3 D Printing for Lighting · 5/21/2020 · 3‐D printing materials • Materials available Sheettypically categorized under – Polymers – Metals – Ceramics – Composites,

© 2020 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. All rights reserved.

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3‐D Printing for Solid‐State Lighting

N. Narendran, Ph. D., Indika Perera, Ph. D.Lighting Research Center

Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteAmerican Lighting Association, Webinar | May 21, 2020


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Key points of today’s presentation

• The advantages of 3‐D printing – how it works• The materials used in 3‐D printed products• The equipment and skills needed to produce finished lighting products • How this technology might change the residential lighting industry• How the industry can collaborate to develop and grow this technology


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Overview: 3‐D Printing Technology, Market, and Applications


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What is 3‐D printing?

• Objects are fabricated by depositing material layer by layer

• Also known as additive manufacturing (AM)

• There are several types of 3‐D printing processes

https://3dprinting.com/what‐is‐3d‐printing/


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Expanding markets for 3‐D printing

• Several industries have embraced 3‐D printing for manufacturing parts – Just recently, Boeing and Airbus announced 600 and 1000 3‐D printed parts respectively in their new planes

– Similar news from the automotive, medical, and dental industries

• The 3‐D printing industry is quickly maturing

• Question: – Can 3‐D printing work for lighting?

https://3dprint‐com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/3dprint.com/262742/boeing‐777x‐takes‐first‐flight‐with‐over‐600‐3d‐printed‐parts/amp/

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/airbus‐a350‐xwb‐takes‐off‐with‐over‐1000‐3d‐printed‐parts‐48412/


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Market Size

• 3‐D printing market size:– $13 billion in 2019– projected to reach $30 billion by 2024

• Lighting luminaire market size: – $88 billion in 2019– projected to reach $100+ billion by 2024

Recreated with information by Robert Steele, Strategies in Light 2020

Recreated with information from https://amfg.ai/2020/01/14/40‐3d‐printing‐industry‐stats‐you‐should‐know‐2020/?cn‐reloaded=1


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Why 3‐D printing for LED lighting fixtures?

• Cost effective custom lighting fixtures • Print and assemble (one‐step) • On‐demand manufacturing • Reduced carbon footprint

– Local manufacturing – 50% lower energy in the manufacturing processes (DOE 2017)

• Reduce inventory of systems and parts


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3‐D printed lighting products today

• Mostly decorative fixtures– Gantri– Interplay Lighting– LumenArt– Lumenique– Signify

• At present, most printed components for light fixtures are only the aesthetic lamp shades and the mechanical housing

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https://www.designboom.com/design/gantri‐3d‐printing‐bring‐designer‐lights‐life‐11‐02‐2017/

https://lucept.com/2019/05/21/signifys‐3d‐printed‐mycreation‐series/

www.interplaylighting.com

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/51/ea/ea51ea6ec44bf37006d000ba6e914835.jpg

lumeniquessl.comLumenart, X‐Series


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3‐D Printing Processes, Equipment, and Materials


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Common 3‐D printing processes

• Material extrusion

• Vat photopolymerization

• Powder bed fusion

• Material jetting


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Material extrusion

• Material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle

– Fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF)

• Thermoplastic material fed through heated extruder

– Continuous fiber fabrication (CFF) Source: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/amrg/about/the7categoriesofadditivemanufacturing/materialextrusion//


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Vat photopolymerization

• Parts are produced from photopolymer material in a liquid state cured using either:– Stereolithography (SLA)

• Selectively cure photopolymer material using lasers

– Digital light processing (DLP)• Selectively cure photopolymer material using digital light projectors

Source: Wallace et al., “Validating continuous digital light processing (cDLP) additive manufacturing accuracy and tissue engineering utility of a dye‐initiator package,” Biofabrication, 2014, 6, 015003


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Powder bed fusion

• Thermal energy is used to selectively fuse regions of a powder bed– Selective laser sintering (SLS), Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), Selective laser melting (SLM)

• A laser is used to fuse or melt the powder (glass, ceramic, plastics, metal, etc.)

– Electron beam melting (EBM)• An electron beam is used to fuse or melt the metal powder

– Multi jet fusion (MJF)• A polymer powder is fused by a thermal curing process using binding agent and detailing agent (print resolution and finish)

Source: Thompson et al., “An overview of Direct Laser Deposition for additive manufacturing; Part I: Transport phenomena, modeling and diagnostics,” Additive Manufacturing, 8, 2015, pp. 36‐62


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Material jetting

• Droplets of build material are selectively deposited using thermal or piezoelectric methods

• Deposited material is then solidified due to cooling or cured using UV radiation.

• Multi‐jet modeling (MJM)– Photocurable plastic resin deposited using piezo print head

Source: http://www.me.vt.edu/dreams/material‐jetting/


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3‐D printing equipment

• Cost ranges from several thousands to half million dollars• Printed object size from 4 x 5 x 5 in to 40 x 30 x 20 in

Source: https://www.ligna.de/product/loctite-3d-printing/150420/L842881 and

https://www.3dprintingmedia.network/loctite-pr10-dlp-3d-printer/loctite-30769_dlp-printer_dv_webxl/

Source: http://www.ict.com.hk/productdetails/111.htmSource: https://3duniverse.org/2018/08/03/ultima

ker-s5-introduction/

Source: http://nicklievendag.com/makerbot-replicator-5th-generation-review/ and https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21085214/stratasys-boom-supersonic-

signs-sevenyear-partnership-extension-with-stratasys-for-3d-printing

www.blessthisstuff.com/imagens/stuff/desktop‐metal‐3d‐printer.jpg

https://inhabitat.com/stratasys‐unveils‐the‐worlds‐first‐multi‐color‐multi‐material‐3d‐printer/

Source: https://cimquest-inc.com/cimquest-receives-new-

hp-580-series-printer/


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3‐D printing materials

• Materials available typically categorized under– Polymers– Metals– Ceramics– Composites, e.g., polymers + metal fillers

• Composite materials can have filler particles (e.g., metals, wood) so that the final part takes on the appearance of the filler

• Clear materials are available– Not completely optically clear– Longevity needs to be evaluated

PolymerMetal

Ceramic

Material jettingDirect energy deposition

Source: Adopted from IDTechEx 2018, Masterclass 7 handouts

Powder bed fusionSheet lamination

Vat photopolymerizationMaterial extrusionBinder jetting

Processed steel

Source: https://3dprint.com/45916/filamet‐metal‐filament‐3d/Source: https://maker.pro/custom/tutorial/metal‐composite‐filaments‐3d‐print‐parts‐that‐look‐like‐metal

As printed


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UL certified materials

• UL Blue Card for 3‐D printing “plastic” materials– Similar to UL Yellow Card for plastics used in

traditional manufacturing

– Additive manufacturing: 33 certified materials• DSM, HP, Stratasys, etc.

– The UL Blue Card also includes information on:• 3‐D print technology used• 3‐D printer model used• Test specimen build‐parameters e.g., build orientation, layer height, infill, etc.

• Multiple safety‐ and performance‐related property ratings tested to appropriate standards Source: Certified Plastics for Additive Manufacturing Program. The UL Blue Card – Plastics safety, performance and

quality – Recognized.


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3‐D printing process

• Conceptualize object to be 3‐D printed• Create CAD model

– Minimum feature size– Wall thickness

• Run model slicing software, select:– Print orientation– Layer height– Print speed– Fill factor

• Send electronic file to 3‐D printer• Printing• Post processing/finishing

Source: https://technorphosis.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/3d‐printing‐process.jpg

SLA print with opaque resin

SLA print with water clear resin

SLA print with plating

CUSTOM STANDARD NATURAL UNFINISHED

CUSTOM STANDARD NATURAL UNFINISHED

CUSTOM BRUSHED SEMI‐BRIGHT

STANDARD

Source: Protolabs surface finishing 3D printing

Post Processing


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Cost comparison: 3‐D printing and injection molding

Zuzanna Lamp(https://cults3d.com/en/3d‐model/home/zuzanna‐lamp)

Dimensions: 197.12 mm × 196.90 mm × 172.46 mm

Shapeshifter(https://cults3d.com/en/3d‐model/home/shapeshifter‐lampshade‐

inspired‐by‐the‐dentelle‐collection)

Dimensions: 137.71 mm × 137.71 mm × 132.41 mm

Volume ~ 3 X Volume ~ x


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How can the Lighting Industry Benefit from 3‐D Printing


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Initial investment required to add 3‐D printing capabilities

• Machines and materials– Knowledge and skill on the specific hardware, materials,

modeling, and product design for AM skills

• Facilities– To house printers, materials, post processing facilities,

environmental requirements (e.g., ventilation)

• Education– Skills

• Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)• Creativity specifically for 3‐D printing

– Material saving, print time reduction– A skilled person is needed to optimize designs and print

parametersSource: Dustin Kloempken from HP SiL presentation in

2019Ultimaker Original 3D Printer Filament (ABS / PLA)

Investment needed ~ $250k to over $1M


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Select fixture type:Home owner or interior designer

Customize lamp shade to match interior

design

• Shape• Size

• Color• Texture

Lamp shade is printed at lighting showroom

or on‐site

• Catalog item• New design

Lamp shade is shipped home

• Design iterations as needed

Customized lighting for the home Opportunity for distributed manufacturing


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LRC Vision for SSL and 3‐D PrintingChange Architectural Lighting Practice

Fixture design On-demand, On-site manufacturing

Custom fixtures

Credit: Lighting Research Center

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edificio_dise%C3%B1ado_para_el_mar.jpg


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Lighting Research Center Studies

• Since 2016, LRC researchers have been investigating how functional thermo‐mechanical, electrical, and optical components can be fabricated using 3‐D printing technologies and materials to manufacture complete SSL lighting fixtures.

[LRC 2017]Credit: Lighting Research Center

Credit: Lighting Research Center


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LRC’s AM for Lighting Consortium

• Additive manufacturing (AM) is poised to transform industries by increasing flexibility, speed, efficiency, responsiveness, and power across value chains and entire ecosystems.

• Our goal is to collectively understand the state of the art of AM and in particular its impact on the solid‐state lighting, building, and construction industries, so as to enable all participants to be proactive and seize the opportunities to shape the future of lighting.

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LRC’s activities in AM

• Research– Thermal conductivity of 3D‐printed components for LED lighting– Thermal characterization of three‐dimensional printed

components for light‐emitting diode lighting system applications– Analyzing theoretical models for predicting thermal conductivity

of composite materials for LED heat sink applications– Understanding the potential for 3‐D printed antennas– Understanding the dimensional tolerances of 3‐D printed parts– Optical properties of 3D printed reflective and transmissive

components for use in LED lighting fixture applications– Completely additively manufactured SSL luminaire (DOE funded,

Eaton Corp., Xerox)

• Education– Have included 3‐D printing hands‐on activities in the LED Lighting

Institute curriculum since 2016– A dedicated 3‐D Printing for Lighting Institute is in preparation


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Join us to accelerate the next lighting transformation!

• Additive manufacturing for lighting is on the horizon

• Consortium members are proactive and seizing opportunities to shape the future of lighting and now have a better understanding about which AM print and material technologies made the grade and the additional developments needed to make AM beneficial to the lighting industry.

• See more: www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/solidstate/3DConsortiumActivities.asp


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Lighting industry change over the next 5 years

IMPACT• Increased local manufacturing and jobs

• Reduced carbon footprint• Better quality custom fixtures


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Thank you!

N. Narendran, Ph. [email protected]‐276‐7176

Documents

3 D Printing for Lighting · 5/21/2020 · 3‐D printing materials • Materials available Sheettypically categorized under – Polymers – Metals – Ceramics – Composites,