinds of innovations could prove life changing in future.
From the University of California, Berkeley, Hayden Taylor demonstrated a new AM process that is being developed by a team of researchers in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The new Computing Axial Lithography technology is a light-based process which takes a volumetric approach to printing, meaning, instead of building objects layer-by-layer or dot-by-dot, building happens all at once.
The technology works by shining changing patterns of light (likened to a mini movie) created via a computer algorithm, through a rotating vial of highly viscous liquid which solidifies to form an object. So far CAL has been used to print primarily small objects up to four inches in diameter, the largest of which to date is a customised jawbone, and can also be used for "overprinting" as Taylor described, allowing users to print onto an existing part.
Though the majority of presentations were based on research and development, it was useful to get some perspective from industry to frame where these new processes may fit, which came from Wilderich Heising at Boston Consulting Group.
While reiterating the need for more materials development both in terms of expanding the range and lowering cost, Heising spoke about how AM has the potential to claim around 1% of the overall manufacturing market. That may sound modest but when you compare to the size of the worldwide manufacturing industry, that small chunk still equates to around 250-350 billion USD. Heising suggested that the industry has the ability to disrupt by offering a supply chain advantage and technology advantage but is also undergoing its own disruption as the level of influence has shifted from machine manufacturers to further down the supply chain. That’s largely due to the opening up of materials but it means AM players need to rethink their strategy.
As Todd Grimm described in his recent TCT column, if the stagnation of major machine launches or "world's first" applications had you believe the AM industry is slowing down, this week showed there is still much to be explored. Commenting on the success of this year’s event, Additive International chair, Richard Hague told TCT:
“We’ve been providing a platform for honest conversations to take place about what’s happening in additive for 14 years and this year’s summit didn’t disappoint. We had speakers from a range of disciplines and industries join us from around the world to share their latest research in - or applications of - additive technologies. 246 attendees and 34 exhibitors took part and everywhere I went over the three days, the venue was buzzing with great conversations taking place, connections being made, partnerships forming and knowledge being shared. It is an honour to be a part of such as strong community and to help bring them together each year. I’m feeling positive about the future of additive and already looking forward to 2020!”
