AM Radio

At the 2023 edition of RAPID + TCT held in Chicago, Additive Manufacturing Media editors noticed evidence of AM's maturation both in terms of technical capability and utility for end-use applications. Stephanie Hendrixson, Peter Zelinski and Fiona Lawler discuss themes discovered at the event, including more precise DED, new tools for process monitoring, more sophisticated understanding of AM and sustainability, AM winning on cost and much more. Find photos and video from the show in this blog post on our website.

This episode is brought to you by Formnext Forum: Austin.

Mentioned in this episode:

• RAPID + TCT
• Fiona Lawler's work for Additive Manufacturing Media

1. Sustainability
   1. Caracol robot-based DED used to 3D print wind turbines from old wind turbines
   2. Thermwood's LSAM 510 3D printer used to print chairs live at the show
   3. SABIC's LNP ELCRIN WF006NiQ resin made with post-consumer PET
   4. An impeller 3D printed with Uniformity Labs' Ti64 Grade 23, with scan time reduced by 1.5×
   5. Uniformity labs: aluminum powder for LPBF
   6. Uniformity Labs: cut off stock/metal material options
   7. Xtellar's recently launched flexible EVA derived from sugarcane
   8. Thermoform dental aligner tool made with Jabil's PLA3110P powder for SLS 3D printing
   9. NatureWorks' Ingeo for 3D printing
   10. Sustainability episode with Tim Simpson
   11. EOS's PA 12 and PA 11 materials precertified for environmental impact
   12. EOS Cost & Carbon Calculator
2. Cost as a driver of AM production
   1. Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS) for cost-effective 3D printed vehicle chassis components
   2. Wurth Additive Group's automotive body clip now made additively
   3. DMG MORI's Lasertec 30 SLM US developed and manufactured in Davis, California
   4. Fabrisonic's SonicLayer 1600 hybrid ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) machine
   5. Formlabs' Form3B+ for healthcare professionals and medical devices
   6. 3D printed titanium mountain bike brake lever produced by Trumpf as an affordable alternative to machined aluminum and carbon fiber
3. Process monitoring
   1. Nexa3D XiP Pro desktop 3D printer for LCD-based vat photopolymerization
   2. Exum Industries' MassBox for desktop mass spectrometry
   3. Renishaw calibration device for laser powder bed fusion
4. DED getting more precise
   1. Mitsubishi AZ600 wire-laser metal 3D printer
   2. InssTek multi-material rocket nozzle produced with powder-fed DED
   3. New Infrared Technology's Clamir system for controlling DED through meltpool width
   4. Meltio's CNC machine tool integration from IMTS
   5. Meltio integration with machine tool as seen at IMTS
   6. Formalloy's introduction of DEDSMart for wire DED
   7. DEDSmart system from Formalloy seen at IMTS
5. Acquisitions as a means of diversification
   1. Xtellar, Braskem's new 3D materials division
   2. PX100 Digital Metal binder jetting platform now available from Markforged
   3. 3D Systems acquired Titan Robotics
   4. Ultimaker and Makerbot merger
6. Collaboration
   1. BASF Forward AM Solutions Development team / Ultrasim3D Lattice Engine developed with Hyperganic
   2. New HP automation for powder handling and automation accessory for swapping build units
   3. Endeavor 3D contract manufacturer that is a member of the Digital Manufacturing Partner network
7. Flavor of the Show
   1. Xjet 3D printed ceramic mouthpieces
   2. Xjet ceramic printing process
   3. nTop rebrands and introduces nTop 4.0
   4. Inkbit and why AM is great for drones and robots
   5. polySpectra tensile test and tea kettle demonstration
   6. HP minifactory
   7. 3D Systems Titan Robotics chair

Is additive manufacturing inherently more sustainable than conventional manufacturing methods? Stephanie Hendrixson and Dr. Tim Simpson wade into the various factors that must be considered to make this assessment; dive into some of the research happening in industry and academia on the subject; and discuss why sustainability is such a tricky problem in AM.

This episode of AM Radio is brought to you by Formnext Forum: Austin.

Mentioned in this episode:

• "Plastics: Knowledge and Information Taking Shape," the art exhibit at Penn State University's Pattee Library in 2017
• 3D print recycling program at PSU's Maker Commons
• How MolyWorks atomizes metal powders in the footprint of a shipping container
• 6K Additive's lifecycle analysis on nickel produced through its UniMelt process
• Results from the Additive Manufacturing Green Trade Association (AMGTA) lifecycle assessment of an aerospace bracket
• Review paper with Kate Whitefoot on the potential environmental and economic impacts of AM
• Tom Lauerman's 3D printed clay creations
• Icon lunar surface construction system under development
• Made in the USA podcast

Additional Resources:

• AM and the circular economy
• Additive Manufacturing Media's reporting on sustainability
• Examples of 3D printed shoes produced on demand, using recyclable materials, made from fewer materials
• A 3D printed concrete wall

With the arrival of resources such as ChatGPT and Dall-E, artificial intelligence (AI) is a widespread topic of discussion. But AI has been aiding additive manufacturing for years, to the extent that the applications are coming to seem pervasive. Stephanie Hendrixson and Peter Zelinski talk about the link between AI and AM, both as we see it today and as we expect to see it in the future. What AI and AM have in common is frictionlessness — in terms of offering instruction, as ChatGPT shows, and in the ease of starting production without need for hard tooling that 3D printing makes possible. What will we see as these two advancing technologies increasingly come together?

• Additive Manufacturing magazine issues on machine learning and artificial intelligence
• NNAISENSE defect prediction via machine learning from heat maps
• Argonne National Laboratory work correlating AM heat maps to X-rays of metal parts
• Castor AI analysis of parts suitable for 3D printing
• Army call for research into automating part identification for AM
• PrintSyst AI warnings and responses for parts that are not printable
• AI Build GPT-enabled software for programming slicing
• Inkbit applying AI to control high-speed material jetting with viscous polymer
• Markforged Blacksmith for AI-based build improvement for 3D printed parts
• Oqton AI-enabled management system for 3D printing facilities
• Paper by Heiden, Alieksieiev, Volk and Tonino-Heiden that discusses AI's application to distributed manufacturing
• Spokebee parameteric design of AM parts
• 3Shape dental imaging scanner able to recognize teeth and gums
• OpenAI Point-E for generating 3D models
• Material Resources Inc use of AI to develop control over metal microstructure
• ActivArmor 3D printed casts, soon to employ AI to improve treatment outcomes
• More about the advance of additive manufacturing in our newsletter, The BuildUp

A sign of the advancing understanding of additive manufacturing: Many of the previous misperceptions have gone away. Or they have at least dramatically declined. Few in manufacturing today believe 3D printing is as simple as "hit print," and most understand that the design of the part determines how well it can take advantage of AM. However, there are still pervasive misperceptions about AM among the manufacturers today who are just beginning to explore it. Tim Simpson and Peter Zelinski talk about some of the false ideas about additive manufacturing that are in the air and current now. Part of the challenge is simply that AM technology is still changing rapidly; assumptions become invalidated quickly. Tim ends up talking about the pace of this change in additive and what is setting that pace.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Penn State's CIMP-3D, the additive manufacturing research facility Tim co-leads
• Additive manufacturing's increasing presence at IMTS, the International Manufacturing Technology Show
• Stryker additive implant design and the scope of its AM production
• Scale production of medical implants by RMS Additive and Tangible Solutions
• Additive parts on Mars
• Flight-critical MV-22B Osprey link component made additively
• Control over porosity in additive parts

New! Subscribe to THE BUILDUP, our new newsletter from the Additive Manufacturing Media team.

Additive manufacturing (AM) tends to see popular media coverage when a consumer good is 3D printed. 3D printed houses and fashion grace headlines at the moment. On social media, however, additive manufacturing is a daily topic of conversation for users, students and entrepreneurs. As digital editor for Additive Manufacturing Media, I have the pleasure of observing and engaging in some of those conversations.

On this episode of the AM Radio podcast, Peter Zelinski and I review eight AM-related social media posts that caught my eye in recent weeks. Among the topics we discuss are machine modifications, a debatable assumption about large-format additive manufacturing and the AM fan-favorite, or maybe anti-fan favorite: AM's cost effectiveness. Thanks for listening.

The posts from social media:

• Our post about the SABIC regrind study
• Stephanie's post about the SABIC study
• Luai Kurdi's extrusion robot on a pedestal
• Catalysis Additive Tooling's thermoforming tool
• Enrico Gallino's display case of customer parts
• What's the vibration frequency, Kenneth? HIP 101 post
• The 9T Labs bracket post from CompositesWorld
• Inspirational words from Avi Reichental

Other references:

• The SABIC LFAM regrind article
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory's concrete smart wall
• 3D printed composite bracket on The Cool Parts Show
• Tim Simpson's final Additive Insights column
• Velo3D Launcher post
• Made in the USA podcast
• Join the conversation with Additive Manufacturing Media on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Bringing additive manufacturing to scale production also means scaling the workforce trained to design, manage and carry out that production. While some fundamentals stay the same across material and process, learning the intricacies of specific applications and industries takes time. What is the role of the university in preparing the next generation of additive manufacturers? What should industry expect in new hires, and how can companies upskill their existing workforce? And what are the "soft skills" or personality traits that make for a successful user of additive manufacturing? In this episode of the AM Radio podcast, I discuss training and education options for additive with Dr. Tim Simpson, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Penn State University and contributor to Additive Manufacturing Media (among his various other roles). This episode is the first of a series that will feature Simpson as cohost.

This episode of AM Radio is brought to you by PTXPO.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Additive Insights column
• AM WTF, full collection and episode on the piston crown
• Formnext Forum Austin
• More on the Penn State master's program in additive manufacturing
• MIT course in Additive Manufacturing for Innovative Design and Production
• Additive Manufacturing Media's How to Pursue a Career in AM resource
• PSU strategic job analysis on skills and attributes necessary for AM engineers (see results in the chart below)
• The Barnes Global Advisors
• Article on AM work at Siemens Energy, featuring photos of teachable parts

Additional resources:

• Journal article on preparing industry for AM and its applications

Results from Penn State's 2019 study of successful AM engineers

3D printing for repair and replacement is an underappreciated but potentially very valuable application for this technology. The ability to add material only where necessary and to do so in an automated fashion allows worn surfaces to be rebuilt with less human labor, keeping items such as aircraft blades in service for longer. Additive manufacturing offers an avenue for manufacturing parts no longer in inventory or production, by skipping over tooling to arrive more quickly (and often, more affordably) at the needed component — it be a brush mat, bearing housing, mixer blade, clamp or tractor tread. But a 3D printed replacement part is rarely a 1-to-1 swap; changing to this production method almost always introduces additional benefits. In this episode of AM Radio, Pete Zelinski and I discuss these examples and more, plus why a 3D printed replacement is almost always an upgrade.

This episode of the AM Radio podcast is brought to you by PTXPO.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Acme Manufacturing's automated aircraft blade repair system using Optomec directed energy deposition 3D printing
• Video showing Optomec's 3D printer applying material to a worn blade
• Tractor treads replaced with polyurethanes printed directly onto steel
• The 3D printed "carpet" made by OPT Industries to replace a brush mat for a vibratory separator
• Lincoln Electric's WAAM-printed bearing housing and mixer blade for a decades-old machine used in the production of flux
• 3D printed replacement clamp for an F-16 aircraft
• The "Mighty Duct" developed by HP and Siemens
• Helicopter oil collector upgrade produced by Allegheny Technologies Inc.
• AM Update newsletter

The most-viewed stories on AdditiveManufacturing.Media this year illustrate some of the trends in industrial 3D printing, including its increasing adoption for spare and replacement parts; increased applications for electric motors; and a maturing user base. Peter Zelinski, Stephanie Hendrixson and Jodee McElfresh take a look back at the top 10 articles and videos from 2022.

This episode is brought to you by The Cool Parts Show.

Mentioned in this episode:

• 500-Pound Replacement Part 3D Printed by Robot: The Cool Parts Show #50

• Can Metal Parts Be Replaced With 3D Printed Composites?
• How Siemens Energy Applies Additive Manufacturing for Power Generation and More
• 3D Printing Rotors for Electric Motors (Video)
• Custom Canine Wheelchair From Carbon Fiber-Reinforced PP: The Cool Parts Show #44
• The First Choice Was Right: How RP+M Succeeded With Production FDM
• For Polymer 3D Printers, Metal Parts Are Now Within Reach
• 10 Ways Additive Manufacturing Reshapes a Production Facility (Forget What You Know About Factories)
• 3D Printed Tool for Machining Electric Vehicle Motors: The Cool Parts Show #39
• 3D Printed Heat Exchanger Uses Gyroids for Better Cooling | The Cool Parts Show #43

Additive manufacturing's largest trade show, Formnext, returned to its pre-pandemic strength in 2022. In this episode, Peter Zelinski describes trends from the show floor (including 3D printing with ceramics, anticipating robot automation, and a pivot away from support structures) while Stephanie Hendrixson shares observations found in social media.

This episode is brought to you by PTXPO.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Pete's post-show report on Formnext 2022
• Videos filmed at the show:
• Wasp 3D printing with clay
• An example of a part made with EOS's Autodesk plugin for optimizing supports
• Metrom's high-speed parallel kinematic 3D printing platform
• How Duplex 3D prints a kayak paddle from two directions at once
• Advances in binder jetting from GE Additive
• Rivelin and robots for machining metal 3D printed parts
• Nexa3D ceramic composite resin
• Nanoe's Zetamix RF material
• Our episode of The Cool Parts Show featuring Lithoz 3D printed ceramic
• Grob Liquid Metal Printing system
• KraussMaffei's powerPrint and precisionPrint machines
• Pokémon hunting for robots
• Prusa's Automated Farm System (see Pete's photo of the Prusa booth in our blog post)
• Enlarg3D bike ramp in use
• Desktop Metal's Forust system for 3D printed wood
• Axtra3D's X1 and Revox X1 3D printers combining DLP and stereolithography
• Chromatic 3D's trampoline with printed elastic springs and our previous story on the company
• Parts printed from polySpectra COR resin and other odd-looking parts created using Metafold 3D software
• Formnext Forum Austin (August 28-30, 2023)

Additive Manufacturing Media digital associate editor Jodee McElfresh joins the podcast for this episode inspired by trends spotted on social media. She and Stephanie Hendrixson discuss additive manufacturing superlatives and the value of the "boring" part, plus how individuals and companies can make the pivot into AM. Spoiler: Waiting for the next generation won't be enough; consider workforce development from the inside.

This episode is brought to you by the The Cool Parts Show.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Our episode of The Cool Parts Show on a 3D printed bracket that replaces a machined metal version
• More stories of #brackets
• Las Vegas Raiders monument
• Julia Hider's story on how Werco Manufacturing uses 3D printed composites to make parts for aircraft maintenance training
• Our resource on pursuing a career in additive manufacturing
• Iten Industries' Imagineering Center and applications for polymer 3D printing
• How Flex uses disparate additive manufacturing centers to advance AM's use
• Micro architected metals
• 3D printed gaming mice
• 3D printed meat
• The Cocoa Press, a chocolate 3D printer
• Connect with Additive Manufacturing Media on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
• Find Jodee on LinkedIn
• Find Stephanie on Twitter and LinkedIn