1. What is 3D printing?
3D printing (3D printing), also known as "Additive Manufacturing", is an emerging rapid prototyping technology. Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing processes, 3D printing is a technique in which materials are deposited or bonded layer by layer to form a three-dimensional object based on a data design file.
3D printing technology in the modern sense was born in the United States in the mid-1980s. Charles Hull (founder of 3D Systems) and Scott Crump (founder of Stratasys) are pioneers in 3D printing technology. A group of American small and medium-sized technology companies represented by 3DSystems and DTM developed three-dimensional photo-solid molding (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS) and fuse deposition modeling (FDM) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The mainstream technology route has matured after more than 20 years of precipitation and continuous improvement.
The biggest difference between 3D printing and traditional manufacturing is the process of product molding. In the traditional manufacturing industry, the entire manufacturing process generally needs to be formed through mold opening, casting or forging, cutting, component assembly and other processes. 3D printing eliminates the need for complicated processes and requires no mold and molding. Therefore, 3D printing can overcome some designs that cannot be achieved by conventional manufacturing, and make more complicated structures.
Figure 1: Stratasys launches industrial-grade high-end service 3D printer
Figure 2: This Solidoodle2 printer is priced at just over RMB 3,000.
At present, 3D printing equipment has been widely used in aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, medical , construction and other fields. The function has also expanded from the earliest display and teaching to the manufacture of industrial molds and even the direct manufacture of parts. The proportion of 3D printing used directly in parts manufacturing jumped from less than 4% in 2003 to 24% in 2011. As 3D printing technology becomes more and more mature, its application scope will become wider and wider, and the future will profoundly change the concept, method and pattern of the world manufacturing industry.
According to the consulting firm Wohlers Associates, the total sales of global 3D printing products (equipment + service) in 2011 has reached 1.68 billion US dollars, with an average annual growth rate of 27% in the past ten years. The company further predicts that the global rapid prototyping market will continue to expand at an average annual rate of 20% in the next 5-10 years, reaching $6.65 billion in volume in 2019.
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