Additive Manufacturing

Question 1

What is Additive Manufacturing and how does it differ from other manufacturing processes?

Answer 1

Additive Manufacturing creates parts/objects by adding up layers.

All other processes are subtractive manufacturing and create parts by taking material away.

Question 2

Advantages of Additive Manufacturing

Answer 2

• Can be faster
• Can require less mechanical effort
• Can generate less waste material

Question 3

Current applications of (AM)

Answer 3

• 3D printed Homes
• Dental material
• Food

Question 4

5 different kinds of additive manufacturing

Answer 4

• Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
• Stereolithography (SLA)
• Polyjet printer
• Binderjet printing
• Selective laser sintering

Question 5

What is FDM and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages

Answer 5

The additive process of depositing filament from a spool into a high temperature extruder, whose path is generated by a computer

Advantages:
- low cost 
- Low Printing time
- Large build volume
Disadvantages
- can't make complex/detailed parts

Question 6

What is SLA and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages

Answer 6

SLA used a process called photopolymerization where resin is cured from underneath by a UV laser

Advantages
- Very versatile
Disadvantages
- Small build volume and is messy

Question 7

What is polyjet printing and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages

Answer 7

Analogous to inkjet 2D printing. Prints 3D jets of ‘ink’ on a build plate to form a 3D model

Advantages
- can produce very complex parts with lots of detail
-versatile
- Large build volume
Disadvantages
- Raw material for this is extremely expensive than the other processes

Question 8

What is Binderjet printing and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages

Answer 8

A printer head deposits an inorganic binder material onto a layer of powdered material

Advantages
- Creates photorealistic parts
Disadvantages
- parts are fragile and brittle
- not very functional

Question 9

What is Selective laser sintering and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages

Answer 9

based on selectively sintering of polymeric or metallic powders into an individual jet

Advantages
- allows us to create very strong complex parts
Disadvantages
- Larger
- more expensive

Question 10

3D printing process

Answer 10

1) Construct your 3D CAD model
2) import model into 3D printer software
3) 3D print the model
- This is not fast
- small parts can print in 30-40 minutes
- Large can take up to 2 days
4) Remove completed part from printer for post-processing
- Clipping/trimming/sanding required to finish part

Question 11

How do you know what 3D printer and materials are appropriate?

Answer 11

• Application
• Aesthetics
• Function
• Certification

Question 12

Research in AM

Answer 12

• Faster
• 3D bio
• Reducing waste
• Cybersecurity

Question 13

Important Considerations when 3D printing

Answer 13

• Raft: a layer between model and build plate
• Bed leveling: need to level the build plate before every print, warping can occur
• Overhanging: Parts with angles over 45 degrees need some support structure
• Infill: you don’t want to print a solid part unless necessary
  - Infill ranges between 10% and 100%
• Wall Thickness: needs to support the structural integrity (min 0.8 - 1mm)
  Level of detail: More detail = more layers = more time, material, and cost