Additive Manufacturing’s Benefits Are Real
Ed Morris, director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, spoke at last week’s Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. His presentation identified benefits of additive manufacturing that are imp...
What is Additive Manufacturing?
For those who have heard the terms “3D printing” and “additive manufacturing” without knowing precisely what they refer to, AMT created a graphic depicting how the additive manufacturing process works.
Optimizing Mass and Material
Most machined parts have more material than necessary. This is true even after all of the cutting is finished.
How 3D Printing Methods Differ
It was about a year ago that 3D printer makers Stratasys and Objet announced their plan to merge. This video from the now-united company shows a 3D-printed part made with both of the machine lines.
Driving Change, Layer by Layer
A vehicle currently in development will not only have a body produced entirely via additive manufacturing processes, but also promises to break new ground in fuel efficiency.
Quick Replacement Parts (Including Precious Ones)
Shops that have additive manufacturing capability in-house can sometimes use this 3D printing to quickly make replacement components for critical equipment.
Accepted Terminology for Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing can be challenging to understand because of how many processes the term includes. Here is a list of officially recognized terms recognized by two major standards organizations.
3D Printing’s Expanding Role
By providing solid prototypes of proposed part designs, one company has saved enough money in avoided rework to pay for its new 3D printer several times over.
Machining for Additive Manufacturing
Even though one is “subtractive” and one is additive, CNC machining and additive manufacturing are not competitors.
Scaling Up 3D Printing
One of the most inhibiting limitations of additive manufacturing is build size, but that is currently being overcome.
