3D Printing Technologies
What is 3D Printing?
3D printing doesn’t refer to one kind of manufacturing or technological process, rather it refers to a variety of technologies that additively build or form 3D parts layer by layer from CAD data.
With a CAD file, one can go from design directly to a printed model. This is significant as it changes the way we think about manufacturing with three key advantages: shorter lead time, design freedom, and lower costs.
From the expansive range of 3D printers coming in at different price points, it’s a matter of knowing which 3D Printing technology is ideal for your application in Singapore, and when to use one over the other.
1. https://www.iso.org | 2. Wohler’s Report 2017 | 3. https://www.forbes.com
PLASTIC 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
FUSED DEPOSITION
MODELING (FDM)
Extrudes heated thermoplastic through a nozzle layer by layer to form parts. Paired with a patented heated chamber, engineering-grade thermoplastics enable accurate, repeatable, and robust parts for functional prototyping and production.
POLYJET
TECHNOLOGY
Jets out fine print head nozzles to deposit droplets of photocurable material in layers as fine as 16 microns to form detailed 3D models. Material is simultaneously cured as it is deposited via UV light. Incorporate multiple materials, from flexible to rigid, and full color.
STEREOLITHOGRAPHY
(SLA)
Uses a precise UV laser to cure liquid plastic layer by layer. After curing, the build platform retracts into a bath of liquid as a recoater blade evenly distributes the plastic across each new layer. Ideal for prototyping, master patterns, and large concept models.
PROGRAMMABLE PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION (P3™) TECHNOLOGY
Cures liquid photopolymer resins using light, heat, pull forces and pneumatics to achieve accurate and excellent surface finishes for the mass production of high-performance, functional end-use parts.
METAL 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
NANOPARTICLE
JETTING
Ultra-fine layers of solid nanoparticle inks are simultaneously jetted from sealed cartridges onto a build tray. Liquid “jacket” around the nanoparticles evaporate as it’s sintered at high temperatures, enabling dense ultrafine layers to bond.
SELECTIVE LASER
MELTING (SLM)
Metallic powders are melted and fused via a high power-density laser. Laser beams are then directed and focused through a computer-generated pattern. Powder particles are selectively melted in the powder bed to form shapes of 3D objects.
CERAMIC 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
LASER STEREOLITHOGRAPHY
Ceramic components are produced using a laser to polymerize a paste composed of photosensitive resin and ceramic layer by layer. The parts are then subjected to heat treatment for debinding followed by sintering to eliminate the resin and support, and densify the ceramic.
NANOPARTICLE JETTING
Ultra-fine layers of solid nanoparticle inks are simultaneously jetted from sealed cartridges onto a system build tray. Liquid “jacket” around the nanoparticles evaporate as it is sintered at extremely high temperatures, enabling the dense layers to bond.
