Startups and emerging companies are providing 3D printing solutions for creating various automotive parts. Additive manufacturing with different materials also allows for designing versatile components and spare parts. These include materials that possess a variety of properties like elasticity, conductivity, and heat resistance, all of which have automotive applications. Automotive companies use prototyping of parts or full-scale designs for multiple purposes, including for testing forms and shapes. 3D printing of prototypes involves considerably lower costs than actually fabricating the design. This opens new opportunities for startups to test new material combinations with low-cost multiple iterations, thus enabling rapid prototyping.

• Rapid DMLS enables 3D Direct Metal Laser Sintering
• Upwego provides 3D Printing Software [1]

Figure 1. 3D Printing

3D Printing is shown in figure 1. 3D-printing is revolutionizing the rapid prototyping in analytical chemistry. In the last few years, we observed the development of 3D-printed components for ion studies, such as ion sources, ion transfer and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) devices. Often, 3D-printed gadgets add functions to existing mass spectrometry (MS) systems. Custom adapters improve the sensibility for coupling with ambient ionization and upstream chromatography methods, and sample preparation units optimize the following MS analyses. Besides, 3D-printer parts are suitable for constructing custom analytical robots and mass imaging systems.

Some of those assemblies implement new concepts and are commercially not available. An essential aspect of using 3D-printing is the fast turnover of design improvements, which is motivated by permissive licenses. The easy reproducibility and exchange of ideas lead to a community-driven development, which is accompanied by economic advantages for public research and education.[2]

Advantages of 3D printing:

1. 1 Cost reduction
2. 2 Less waste
3. 3 Reduce production time
4. 4 An enhanced competitive advantage
5. 5 Reduce errors
6. 6 Confidentiality
7. 7 Production on demand

Disadvantages of 3D printing:

1. Initial costs of printer
2. Post processing
3. Printing time
4. Special skill required for 3D models
5. Manufacturing Job Losses [3]

3D printing, like modeling or three dimensional scanning, is a creation tool among other things, but what most distinguishes it is its potential to create an almost unlimited number of shapes. As with every tool, you need to master it, to take advantage of its abilities, but also know its limits. Prototyping is not the ultimate solution for every manufacturing need. Techniques that are hundreds, or even thousands, of years old such as casting, machining, and blowing, will still stay in our industrial landscape for a long time. [4]

References:

1. https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/top-10-mobility-industry-trends-innovations-in-2021/#3d-printing
2. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ay/d0ay02290j
3. https://tractus3d.com/knowledge/learn-3d-printing/advantages-of-3d-printing/
4. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/make-design-for/9781457187353/app01.html

Cite this article:

Gokula Nandhini K (2023), 3D Printing, AnaTechMaz, pp. 114