3D Printing

Technology Advancement & Prototyping Center

(TAPC)
Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV)
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
(KFUPM)

Outline
What is 3D Printing?
History
3D printing Industry
Principles of 3D printing
Types of 3D printers
Application of 3D printing
3D printed objects
Sustainability of 3D Printed Objects
Challenges of 3D printing
Future of 3D printing

3D printing industry

The worldwide 3D printing industry is expected to grow

from $3.07B in revenue in 2013 to $12.8B by 2018, and
exceed $21B in worldwide revenue by 2020. As it
evolves, 3D printing technology is destined to transform
almost every major industry and change the way we
live, work, and play in the future.

Research and
development

Engineering

Archeology

Application
s of 3D
printing
Entertainment

Medicine & Surgery

Education

Architecture

Rapid Tooling

Medical industry
Surgical Procedures
Biomedical products
Customized Supports

Aerospace & aviation industries

NASA
GE Aviation

Automotive industry
Expectations:3D printing in the automotive industrywill
generate a combined $1.1 billion dollars by 2019

Industrial printing
In the last couple of years the term 3D printing has become more known and the
technology has reached a broader public. Still, most people havent even heard of the term
while the technology has been in use for decades. Especially manufacturers have long
used these printers in their design process to create prototypes for traditional
manufacturing and research purposes. Using 3D printers for these purposes is called rapid
prototyping.
Why use 3D printers in this process you might ask yourself. Now, fast 3D printers can be
bought for tens of thousands of dollars and end up saving the companies many times that
amount of money in the prototyping process. For example, Nike uses 3D printers to create
multi-colored prototypes of shoes. They used to spend thousands of dollars on a prototype
and wait weeks for it. Now, the cost is only in the hundreds of dollars, and changes can be
made instantly on the computer and the prototype reprinted on the same day.
Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing is also used forrapid manufacturing. Rapid
manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing where companies are using 3D printers
for short run custom manufacturing. In this way of manufacturing the printed objects are
not prototypes but the actual end user product. Here you can expect more availability of
personally customized products.

Personal printing
Personal 3D printing or domestic 3D printing is mainly
for hobbyists and enthusiasts and really started growing
in 2011. Because of rapid development within this new
market printers are getting cheaper and cheaper, with
prices typically in the range of $250 $2,500. This puts
3D printers into more and more hands.
The RepRap open source project really ignited this
hobbyist market. For about a thousand dollars people
could buy the RepRap kit and assemble their own
desktop 3D printer. Everybody working on the RepRap
shares their knowledge so other people can use it and
improve it again.

Manufacturing Applications
Three-dimensional printing makes it as cheap to create single items as it is to produce
thousands and thus undermineseconomies of scale. It may have as profound an impact on the
world as the coming of the factory did....Just as nobody could have predicted the impact of the
steam engine in 1750or theprinting press in 1450, or thetransistor in 1950it is impossible
to foresee the long-term impact of 3D printing. But the technology is coming, and it is likely to
disrupt every field it touches.
AM technologies found applications starting in the 1980s inproduct development,
data visualization,rapid prototyping, and specialized manufacturing. Their expansion into
production (job production,mass production, anddistributed manufacturing) has been under
development in the decades since. Industrial production roles within themetalworking
industries[69]achieved significant scale for the first time in the early 2010s. Since the start of
the 21st century there has been a large growth in the sales of AM machines, and their price has
dropped substantially.[70]According to Wohlers Associates, a consultancy, the market for 3D
printers and services was worth $2.2billion worldwide in 2012, up 29% from 2011. [71]There are
many applications for AM technologies, including architecture, construction (AEC),
industrial design, automotive,aerospace,[72]military,engineering, dental and medical
industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education,
geographic information systems, food, and many other fields.

 Additive manufacturing's earliest applications have been on the

toolroomend of the manufacturing spectrum. For example,
rapid prototypingwas one of the earliest additive variants, and its
mission was to reduce thelead timeand cost of developing
prototypes of new parts and devices, which was earlier only done
with subtractive toolroom methods (typically slowly and
expensively).[73]With technological advances in additive
manufacturing, however, and the dissemination of those advances
into the business world, additive methods are moving ever further
into the production end of manufacturing in creative and
sometimes unexpected ways.[73]Parts that were formerly the sole
province of subtractive methods can now in some cases be made
more profitably via additive ones

Distributed manufacturing
Additive manufacturing in combination with
cloud computingtechnologies allows decentralized and
geographically independent distributed production.[74]
Distributed manufacturingas such is carried out by
some enterprises; there is also a service to put people
needing 3D printing in contact with owners of printers.
[75]

Some companies offer on-line 3D printing services to

both commercial and private customers,[76]working
from 3D designs uploaded to the company website. 3Dprinted designs are either shipped to the customer or
picked up from the service provider

Mass customization
Companies have created services where consumers can
customise objects using simplified web based
customisation software, and order the resulting items as
3D printed unique objects.[78][79]This now allows
consumers to create custom cases for their mobile
phones.[80]Nokia has released the 3D designs for its
case so that owners can customise their own case and
have it 3D printed

Rapid manufacturing
Advances in RP technology have introduced materials that are
appropriate for final manufacture, which has in turn introduced the
possibility of directly manufacturing finished components. One advantage
of 3D printing for rapid manufacturing lies in the relatively inexpensive
production of small numbers of parts.
Rapid manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing and many of its
processes remain unproven. 3D printing is now entering the field of rapid
manufacturing and was identified as a "next level" technology by many
experts in a 2009 report.[82]One of the most promising processes looks to
be the adaptation ofselective laser sintering(SLS), or
direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) some of the better-established rapid
prototyping methods. As of 2006, however, these techniques were still
very much in their infancy, with many obstacles to be overcome before
RM could be considered a realistic manufacturing method

Rapid prototyping
Industrial 3D printers have existed since the early 1980s
and have been used extensively for rapid prototyping
and research purposes. These are generally larger
machines that use proprietary powdered metals, casting
media (e.g. sand), plastics, paper or cartridges, and are
used forrapid prototypingby universities and
commercial companies.

Research
3D printing can be particularly useful in research labs
due to its ability to make specialised, bespoke
geometries. In 2012 aproof of principleproject at the
University of Glasgow, UK, showed that it is possible to
use 3D printing techniques to assist in the production
ofchemical compounds. They first printed chemical
reaction vessels, then used the printer to deposit
reactantsinto them.[84]They have produced new
compounds to verify the validity of the process, but
have not pursued anything with a particular application

Food
Cornell Creative Machines Lab announced in 2012 that
it was possible to produce customised food with 3D
Hydrocolloid Printing.[85]Additative manufacturing of
food is currently being developed by squeezing out
food, layer by layer, into three-dimensional objects. A
large variety of foods are appropriate candidates, such
as chocolate and candy, and flat foods such as crackers,
pasta,[86]and pizza

Apparel
3D printing has spread into the world of clothing with
fashion designers experimenting with 3D-printed bikinis,
shoes, and dresses.[89]In commercial production Nike is
using 3D printing to prototype and manufacture the
2012 Vapor Laser Talon football shoe for players of
American football, and New Balance is 3D
manufacturing custom-fit shoes for athletes.[89][90]
3D printing has come to the point where companies are
printing consumer grade eyewear with on demand
custom fit and styling (although they cannot print the
lenses). On demand customization of glasses is possible
with rapid prototyping

Vehicle
In early 2014, the Swedishsupercarmanufacturer,Koenigsegg, announced the One:1, a
supercar that utilises many components that were 3D printed. In the limited run of
vehicles Koenigsegg produces, the One:1 has side-mirror internals, air ducts, titanium
exhaust components, and even complete turbocharger assembles that have been 3D
printed as part of the manufacturing process. [92]
Urbeeis the name of the first car in the world car mounted using the technology 3D
printing (his bodywork and his car windows were "printed"). Created in 2010 through
the partnership between the US engineering groupKor Ecologicand the company
Stratasys(manufacturer of printers Stratasys 3D), it is a hybrid vehicle with futuristic
look.[93][94][95]
In May 2015 Airbus announced that its newAirbus A350 XWBincluded over 1000
components manufactured by 3D printing.[1]
3D printing is also being utilized by air forces to print spare parts for planes. In 2015, a
Royal Air ForceEurofighter Typhoon fighter jet flew with printed parts. The
United States Air Force has begun to work with 3D printers, and theIsraeli Air Forcehas
also purchased a 3D printer to print spare parts

Construction
Until recent years models were built by hand, often taking a long time. Thus, architects are often forced
to show their clients drawings of their projects. According to Erik Kinipper, clients usually need to see the
product from all possible viewpoints in space to get a clearer picture of the design and make an informed
decision. In order to get these scale models to clients in a small amount of time, architects and
architecture firms tend to rely on 3D printing.[97]Using 3D printing, these firms can reduce lead times of
production by 50 to 80 percent, producing scale models up to 60 percent lighter than the machined part
while being sturdy.[98]Thus, the designs and the models are only limited by a persons imagination.
The improvements on accuracy, speed and quality of materials in 3D printing technology have opened
new doors for it to move beyond the use of 3-D printing in the modeling process and actually move it to
manufacturing strategy. A good example is Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis research at the University of
Southern California which resulted in a 3D printer that can build a house in 24 hours .The process is
called Contour Crafting. Khoshnevis, Russell, Kwon, & Bukkapatnam, define contour crafting as an
additive manufacturing process which uses computer controlled systems to repeatedly lay down layers of
materials such as concrete.[99]Bushey also discussed Khoshnevis's robot which comes equipped with a
nozzle that spews out concrete and can build a home based on a set computer pattern. Contour Crafting
technology has great potential for automating the construction of whole structures as well as subcomponents. Using this process, a single house or a colony of houses, each with possibly a different
design, may be automatically constructed in a single run, embedded in each house all the conduits for
electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning

Firearms
In 2012, the US-based groupDefense Distributeddisclosed plans to "[design] a
working plasticgunthat could be downloaded and reproduced by anybody with a 3D
printer."[100][101]Defense Distributed has also designed a 3D printable AR-15 type rifle
lower receiver(capable of lasting more than 650 rounds) and a 30 round M16
magazine The AR-15 has multiple receivers (both an upper and lower receiver), but
the legally controlled part is the one that is serialised (the lower, in the AR-15's case).
Soon after Defense Distributed succeeded in designing the first working blueprint to
produce a plastic gun with a 3D printer in May 2013, the
United States Department of Statedemanded that they remove the instructions from
their website.[102]After Defense Distributed released their plans, questions were raised
regarding the effects that 3D printing and widespread consumer-levelCNCmachining
[103][104]may have ongun controleffectiveness.[105][106][107][108]
In 2014, a man from Japan became the first person in the world to be imprisoned for
making 3D printed firearms.[109]Yoshitomo Imura posted videos and blueprints of the
gun online and was sentenced to jail for two years. Police found at least two guns in
his household that were capable of firing bullets

Computers and robots

3D printing can be used to make laptops and other
computers, including cases, asNovenaandVIA
OpenBookstandardlaptop cases. I.e. aNovena
motherboard can be bought and be used in a printed
VIA OpenBook case.[130]
Open-source robotsare built using 3D printers.
Double Roboticsgrant access to their technology (an
openSDK).[131][132][133]On the other hand,3&DBotis an
Arduino3D printer-robot with wheels[134]andODOIis a
3D printedhumanoid robot

Space
In September 2014,SpaceXdelivered the first zero-gravity 3-D printer to the
International Space Station(ISS). On December 19, 2014,NASAemailed CAD
drawings for a socket wrench to astronauts aboard the ISS, who then printed the
tool using its 3-D printer. Applications for space offer the ability to print parts or
tools on-site, as opposed to using rockets to bring along pre-manufactured items
for space missions to human colonies on the moon, Mars, or elsewhere. [136]The
European Space Agency plans to deliver its new Portable On-Board 3D Printer
(POP3D for short) to the International Space Station by June 2015, making it the
second 3D printer in space.[137][138]
Furthermore, the Sinterhab project is researching a lunar base constructed by 3D
printing usinglunar regolithas a base material. Instead of adding a binding agent
to the regolith, researchers are experimenting with microwavesinteringto create
solid blocks from the raw material.[139]
Similar researches and projects like these could allow faster construction for lower
costs, and has been investigated for construction of off-Earth habitats

3D PRINTED OBJECTS
Fromprosthetic handstoan entire bridge, you can pretty much 3D print anything you can
imagine. But the materials to make them are diversifyinga bit more slowly. Now researchers
from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a way to 3D print objects from
cellulose, a naturally occurring string of molecules derived from wood. The resulting objects
are an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to the metals and plastics that
currently dominate 3D printing. The researcherspresented their workthis week at a
conference titled New Materials From Trees.
Were used to seeing objects and constructions made of wood, but it hasnt been easy to put it
in a form that can be 3D printed. Unlike the metal or plastic commonly used in 3D printing,
cellulose doesnt melt when heated, which means its much harder to mold into different
objects. To work around this, the researchers mixed tiny fibers of cellulose in a liquid gel made
of water. The researchers tested their mixture on a 3D bioprinter, which had been used
previously to make scaffolds where cells grew before being implanted in a patient.
Once the object has been printed from the gel, it has to dry, which is critical for maintaining
its final shape. The researchers figured out a way to freeze the object, then slowly remove
some of the water so that the final product is in the desired shape.

 The researchers were also able to insert carbon nanotubes into the dry object so
that it could conduct electricity. When they tested one conductive gel with the
nanotubes and one without, they were able to create a 3D electrical circuit.
Found in the cell walls of plants and algae or secreted by bacteria, cellulose is a
very abundant polymer. 3D printed objects made of cellulose would
biodegradable and could even capture carbon dioxide that would otherwise
pollute the atmosphere.
Paul Gatenholm, a professor of biopolymer technology at Chalmers and one of the
study authors, envisions a huge range of applications for products printed with
cellulose. "Potential applications range from sensors integrated with packaging, to
textiles that convert body heat to electricity, and wound dressings that can
communicate with healthcare workers," he says. In the future his team plans to
experiment with other organic compounds derived from wood.

Sustainability of 3d printing
Ever since it became widely accessible to the general public, 3D printing has been celebrated
for its ability to localize production and minimize waste. But what about environmental factors
what are the challenges 3D printing faces when it comes to sustainability?
The majority of raw materials used in 3D printing are plastics, the most common ones being
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polylactic Acid (PLA). The reason these work so well
is that they become soft and moldable when heated and return to a solid state when cooled.
Although it is considered a low-risk material, ABS plastic is far from sustainable and can
produce carcinogenic fumes when heated up. PLA is a polymer derived from sugar, and can
actually be made from plants. Those compostable plates, forks and cups that youve probably
encountered at the health food store, for example, are made from corn-derived PLA. If grown
using sustainable agriculture methods, PLA could actually be quite sustainable.
Unless they are mixed with other materials, these kinds of thermoplastics can actually be
reused by melting them down. In theory, you should be able to simply put an object youve
already made back into the 3D printer and reshape it into something else. Recycling this close
to home would be much more efficient than relying on our existing curbside recycling system,
which has a low rate of recovery for plastics.

 Of course, this is not quite reality yet, butEKOCYCLE and 3D Systems is making a 3D printer that
works with a groundbreaking printer filament made in part from post-consumer recycled plastic
bottles. EKOCYCLE is a collaboration between multi-faceted entertainer and creative innovator will.i.am
and The Coca-Cola Company, aiming to promote sustainability through aspirational, yet attainable
lifestyle products made in part from recycled material.
The EKOCYCLE Cube takes 3D printing to the next level, giving people all over the world the ability to
transform discarded waste into useful, functional and fashionable objects, says will.i.am., calling it
the beginning of a more sustainable 3D-printed lifestyle.
TheEKOCYCLE Cube printer retails for $1,199 and prints with a flexible filament material called
rPET, made partially from post-consumer recycled 20oz PET plastic bottles. This being an initiative led
by Coke, the curated color palette is somewhat limited, allowing you to print only in red, black, white
and natural.
Many different actorsin the 3D printing space are starting to look at plastic as a commodity instead of
something that goes straight to landfill after reaching the end of its useful life. Besides the
environmental incentive, theres an enormous economic opportunity here as well. Vancouver-based
organizationThe Plastic Bankuses a model called Social Plastic to demonstrate and advocate the
use of recycled plastic as commodity. Their3D Printing from Ocean Plastic pilot project utilizes
plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to createa 3D printed wrench made entirely
from ocean plastic collected along the southern Alaskan coastline.

 An Atlanta-based startup calledElectroloomisdeveloping a 3D printer that can actually print fabric

creating on-demand, custom apparel. The technology is still in development, and the company hopes to launch
at the end of this year. So far, Electroloom has successfully been able to print simple shapes using synthetic
fibers, but are experimenting with natural fibers and blends.
New York-based companyShapewaysis a 3D printing marketplace and community, offering designers access
to cutting edge industrial 3D printing technology, capable of manufacturing products
a wide range of high-quality materials, including steel, brass, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. All these
metals are infinitely recyclable, making them highly sustainable choices.
One of the main benefits of 3D printing is that it is an additive manufacturing process, meaning that objects are
created by adding one layer of material upon another until the desired form is achieved. This creates less waste
than subtractive manufacturing processes, such as CNC milling or woodturning, which uses a block of material
and removes excess until the final shape remains.
Just like with regular manufacturing, sustainability is not only about the materials. We also need to look at how
we use the technology. According toa study done at UC Berkeleys mechanical engineering department
, energy-use is responsible for the largest part of 3D printings environmental impact. Suggestions for how we
can lessen that impact include printing hollow objects whenever possible, orienting them to optimize efficiency,
and printing several parts or objects at one time.
Weve only just begun to discover the possibilities of 3D printing, and as innovation continues, we will surely
see more new and innovative methods for increasing sustainability come to the market enabling us to print
everything from cars and clothing to food and human organs while being mindful of the impact on the Earth.

Challenges of 3d printing
3-D printing offers tremendous opportunities, but it also brings a few challenges. I
recently wrote aboutopportunities in 3-D printing; heres my take on challenges.
(Disclosure: my clientStratasysmakes 3-D printers and provides manufacturing
services using the technology.)
Cost of 3-D printing. We may never see additive technology substitute for, say,
injection molding for large production runs. However, even for the small production
runs that are currently the technologys sweet spot, users have some issues to
consider.
More choice is sometimes uncomfortable. Mass customization was one of the
opportunities that I mentioned earlier, but some consumers are overwhelmed by too
many choices. Facing 200 different styles of sneakers, I may decide to stick with flipflops. The best practice in many cases will be to offer a limited menu of choices, plus
access to a far greater selection for those so inclined.
.

 User changes can be dangerous. 3-D printing allows users, in many cases, to take a companys
design, tweak it, and print out the modified part. Someday, a guy is going to modify a design in a
way that weakens the product. Then hell install it on the ceiling of his garage, hang a heavy object,
and put his head underneath. You know it will happen. You just dont know whether his wife will first
call 911 or a lawyer. Note that many machines have scanners now, so the user doesnt even have to
access the design file to commit this mistake
Energyusagein some applications is high. In others, it may be low.
Some 3-D designs dont scale. Many companies would like to design a product, use 3-D
manufacturing to test the market, then switch over to traditional manufacturing to keep costs down.
However, the optimum design for 3-D printing is not always the optimum design for traditional
manufacturing, and vice versa. Sometimes one design is a good alternative to the other, but there
are cases where the 3-D design just wouldnt work in traditional manufacturing. Design is typically a
smaller cost compared to tooling, but manufacturing leaders should consider this issue early on
These challenges are real, but not overwhelming. As 3-D printers become better understood, their
use will become far more widespread. Their cost will also continue to decline, their functionality
improve, leading to a large increase in usage.

Obstacles
In reality, however, the incoming industrial era, called the makers revolution by its prophet
Chris Andersonis running headlong into several obstacles. Apart from very high level machines,
costing several million dollars each, 3D printing tends to produce items that are less resistant
than classic moulded parts. Layer by layer build-up leads to a structural weakness in the 3rd
(vertical) dimension This material drawback affects state-of-the-art processes such as selective
laser sintering using polyetherketoneketone (PTKK). The surface quality is rougher. The required
safety standards do not comply with normal standards in the more advanced countries. The
thermoplastic polymer ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PLA (polylactic acid) cool
rapidly but more sophisticated materials such as resins or powders can lead to local workshop
pollution
Another setback is that you cannot benefit from economy of scale. And of course the time to
produce will depend on the number of layers to be printed, and this can last for hours, or even
days. Admittedly this is in order and acceptable for prototyping but not for mass-production or
rather small series. Speed of printing will remain very dependent on the speed at which the
printer-head can extrude the raw material used. This is due, in part, to the required purity and
homogeneity of the product but again these high prices reflect the fact that the 3D printer
makers force the buyers to purchase their proprietary raw materials, sold with high profit
margins just as is the case for inkjet printer cartridges.

 Lastly, 3D printing can lead to legal risks. If, for example, a safety helmet manufacturer sell the
CAD file and a helmet produced in 3D printing reveals a flaw following an accident, who is
responsible is it the original model manufacturer, or the printer manufacturer? Risks such as
these may lead to editors and manufacturers to exercising a degree of caution and this in turn
would slow down private individuals from launching micro-fabrication operations. The
industrial protocols known as quality control are difficult to imagine in private micro-production
of goods.
The prospect of seeing 3D printing moving away from the prototyping world to join the
machines in mass production is something that worries those whose jobs relate to
intellectual property rights. It is now quite possible to purchase an object, 3D scan it and then
print it as many times as needed to satisfy a local market demand. These would be nigh-perfect
copies, of course. The proprietary company could try to protect their trademarks. There are
ways and means to authentify the products, for example by implanting specific ID circuits, or by
taking special protective measures at the level of the 3D design files.
But the danger of copies exists and physical manufacturing might have to face and suffer from
the same difficulties as the music, film and AB worlds. The figures as they stand are awesome:
The influential technology assessment agency Gartner forecasts that in 2018 the per annum
loss in terms of property rights due to 3D printing will be no less than 100 billion dollars!