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Learning Outcomes
At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

Introduction to Additive Explain Additive Manufacturing and its processing

steps and usefulness.
Manufacturing Compare and contrast operation and application
Prof. Nirosh Jayaweera of a range of additive manufacturing processes.

Explore future trend in Additive Manufacturing

30th July, 2022 technologies.

Contents Overview of AM
Conventional Machining
 Overview of Additive Manufacturing (AM) Its not suitable for complex shapes
 Classification of RP Technologies
Time consuming
 RP Processing steps
Very costly
 Rapid Prototyping Technologies
 Properties of Rapid Prototype Parts Tedious or labor intensive.
 Limitations of Rapid Prototypes Skilled operator is required.
 Applications of Rapid prototyping Technology
Accuracy may be compromised.
Increased product development time.

Overview of AM Overview of AM
Trends in manufacturing industries Additive manufacturing is the process of creating an object by
Increasing the no of variants of products. building it one layer at a time ,that enable components to be made
without the need for conventional tooling and skilled operator.
Increase in product complexity. Many manufacturing process are subtractive, in that they modify
the geometry of a mass of material by removing parts of the
Decrease in product lifetime material until the final shape is achieved.

Decrease in delivery time. Conventional milling and turning are good examples of
subtractive processes.
Product development by Rapid prototyping -
enabling better communication. Layers are produced and the materials used are significantly
varies with different AM process.

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What is AM? What is AM?

Each individual slice is subsequently presented to
The starting point for the AM process is typically a 3D an selected AM manufacturing process.
CAD model, however other input can be used to create
RP components include:

MRI & CT scan data for medical applications

Point cloud data from engineering scanning or

digitising systems

Each AM technique has its own advantages and

Whatever the source of the original data it is re-formatted disadvantages.
into an STL file then slice horizontally. These must be understood thoroughly before an AM
process is selected.

Useful Conditions for AM AM vs Conventional Methods

Single unique item or small number of

copies needed

Shape of object is in computer form

Shape is too complex to be economically

generated using conventional methods

What is AM? Why is Rapid Prototyping Important?

• Alternative names for AM: RP models have numerous uses:

– Layer manufacturing  Excellent visual aids for communicating
– Direct CAD manufacturing
– Solid freeform fabrication Prototypes can be used for design testing.
– Rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RPM)

• AM technologies are being used Used to make tooling

increasingly to make production parts and
production tooling, not just prototypes Used to make production-quality parts

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Liquid-Based Rapid Prototyping

Classification of RP Technologies
Systems
There are various ways to classify the RP Starting material is a liquid
techniques that have currently been
About a dozen RP technologies are in this
developed
category
The RP classification used here is based on
Includes the following processes:
the form of the starting material:
– Stereolithography
Liquid-based
– Solid ground curing
Solid-based
– Droplet deposition manufacturing
Powder-based

Solid-Based Rapid Prototyping

Powder-Based RP Systems
Systems
Starting material is a solid Starting material is a powder

Solid-based RP systems include the Powder-based RP systems include the

following processes: following:

Selective laser sintering

– Laminated object manufacturing
Three dimensional printing
– Fused deposition modeling

RP Processing steps Rapid Prototyping Technologies

Commercially available RP systems generally use the following
Stereolithography (SLA)
basic process steps. They are:

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

Three Dimensional Printing (3DP)

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM)

Create a CAD model of the design / Convert CAD model to STL format /
Verification/ Orientation / Support and Slicing / Part building / Post processing

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Stereolithography (SLA) Stereolithography (SLA)

In SLA process builds three-dimensional models from
liquid photosensitive polymers that solidify when exposed
to ultraviolet light (using a directed laser beam).

A model is build upon a platform situated just below the

surface in a vat of polymer resin.

A laser traces out the first layer, solidifying the model’s

cross section while leaving excess areas liquid.

The platform then moves down the distance of one slices

of the part, and the laser traces the second layer atop the
first.
Schematics of SLA process

Stereolithography (SLA) Stereolithography (SLA)

The process is repeated until the prototype is complete. After the parts are fully cured, it is a somewhat brittle,
hard-candy-like material that can be sanded, filled, glued,
Then solid part is removed from vat and rinsed clean of and painted without a problem. The appearance of the
excess liquid. material is a translucent brownish yellow.

Finally, the support structure is being broken off and the Epoxy resins are almost transparent in appearance, and
model is then placed in an ultraviolet oven for complete can have a glass-like finish on flat horizontal surfaces.
curing.
Where acrylate resins are only partially cured during the
There are two types of materials used in SLA. They are build but epoxies are almost fully cured right in the
acrylate, and epoxy-based resins. During the build acrylate machine.
resin only partially cured and has a rubbery consistency.
As a result they require fewer and weaker supports,
which helps in part clean up, and accuracy.

Stereolithography (SLA) Stereolithography (SLA)

SLA process has following strengths: The weaknesses of the process are:

Good surface finish compared with other Models need support structures that must be
processes removed as a finishing operation
Usually complex geometry easily obtained Part can warp, especially with acrylate resins
Generally there is good accuracy of the Resins are hazardous and need careful
geometry handling

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Stereolithography (SLA) Stereolithography (SLA)

Following are the some of the applications of
SLA models:
Prototype for Form, fit, visual verification
Design & Engineering Aid
Market presentations
Process planning
Focus group studies
Stress analysis
Flow analysis

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

A laser beam traces out of the cross-section of one slice of
the part. Where the laser beam hits the powder, the affected
particles fused together.

Another layer of powder is then deposited on top of the

previous layer using a roller mechanism, and another slice of
the part is sintered onto the sintered material in the previous
slice.
The completed model is surrounded by unsintered powder
material can simply be brush off.
The laser is used to sinter powdered material. The powder
can be carbon steel with polymer binder, Nylon, Polystyrene,
Polycarbonate, Investment casting wax, Ceramics coated with
binder, Zirconium sand with polymer or flexible elastomer.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Following are some of the weaknesses of SLS
Strength of SLS process is: process:

No post-curing of the part is needed, unless Surface of the parts are porous, and surface
they are ceramic finish can be poor
Parts can often be built without additional Process machines can take a long time to
support structures heat up and cool down

Parts in a range of materials can be Investment casting requires the surface of

obtained directly master parts to be sealed
Parts can warp significantly

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Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Some of the applications of SLS models are:

Conceptual prototype models

Functional Models
Investor/Customer feedback
Secondary Tooling/Fixture design
Master die casting/EDM
Feasibility Testing/Structural testing/analysis
Assembly/Manufacturing Planning

Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

The layers are built up by pulling a long, thin sheet of

pre-glued paper or plastic across the base plate, and
fixing it in place with a heated laminating roller that
activates the glue.

Then a laser beam is scanned over the surface and

cuts out the outline of that layer of the object.

The laser intensity is set at just the level needed to cut

through a single layer of material.

Then the rest of the paper is crosshatched to make it

easier to break away later.
LOM process schematic

Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) Materials Involved

The base plate moves down, and the whole process
starts again. Paper (most common)
The sheet of material is made significantly wider than the Plastics
base plate, so when the base plate moves down, it leaves
a neat rectangular hole behind. Composites
This scrap material is wound onto a second roller, pulling Metals
a new section across the base plate as it goes.
Ceramics
At the end of the build process, the little crosshatched
columns are broken away to reveal the final part.

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Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

Following are some of the weaknesses of LOM

Strengths of LOM process are: process:
Parts can be sanded, drilled and tapped Wooden parts with thin cross section often
Large parts can be made quickly and relatively have poor strength
cheaply Wooden parts absorb moisture unless the
No support structure is required as its own surface is treated
material supports the part. Surface finish before post-processing is poor
Simple to use and no environmental concern compared to some other RP techniques
Sometimes breaking out parts can be difficult

Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

Some of the applications of LOM parts are:

Concept modeling
LOM parts can be used for verification of a
design to ensure that a correct fit is obtained
with mating parts
Models can be used as further production
process such as sand casting

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

A filament of heated materials is extruded from a fine

nozzle that moves in the x-y plane, laid down to form a
thin cross-sectional slice of the part.

After the platform is lowered the extrusion head

deposits a second layer upon the first.

As the extruded filament is hot it bonds to the material

in the previous slice.

Fused Deposition Modeling process Schematic

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Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

A second nozzle is used to extrude a different material

in order to build up support structures for the part where Strengths of FDM process are:
needed. Once the part is completed the support
structure must be broken away from the part.
Parts can be made from variety of materials
Materials used in FDM process:
Machine can be easily set up and used in an
ABS (P400), Investment casting wax (ICW0044), office environment
polyamide plastic (P301).
Although a slight layering texture is noticeable on the
Material is supplied in spool and which is
surface of the parts, plastic-based FDM machines easy to handle and can be changed quickly
produce very strong and durable prototypes that are
ideal for functional testing.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

Following are some of the weaknesses of

FDM process: Some of the applications of FDM parts are:
Support structure is needed Concept modeling
Process is slow on parts with large mass Fit, form and functional test
Poor surface finish Pattern for investment casting
Smaller features are difficult to build

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Three Dimensional Printing (3DP)

The multi-channel jetting head (similar to that used for

ink-jet printing) deposits a liquid adhesive compound onto
the top layer of a bed of powder object material.

Binder is deposited in areas corresponding to the cross

sections of part, as determined by slicing the CAD
geometric model into layers

The particles of the powder become bonded in the areas

where the adhesive is deposited.

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Three Dimensional Printing (3DP) Three Dimensional Printing (3DP)

Once a layer is completed the piston moves down by the
thickness of a layer. As in selective laser sintering, the
powder supply system is similar in function to the build
cylinder.

This case the piston moves upward incrementally to

supply powder for the process and the roller spreads and
compresses the powder on the top of the build cylinder.

The process is repeated until the entire object is

Three Dimensional completed within the powder bed.
Printing process
schematic
After completion the object is elevated and the extra
powder brushed and cure the binder.

3D Printing Machines & Printers Materials Options for 3D Printing

Metallic materials – Plain Carbon Steel, Tool Steel, Stainless
steel, Aluminium, Copper, Titanium, Bronze, Nickel Alumides
Polymers and Polymeric Composites - ABS, Nylon
(Polyamide), Polycarbonate, Epoxies, Glass filled polyamide,
Windform, Polystyrene, Polyester

Others - Sand, Ceramics, Elastomers, Tungsten, Wax, Starch,

Plaster

Bio Compatible Materials - Polycaprolactone (PCL),

polypropylene-tricalcium phosphate, (PP-TCP), PCL-
hydroxyapatite (HA), polyetheretherketone-hydroxyapatite,
3D Printing Equipment
(PEEK-HA), tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP), beta – tricalcium
phosphate (TCP), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

Three Dimensional Printing (3DP) Three Dimensional Printing (3DP)

Strengths of 3DP process are:
Some of the applications of 3DP parts are:
Shorter build times when compared to other RP
technologies 3DP components are typically used as ‘Proof of
concept’ models
Inexpensive raw materials when compared to other RP
technologies When impregnated appropriately they can also be
Lack of support structures allows complex geometry to used as sacrificial master patterns in the investment
be created casting process.

Following are some of the weaknesses of 3DP process:

Newly printed parts are fragile and require infiltration
Surface finish is relatively poor

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3D Printing Applications of 3D Printing

Prototypes for Medical Applications

Geometric complexity is not a limitation in 3D Printing

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM) Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM)

Schematic of LENSTM process

Properties of Rapid Prototype Parts Limitations of Rapid Prototype Parts

It is difficult to compare many properties of RP parts There are mainly two areas of limitations in Rapid
directly, as these depend not only on the material being use Prototyping. They are commercial limitations and quality
but also on the direction in which the property is being limitations.
measured.
Commercial limitations
It is important to have some understanding of the relative  High equipment prices
properties of parts made by the different RP technologies.  Slow speed
These include several key properties:  Feasibility of small feature
Surface Roughness
Dimensional Accuracy Quality limitations
Mechanical properties  Poor part accuracy
 Inferior physical properties

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Applications of Rapid prototyping Applications of Rapid

Technology prototyping Technology
Concept models Flow Analysis
Rapid prototype parts can be used as Certain products required undergoing
evaluation of proof of concept and design aerodynamic or fluid dynamic analysis.
visualization model.
“A picture may say more than 1000 words, RP models that are very close to the shape SLA manifold
but a real prototype says more than 1000 of the finished product can be used for full A SLA multi faceted manifold used for flow
pictures” scale or scale-down tests.
visualization by the Rover group.
the 3D printer concept model used in Ford
motor company.
Stress Analysis
Test fit and function
In product development process it is Rapid prototypes can be used to
necessary to evaluate the form, fit and perform photo-elastic stress analysis.
function of the parts.
This stress analysis used for the
The RP model is used to check that the component purpose of design validation and
is the correct shape to fit into its given envelope and correlation of FEA.
Ford motor company's Stereolithography exhaust
to mate with adjacent parts. manifold for experimental stress analysis.

Applications of Rapid Applications of Rapid

prototyping Technology prototyping Technology
Rapid casting Architectural models
Rapid Prototype master pattern can Figure shows the an architectural model,
be directlyRacecars
used to intake manifold for GM motor sports.
make variety of made in ceramic, using the 3D Printing
casting techniques such as investment system, a rapid prototyping system
casting, sand casting and die casting. developed in the manufacturing and
productivity laboratory at MIT.
Medical applications Architectural model of MIT

Art works
Figure shows the application of
stereolithography (SLA), can build complex Figure shows the artwork fabricated by the
rapid prototyping machine, the Z402 3D
SLA “cages” in record time and give surgeons
printer.
much-needed pre-operative evaluation tools
for delicate spinal disc implant surgery.

SLA cages Globe

Applications of Rapid
Rapid Tooling
prototyping Technology
Rapid Tooling: Advantages
 The term Rapid Tooling (RT)  Tooling time is much shorter than for a conventional
is typically used to describe tool. Typically, time to first articles is below one-fifth that
a process which either: of conventional tooling.

 uses a Rapid Prototyping  Tooling cost is much less than for a conventional tool.
(RP) model as a pattern to Cost can be below five percent of conventional tooling
create a mold quickly or cost.
 uses the Rapid Prototyping Disadvantages
process directly to fabricate
Rapid Tooling for a Rear-Wiper  Tool life is considerably less than for a conventional tool.
a tool for a limited volume of Motor Cover
prototypes .  Tolerances are wider than for a conventional tool.

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Applications of Rapid When is Rapid Manufacturing

prototyping Technology Suitable?
Rapid manufacturing (RM)
Rapid manufacturing refers to Complex geometry
technologies that allow the rapid
production of functional parts Mixed materials
directly from a CAD model.
Embedded components
Rapid manufacturing utilizes Customised products
layer-manufacturing techniques,
SLS generated DuraForm
by which parts are built layer by “science cup” holds Low production volume
layer. instruments

This approach allows the fabrication of very intricate High value

interior and exterior shapes, which would be virtually
impossible to manufacture with any other technologies.

Future of Rapid Prototyping

Any Questions?

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