3D printing must be very well known, which is a rapid prototyping technology and adopt powdered metal or resin and other adhesive materials based on digital model design via the layer by layer “additive” printing to construct three-dimensional object technology. How much do you know about metal 3D printing?

What is Metal 3D Print Technology?

Additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing (3D Printing), is a digital three-dimensional modeling as the basis for the integration of computer-aided design, material processing, material forming technology. Adopt metal materials, non-metallic materials and medical biomaterials, in accordance with the layer-by-layer, layer-by-layer manufacturing of the principle of discrete - stacking, which is a rapid preparation of complex shapes and shapes of the workpiece molding technology.

How does Metal 3D Print work?

SLM laser selective zone melting metal 3D printing process principle

Laser selective zone melting metal 3D printing is based on the interaction between the high-energy laser beam and the metal powder, based on the three-dimensional data model of the fabricated part, the model is discretized into layer data through the layering software and input into the metal 3D printer. The system adopts the fiber laser with high power density and finely focused spot as the energy source, and the laser beam is controlled by the selective scanning path to quickly pre-spread metal powder in the constituency. The laser beam rapidly melts the pre-spread metal powder and obtains a continuous melt channel, which is stacked layer by layer to form a metal part.

What is application of Metal 3D print?

1, Aerospace and Defense industry

According to Wohlers Associates data, the application share of global 3D printing in the aerospace and defense industries in 2021 will be 16.8% and 6.0% respectively, corresponding to a market share of $2.56 billion and $0.91 billion. The global aerospace 3D printing market size share increased from 14.7% to 16.8% in 2019-2021.

The application of metal 3D printing in the aerospace industry is mainly the direct manufacturing of fuselage structural parts, engine parts, etc., the performance testing of structural parts and components, and the repair of high-value perishable parts.

The advantages of 3D printing technology in aerospace parts manufacturing and research and development are mainly reflected in:

(1) Shorten the research and development cycle of new aerospace equipment and parts;

(2) Complex structural design can be realized;

(3) Meet the demand for light weighting, reduce stress concentration and increase service life;

4) Enhancing the strength and durability of parts and components for aerospace equipment;

5) Improve the utilization of materials and reduce manufacturing costs;

6) Additive manufacturing is the future market for manufacturing repair of equipment damage parts.

2, Medical industry

According to Wohlers Associates, the global 3D printing market share in the medical industry will increase from 13.9% to 15.6% from 2019 to 2021, and the global 3D printing market share in the medical industry will be $2.38 billion in 2021.

According to the development of materials and biological properties, 3D printing in the medical field is divided into two categories: non-biological 3D printing and biological 3D printing. Compared with biological 3D printing, the principle of non-biological 3D printing is relatively simple, and the required materials are relatively easy to obtain, so it has been widely used in the medical industry. Most of the products of non-biological 3D printing are not biocompatible, and most of them can be categorized as medical devices, which are specifically applied in:

① Personalized prosthesis manufacturing is available in orthopedics, dentistry, plastic surgery and so on;

② Complex structure and difficult to process medical device products, including implants and non-implants, such as porous structure of the hip joint, simulation of the human body organs of the medical model.

3, Auto industry

According to Wohlers Associates data, the global 3D printing market share in automotive industry has declined slightly from 16.4% to 14.6% in 2019-2021, and the global 3D printing market share in automotive industry is $2.23 billion in 2021.

The application of 3D printing technology in the automotive industry runs through the entire life cycle of automobiles, including research and development, production and use. In terms of the scope of application, the current application of 3D printing technology in the automotive industry is mainly focused on experimental models and functional prototyping in the R&D segment, and relatively few in the production and use. In the future, 3D printing technology in the automotive industry will still be widely used in prototype manufacturing. With the continuous development of 3D printing technology, car companies will improve the cognition of 3D printing and the automotive industry's own development needs. The application of 3D printing technology in the automotive industry will expand to the production and use of the link with a larger market space, and the application in the production of final parts and components, automotive maintenance, automotive modification, etc. will gradually improve.

4, Consumer electronics

According to Wohlers Associates data, the global 3D printing market share in the consumer electronics industry accounted for a slight decline from 15.4% to 11.8% in 2019-2021, and the global 3D printing market share in the consumer electronics sector was $1.80 billion in 2021.

At present, the application of 3D printing in the consumers industry mainly focuses on product design and development. The consumers industry covers a wide range, mainly including cell phones, electronic products, computers, home appliances, tools and toys and other industries. Consumers industry has the characteristics of short product life cycle and rapid replacement, which requires continuous development and investment. With the advantages of 3D printing, the product development cycle can be shortened and the design cost can be cut down significantly. The existing 3D printing technology can realize the modeling of various complex designs, which gives designers more freedom and improves the level of product design significantly.