TECHNOLOGY
Aluminium Among Latest Material Options in Consumer 3D Printing
When innovative 3D printers gain access to a new production material, the possibilities are endless.
13 July, 2016
Another example of maker culture meeting a new metal: the latest 3D printer option from Materialise, a global leader in 3D innovation based in Belgium, now makes aluminium available in creating strong, lightweight designs.
What is most exciting about the Materialise announcement is that it's geared toward creatives in the consumer market who are looking for a different material beyond steel, brass and other metal choices.
Aluminium joins two other experimental options, copper and wood, in the company's new portfolio of 3D printing materials as the maturing industry moves beyond its early polyamides and resins. Now one of 21 different materials available, the aluminium option is delivered by using a fine powdered form of the metal that is printed, layer by layer, using a technique called direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).
Aluminium joins two other experimental options, copper and wood, in the company's new portfolio of 3D printing materials as the maturing industry moves beyond its early polyamides and resins. Now one of 21 different materials available, the aluminium option is delivered by using a fine powdered form of the metal that is printed, layer by layer, using a technique called direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).
Images: i.materialise
What sintering does is change a powder to a solid by heating it below its melting point. With DMLS, a high-powered and precise laser beam is focused at the aluminium powder to print out an object – from lawn mower parts to jewelry – that emerges and then is removed from the powder box. The completed object has a finished matte look, rather than appearing shiny as some aluminium does.
The technology makes it possible to manufacture objects from complex, non-rectangular designs that cannot be created by any other machining process. Ideal candidates for the DMLS process are aluminium pieces that feature a "mesh and holes" look, commonly seen in jewelry, or when making parts and their spares. The process a reliable way for engineers and artists to produce high-quality items with precision detail.
The technology makes it possible to manufacture objects from complex, non-rectangular designs that cannot be created by any other machining process. Ideal candidates for the DMLS process are aluminium pieces that feature a "mesh and holes" look, commonly seen in jewelry, or when making parts and their spares. The process a reliable way for engineers and artists to produce high-quality items with precision detail.
As the 3D choices and applications from Materialise expand, the online printing company is equipped to offer to independent artisans and entrepreneurs a level of professional results long available in manufacturing. Customers who use the Materialise service upload their designs, choose their options, and then have the company execute the process, making it easy to create without having your own printer.
The maker aspects are fun, and the company emphasizes that fun with design contests for everything from creating individual drones to valentines and from slot cars to monsters. The design challenges are held in collaboration with corporate sponsors that take a serious turn, too, as they tap into co-creation energies focused on designs for Apple accessories or a new Raspberry cover. The 3D printing services, offered by Materialise or companies like Shapeways that target consumers, also are emerging as an important option for small- and medium-sized businesses seeking cost-effective ways to compete.
The maker aspects are fun, and the company emphasizes that fun with design contests for everything from creating individual drones to valentines and from slot cars to monsters. The design challenges are held in collaboration with corporate sponsors that take a serious turn, too, as they tap into co-creation energies focused on designs for Apple accessories or a new Raspberry cover. The 3D printing services, offered by Materialise or companies like Shapeways that target consumers, also are emerging as an important option for small- and medium-sized businesses seeking cost-effective ways to compete.
The technology allows companies like Normal Earphones, recently featured in Fortune magazine, to produce items on a smaller manufacturing scale right-sized for the development phase of the business and their reach in the marketplace. Companies like Normal, which makes personalized earbuds with a snug fit unique to each user, can use a service or their own 3D printers to make their products. That access to 3D printing is bridging the distance between huge multinational companies who employ the techniques when making prototypes and consumers starting out on new designs.
Image: Normal Earphones
Image: Normal Earphones
Industry analysts at Wohlers Associates, which specializes in additive manufacturing and 3D consulting, noted in April 2016 that the global market now exceeds $5.1 billion and is on pace to hit $20 billion by 2020. Much of that growth is expected in the consumer market, where the availability of exciting new materials and affordable processes continues to spark the imagination and new creative talents.