Additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing, enables designs that hitherto have not been possible as well as decentralised targeted manufacturing of spare parts.
SGI Dubai 2020 show, the biggest and most comprehensive exhibition catering not only to the signage and textile printing markets in the region and beyond, is proud to announce that the exhibition will include 3D printing solutions that enable print service providers to diversify and their businesses to thrive.
The (r)evolution of additive manufacturing is so global, comprehensive and will above all conceptually and later also practically change all manufacturing processes. Nobody can and must avoid this if they want to be in business tomorrow.
Naturally or not naturally, this applies not only to companies in the manufacturing industry but to all companies - regardless of their industry. If the industrial revolution brought a quantum leap two centuries ago, then the quantum leap that additive manufacturing will bring to all areas of daily life - whether production/manufacturing or research, whether private or professional - will bring an even greater change. A change that we still cannot measure today, that lies beyond our imagination.
At the moment everything is still somewhat unclear, undefined and incoherent. There are plenty of ideas: one could do this, that, or invent this or that. Wouldn't it be nice if...? But all this is understandable: we experience the birth of the future, the beginning of something that we have not yet been able to measure. Is it an evolution? A revolution? A quantum leap? Certainly all this and much more, much more.
And since there are so many ideas, approaches and possible solutions, it is initially confusing for everyone: what can be achieved with what and how, which prerequisites must be fulfilled so that the task of the product, the change becomes possible, takes hold and, above all, is recognised/used and accepted by all.
Not only the consumer, the manufacturing company or the potential customer, no also the manufacturers of machines for additive manufacturing, the manufacturers of consumables have a hard time here. For centuries, safety mechanisms have been developed, the products, the manufacturing process and all the rules associated with them. Laws and regulations were enacted, changed and adapted to new circumstances. And now comes a process that has been covered by almost none of these conventional regulations and whose products need to be completely re-examined and regulated.
But of course, the idea and the manufacturing process and the finished product come before regulation. Then, of course, its "statics" whereby of course new algorithms have to be taken into account. In addition there are further regulations and rules, recognition of state organs, in the field of medicine and dentistry of course also the regulations of the individual chambers and approval organs. The whole sounds like a tail without end and must first be accomplished before this (r)evolution will prevail. Many experts, technicians, etc., have no doubt that it will be this way.
At first glance, everything that is perceived as chaos at the moment is an opportunity. Not only the chance to create something the way you want it to be, no, the chance to create something sustainable and yet effective and intensive as a single piece or mass product. An opportunity to help shape the future, to shape it and at the same time be a part of it. Many manufacturers are currently entering into partnerships - machine manufacturers with manufacturers of consumables, with production companies, with suppliers and, of course, with all these parties. No one, or hardly any of the participants in this rapidly developing market, can or wants to miss opportunities, but must secure knowledge, know-how and expertise that are not available in-house.
But it is not only the individual machines that are important. As in conventional 2D printing, the entire interaction of material, technology, software and further processing plays a role. Everything depends on everyone and can only produce the desired result in optimum interaction. In the area of additive manufacturing, however, it is even more important that everything is coordinated with each other. The desired material structure, thickness and above all material properties can only be achieved if every small detail is right and all suitable factors, such as machine, material, software and further processing, merge into a harmonious whole.
Especially in the area of software it is very complicated, because not only does 3D software differ from conventional software, there are also not (yet) enough blueprints/templates that can be used as samples. Specialists to operate this software, to draw and create the individual parts or even a whole, are not necessarily " to be found at every corner ". Especially in the medical field, research is indispensable - who can draw an organ of the human body with all its branches, blood vessels, cells etc.? Some time will pass before enough progress has been made here to produce valid results. But there is still a lot to do in terms of software in the area of tool and parts production as well. Graphic designers who were or are already active in the packaging sector have advantages here, since they already know how to create three-dimensional objects from practical experience.
And then there is further processing. The products that come out of the 3D printer are "raw". They still have to be polished, bars or holders removed, and so on and so forth... And here the next question which has not yet been solved in 2D printing either: Standalone, separate devices that have to be "fed" manually, or a production line that leads directly from the printing press to the finishing area, so that manual intervention can be reduced to a minimum. Supporters of both solutions have arguments for and against one or the other solution. However, it is clear here that the application determines the extent to which further processing – inline or offline – is possible and sensible.
Where we are with inline or offline processing: Control mechanisms, measuring units, even leakage tests and so on are another topic which can take place as well. The more additive production printing machines develop, the more important it will be to check all variables in the workflow.
Material manufacturers and suppliers are particularly in demand: they have to offer manufacturers, users and end customers materials that meet the specifications of the application. Depending on the final product specification, the materials should be stronger, more flexible, lighter, have less mass, offer better statics, etc. than conventional materials processed in non-additive production.
Another important point - besides the colourfulness of products - is the "fusion" of different materials - multi-material printing. Printing or manufacturing of parts with one material usually does not constitute a whole product and if already digitally additive produced, then of course the assembly should be omitted in the future as well. The production of products consisting of more than one material is now possible to a limited extent, but still has to be expanded to a large extent. A further point that shows that additive production is currently still in the baby crib, but will continue to develop rapidly. Before we know it, additive manufacturing will already be in its infancy and will start to walk on its own feet.
Will there still be large central manufacturing locations? If products are manufactured as additives, they could be omitted. Instead of manufacturing centrally and paying time for shipping / loading, shipping as well as import and export taxes etc. in addition to production time, the templates / blueprints could be sent more easily to decentralised additive production machines and printed on site. One would no longer have to wait six to ten weeks for an individually equipped vehicle, but it could be delivered immediately after additive production and, in addition to time, would in most cases have saved considerable customs duties. And then there is sustainability - transport influences the environment, sending the blueprints via computer to the destination and printing on site is much more sustainable. This is still a dream of the future and one has to wait for the upheaval. How long depends on the development of the additive manufacturing processes and how quickly qualifications and regulations allow the approval of individual parts and entire multi-material products.
This, let’s call it a quantum leap, although it is much, much more, will in future influence all areas of daily life, the world of work, lifestyle and communication. Just as most people can no longer imagine their life without a mobile phone, without a smartphone (How was it in the past, when one had to stop at a telephone booth to make a phone call, and maybe even stood in a queue if one wasn't in the office or at home ...), in the future one won't be able to imagine life without additive manufacturing.
SGI Dubai 2020 will answer some of the questions above and showcase and educate visitors as to the possibilities that 3D printing enables.
