THE FUTURE OF MAKING | 3D PRINTING
Additive manufacturing is one of the prominent technologies shaping The Future of Making.
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a process used to create a physical (or 3D) object by layering materials one by one based on a digital model. Unlike subtractive manufacturing that creates its final product by cutting away from a block of material, additive manufacture adds parts to form its final product.
Additive manufacturing is primarily used by engineers, architects, and construction managers, and has replaced manual drafting. It helps users create designs in three dimensions to visualize construction, and enables the development, modification, and optimization of the design process. This process helps engineers make more accurate representations and modify them more easily to improve design quality.
One of the earliest ways to use additive manufacturing for industrial purposes, this practice is now becoming an industry standard. CAD-to-additive simulation technology is improving exponentially, helping accelerate the production of lightweight components.
The capability to customize and tailor products helps manufacturers quickly create and deliver custom solutions to clients.
While prototyping is the original use of additive manufacturing, many companies are now delivering reliable 3D-printed finished goods in both commercial and industrial applications.
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Additive manufacturing can encompass multiple processes, depending on the hardware, material requirements, and product application.
A vat of photopolymer liquid is cured by focused UV light that builds parts layer by layer for a high-detail surface finish.
A powder substrate is hardened when the printing head deposits a drop of binding fluid in a layering process. Includes full-color prototype fabrication.
Used where surface finish and form testing are needed; a printhead lays down successively solidifying layers of UV curable material to form prototyped designs.
Fused deposition modeling is a common 3D printing process in which a heated nozzle extrudes a plasticized material to form products from a sliced CAD model.
Laser or electron beams rapidly fuse layered powder material, such as various metals, together. This technique is used for circuits, structures, and parts.
Ribbons of metal or paper are bonded through ultrasonic welding or adhesive, respectively; the finished shaping is completed through further material removal processes.
Repairs or adds to existing components by using a multi-axis nozzle to extrude laser-melted material, commonly metal powders, onto the printing surface.
Using generative design and simulation software to produce complex metal parts helps manufacturers get more value from proven metal casting processes.
Large scale printing
Moi Composites created a 3D-printed boat design that would have been inconceivable to produce using traditional boatbuilding fabrication methods.
Transforming Construction
LASIMM was developed to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and offer production flexibility, which are Europe’s core pillars to improve industrial competitiveness.
3D printed propeller
Port of Rotterdam's RAMLAB and Autodesk produce the world's first class certified 3D printed ship propeller.
Additive engineering is evolving at a rapid pace. 3D printing now involves metal laser sintering, powder bed fusion, and even hybrid techniques involving casting and robotics.
Additive manufacturing has evolved rapidly in recent years. It has been embraced by major industrial companies looking for ways to improve their products. The ability to deliver near-instant parts production and fully custom designs that cannot be replicated with other manufacturing techniques has accelerated investment and research in additive engineering.
Learn more about additive manufacturing with these blogs, guides, tips, and tutorials.
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Begin learning additive manufacturing to take your ideas from concept to construction.
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The Fusion 360 Additive Build Extension allows you to select 3D print parameters, automatically orient parts, and generate fully associative support structures for efficient programming. You can also quickly create subtractive finishing operations within the same Fusion 360 environment to machine precise features and achieve a high-quality surface finish.
Below you will find answers to the questions we get asked the most about additive manufacturing and Autodesk’s software.
