Insights

Trends in Additive Manufacturing for end-use production with 3D Hubs

3D Printing Industry is taking an in depth look at how additive manufacturing is moving to production. Over the coming weeks the results of interviews with industry leading practitioners will be published.

This article is part of a series examining Trends in Additive Manufacturing for End-Use Production.

Dr. Ben Redwood, is Technical Marketing Manager at 3D Hubs. 3D Hubs is a global network of 5,083 connected manufacturing services. Since 2013, the 3D Hubs network has produced over one million parts.

3D Printing Industry: What is your percentage estimate of how much hub printers are used for production versus other applications?

Dr. Ben Redwood: The best way to analyze this apart from anecdotal information is that 6% of orders on 3D Hubs in the last six months have had at least one model that’s printed in a quantity of 10 or more. It’s safe to assume these parts are for production purposes.

3DPI: Which industries or verticals are leading in the use of AM for production?

BR: The medical industry, in particular in the creation of dental products and hearing aids. When you look at the Aerospace and Automotive industry you really see adoption in line with the rise of metal 3D printing. The industries that need a high strength to weight ratio in their parts are using metal 3D printing for production purposes thanks to its ability to create geometrically free parts. We are literally seeing parts made that could have never been this easily created with previous manufacturing technologies.

We’re also seeing a sharp rise in FDM plastic being used for end production parts, PEEK and ASA in particular, jigs and fixture being the predominant application. PEEK and ASA are good all rounders for production quality parts we continually hear from customers. People seem to be actually testing their prototypes strength with AM, putting it under load as opposed to it being purely for form and fit testing.

3D Hubs produced a guide to the primary additive manufacturing technologies.
3D Hubs produced a guide to the primary additive manufacturing technologies.

3DPI: What barriers does AM face for production and how are these surmountable?

BR: The biggest thing here is that people who are unfamiliar with the technology and are not aware of the quality of the parts.

Here at 3D Hubs the number 1 question we are asked is “how do you ensure quality”. We’re trying to fight this issue through stipulating manufacturing guidelines (customer expectations set early on). This whole issue can be summarised as firstly an issue of education “what does it do” and secondly an issue of the certification “how do you guarantee it”.

The 3D Printing Handbook was recently launched. Photo via 3D Hubs.
The 3D Printing Handbook was recently launched. Photo via 3D Hubs.

3DPI: Are there any notable trends in AM for end use production?

BR: 3D printing technology is somewhat static at the moment but materials continue to be optimised and developed. An FDM machine prints in much the same way as it started but the materials for it have completely changed. Specific materials for specific applications, we alone offer 400. This can be concluded as more practical applications are seeing materials developed for their use cases moving traditionally manufactured parts to 3D printing as their means of production.

[L-R] Bram de Zwart. CEO & Co-Founder. Brian Garret. Co-Founder. Photo via 3D Hubs.
[L-R] Bram de Zwart. CEO & Co-Founder. Brian Garret. Co-Founder. Photo via 3D Hubs.
3DPI: Can you name any specific case studies where AM is used for end use production?

BR: Rehook, a bicycle accessory brand, were able to manufacture over 500 units of their product to a high consistency level, bringing it to market in a matter of days instead of months on 3D Hubs.

The Rehook bicycle accessory was 3D printed by 3D Hubs.
The Rehook bicycle accessory was 3D printed by 3D Hubs.

This article is part of a series examining Trends in Additive Manufacturing for End-Use Production.

You can read more about  3D Hubs here.

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