3D PRINTING: Disruptive technology poised to transform manufacturing

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Two important milestones in the long march toward a three- dimensional printing revolution were achieved in late 2012 with little or no fanfare. First, General Electric announced that it had purchased a small precision-engineering firm called Morris Technologies, based near Cincinnati, Ohio (USA), and planned to use the company’s 3D printing machines to make parts for jet engines. Then The Economist disclosed that researchers at EADS, the European aerospace group best known for building Airbus aircraft, were using 3D printers to make a titanium landing-gear bracket and planned to “print” the entire wing of an airliner. Both companies cited the fact that it is far more economical to build titanium parts one layer at a time than to carve them out of a solid block of the expensive metal, generating significant waste material.

The twin developments at two of the world’s largest, most sophisticated manufacturers suggest that 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is moving into commercial use.“It’s not just GE and Airbus,” said Abe N. Reichental, president and chief executive officer of 3D Systems, a leading provider of 3D printers that is based in Rock Hill, South Carolina (USA). “Increasingly, we see 3D printing becoming the manufacturing platform of choice in a variety of fields, from specialty automotive parts to personalized medical devices.” The company says half the printers it sells now go into manufacturing settings.

EARNING MANUFACTURERS’ TRUST

Companies such as 3D Systems and Stratasys are driving down the costs of their printers, and more than 100 materials, including engineered plastics, rubbers, waxes, metals and composites, can now be 3D printed. In late February, scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland even announced that they have successfully used 3D printing techniques to layer live stem cells into different configurations, raising the possibility that the technology may one day be used to print human organs.

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william.holstein@3ds.com'

William J. Holstein