Brushtec 3D Printed jigs in situ economically attractive way of producing multiple design iterations to optimize the final product without extending lead times and often shortening them . It is also vital to note that “ rapid prototyping ” and “ 3D printing ” — then and now — are used as umbrella terms for a number of different additive processes . There are seven additive manufacturing process types in total .
The very first process was Stereolithography ( SLA ), a VAT polymerization process , that used resin materials , which resulted in the first commercial 3D printing system — the SLA-1 — from 3D Systems Inc . This was closely followed by two more : the Selective Laser Sintering ( SLS ) process , originally developed at the University of Texas and commercially licensed by DTM Corp ; and the Fused Deposition Modelling ( FDM ) process developed and commercialized by Stratasys Inc . SLS now falls under the generic process name of Powder Bed Fusion ( PBF ), while FDM comes under the Material Extrusion process name . The other four additive manufacturing processes that are now firmly established are Material Jetting , Binder Jetting , Directed Energy Deposition , and Sheet Lamination .
The major advantage that 3D printing offered for rapid prototyping , and the reason it took hold is that it enabled a concurrent or simultaneous engineering approach that eliminated the existing linear / circular “ over-the-wall ” silo culture of product development and drastically reduced design to market times and costs .
3DPRINTUK has mastered the process of 3D printing with polymer powders , with no need for support material , virtually no layer lines and short turnaround times .
First-3D-Printer-Invented-in-1983
3D printed prototypes remain a universally accepted and dominant application of the technology set today .
The thing to note here , though , is that 3D printing offered a way of improving the product development process — it did not affect the nature or methodology of the design itself . It essentially embedded itself originally as a useful tool for improving the development process ( including improving the design through iterative feedback ) for existing , traditional manufacturing processes .
22 PECM Issue 57