E X P E R T S E R V I C E S

3D PRINTINGUNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTIONLOW VOLUME PRODUCTION | LIFE CYCLE SUSTAINABILITYINCREASED PART FUNCTIONALITY | SUPPLY CHAIN REALIGNMENT PERSONALIZED PRODUCTS | DESIGN COMPLEXITY

CONTENTS

PREFACE 03

INTRODUCTION TO 3D PRINTING 04

HOW 3D PRINTING RESPONDS TO GLOBAL MEGATRENDS 06

3D PRINTING ADOPTION DRIVERS 10

HOW IS 3D PRINTING SUPPORTING SECTORS? 18

MATERIALS USED IN 3D PRINTING 24

DEVELOPING A 3D PRINTING STRATEGY 26

PREFACE

There have been numerous headlines postulating how 3D printing will change the business landscape, how it will re-shore manufacturing to high wage economies, disrupt established businesses and bring consumers and manufacturers closer together. Although all valid points of view, many of these headlines fail to explain how these changes will happen and why 3D printing will provide the catalyst for such changes.

As someone who was first introduced to 3D printing back in the very early 1990s, I have been extremely lucky to watch the technology evolve and mature over the last 20 years. I have even been privileged to see

and influence the wide range of applications the technology has been applied to and the innovative business models it has enabled.

I have decided to pull together some of this experience and insight from the great team I have around me within Stratasys Expert Services and use it to address some of the unanswered questions that senior managers and executives ask us about 3D printing. In this book we examine the business drivers to 3D printing adoption and the global megatrends driving business to think differently in today’s ever-changing business climate.

We look at 3D printing from a sector perspective and also the supply chain perspective from raw materials to retail. We also touch on the materials that we can print with today, their applications and the technical capability of today’s 3D printing hardware.

Finally we discuss the importance of developing corporate-level 3D printing strategies and how we at Stratasys Expert Services help companies maximize the potential of 3D printing across the value chain.

Dr. Phil ReevesVice President, Stratasys Expert Services

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Although there is some disparity of opinion when it comes to predicting the growth of the 3D printing market, one thing is sure: The adoption of 3D printing as an engine for growth and innovation is reaching levels where the potential for disruption is becoming very real.

$4B

CURRENT MARKET VALUE

$12B Credit Suisse

$13 – 21B Morgan Stanley

$21B Wohlers

PREDICTED GROWTH BY 2020

INTRODUCING 3D PRINTINGAS A TOOL FOR CORPORATE INNOVATION

3D printing has widely become a term used by many, but truly understood by very few. The term “3D printing” is used to describe a wide range of technologies and manufacturing methods that can be found across society.

From the student’s study to the professional designer’s office, from the dental laboratory to the jewelry retailer, from the aerospace factory to the hospital basement, 3D printers have become invaluable business tools. Applications and reasons are as diverse as the users.

What links all these applications and users is one underlying ability: to transition 3D information digitally and seamlessly from the virtual world to the real world with nothing but a computer and a 3D printer – from bytes to bits.

The benefits of 3D printing today go way beyond just making models and prototypes. 3D printing is becoming a way of making components, systems and products sold across the supply chain, from the bracket in the aircraft door to the dental aligner in the teenager’s mouth.

WHY?

As a digital way of making, 3D printing presents a range of compelling business benefits that can be exploited in different ways across the supply chain by companies in almost every sector of the economy.

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Firstly, as a digital technology, 3D printing dislocates the traditional relationship between part cost and production volume, making it highly suited to low-volume production applications where traditional tooling investment can be difficult to justify.

Secondly, because 3D printing uses a layer-by-layer, particle-by-particle approach to manufacturing, it is able to make very complicated shapes that are unimaginable using traditional process such as molding, machining or casting. Unlike these traditional processes, complexity with 3D printing is also dislocated from cost, making it a highly efficient way of making intricate shapes.

By coupling the low volume economic benefits of 3D printing with the ability to make highly complex geometries, 3D printing is also becoming a powerful solution for manufacturing individual, personalized and patient-specific products, along with lightweight, efficient and optimized components.

In addition to the economic and design benefits, 3D printing can also improve on the traditional supply chain. By removing tooling from the production process, 3D printing breaks the bond between customers and single-source suppliers.

This also enables parts to be made closer to the customer, consumer or patient, reducing lead times, transportation costs and environmental impact.

3D printing has a great deal to offer companies that can embed it into their supply chains and value chain. But, not all businesses are the same and the benefits of 3D printing are different for different sectors.

3D printing enables companies to think differently about the products they design and make and the services they provide to their customers.

HOW 3D PRINTING RESPONDS TO

GLOBAL MEGATRENDSFrom social networking to crowd sourcing, from the sharing economy to the Internet of Things, society is changing at an ever-increasing pace.

People are living longer, becoming more connected and mobile, yet gravitating toward ever-expanding cities. And, increased mobility, urbanization and an aging population are putting a strain on physical and financial resources.

These megatrends are largely beyond the control of companies or even governments, yet companies must respond to the challenges and opportunities that these high-level changes present. We believe 3D printing offers a potential solution for companies wishing to exploit some of the emerging megatrends, while helping to offset the potential impact they will have on established businesses.

INDIVIDUALIZATION

Consumers want products that reflect their individuality. Moving away from traditional brand loyalty, they prefer loose relationships with multiple suppliers who can provide increasing levels of product personalization, from fashion and apparel to homeware and furniture, from automobiles to fast-moving consumer goods.

To drive this interaction, consumers are accessing ever more intuitive websites to move back along the supply chain, becoming part of the product design function of a business and providing design intent for products that have yet to be manufactured.

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In response, manufacturers need to find lean, agile production solutions that can be plugged into the existing supply chain and respond to batch sizes of one. Industrial 3D printing is one such solution.

But, consumers are also becoming the makers in the emerging individualized world. The resurgence in traditional crafts skills combined with an uptake in digital technologies such as consumer 3D printers has enabled people to become makers, sharers and sellers of their own products. Established companies now need to think very differently about the role of the consumer in the supply chain and the growing importance of data as a sellable commodity, rather than just tangible goods.

REORGANIZATION OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Increasing awareness of health and fitness is changing the way people live their lives. While reducing demands on some parts of the health care system, it is also driving up the average age of the population, leading to a range of age-related treatments such as orthopedic implants, reconstructive dental implants and cardio vascular surgery.

3D printing is helping to deliver efficiency gains and innovation in the health care system with the production of surgical models to streamline complex operations and the manufacture of accessible personalized prosthetics.

DIGITAL CULTURE AND UBIQUITOUS INTELLIGENCE

From the appliances in our kitchens, to the heating and lighting around our homes, from the cars in our garages to the communication devices in our pockets, digital technologies pervade every aspect of our lives.

The race toward digitization has only just started, driven by new Internet of Things-enabled devices, along with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, cloud-based services and web 3.0. Companies addressing this new digital age need to find new ways of responding to changing consumer trends and data patterns using highly configurable technologies such as 3D printing embedded within future “digital factories” configured to the emerging standards of Industry 4.0.

TECHNOLOGY CONVERGENCE

Technology convergence is not a new concept. You only have to look at how our calendars, email, personal navigation, online retail and smart home control systems have now converged into one single app-driven device.

Within manufacturing, technologies are also converging, with metallic 3D printing systems now being integrated into CNC machining cells and low-end consumer 3D printers and 3D scanners being integrated into one-touch reverse engineering solutions. 3D printing technologies are also converging, with machines printing combined multi-material products in ceramics, polymers, biomaterials and metals, enabling embedded functionality within the printing process. These systems have the potential to revolutionize the way we make products with in-situ embedded sensors, actuators, fluidic reactors, energy delivery and energy-harvesting capability. They will also enable us to think differently about how we use materials with new mechanical, thermal and electrical properties formulated specifically and only for 3D printing.

GLOBALIZATION 2.0

Globalization is one of the most noticeable megatrends that impacts business today. The signs are clear to see: a shift in the location of economic power centers, the volatility of interlinked economies, the emergence of a global middle class, a truly globalized flow of capital and increasingly fragmented and distributed value chains.

Companies need to be highly responsive to changing consumption patterns and local demographics, embracing technologies such as 3D printing that enable globally distributed manufacturing nearer to the point of local consumption.

BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS

Traditional business models are changing. Companies such as Uber, Airbnb, Local Motors, PayPal and Fairphone are all disrupting the status quo of the established sectors in which they operate. 3D printing is also being used as a catalyst for disruption, with companies such as 3D Hubs challenging the traditional model of the factory by networking over 25,000 consumer 3D printers into a global virtual factory network. Headphone manufacturing company Normal Ears is also changing the way consumers engage in the retail value chain by turning 3D scanning and 3D printing of personalized headphones into a retail experience by moving manufacturing into the shopping mall.

UPHEAVALS IN ENERGY AND RESOURCES

Industry accounts for over 50% of all global energy consumption, compared with just 18% used within the home. Given the fluctuating cost of energy and the uncertainty over consistent supply in certain regions, energy efficiency remains a high priority for companies. Many materials used within manufacturing such as aluminum

HOW 3D PRINTING RESPONDS TO GLOBAL MEGATRENDS

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and titanium require high levels of energy to produce, while many polymers also have very high levels of embodied energy resulting from the complex processing of hydrocarbon base materials. To combat these resource inefficiencies, companies need to find material-efficient and resource-efficient processes such as 3D printing, which have little or no waste streams and produce parts with a lower life-cycle embodied energy.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing society, with shifting weather patterns and rising sea levels impacting agriculture, logistics, housing, land values and transportation. To combat climate change companies need to find new energy-efficient ways of producing their goods while carefully considering the whole-life impact of the products they make and sell. Companies within the aerospace sector are already using 3D printing in this context. Component parts are manufactured with highly optimized strength to weight ratios making parts that are as light as possible, reducing aircraft weight, fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

3D printing is also contributing toward carbon reduction by minimizing transportation in the supply chain, eliminating wasteful spare part stockholding and by enabling the design of complex geometry products with increased efficiency.

URBANIZATION

The cities of the future will be larger, more crowded, more diverse and more connected, merging into urban conglomerations requiring new forms of residence, employment and industry.

As megacities grow and communities evolve, there will be opportunity for new production models, where localized manufacture will support localized consumption. This will inevitably lead to greater structural problems in rural areas where access to products and services will become fragmented. 3D printing will respond to both urban and rural needs, with integrated and highly efficient 3D printing “factories” supporting the megacities, while highly flexible and configurable 3D printing “cells” support rural communities.

GLOBAL RISK SOCIETY

As society becomes more complex, the vulnerabilities within our technical and social infrastructure become more profound. Crime, cybercrime, asymmetric conflict and surveillance will grow alongside increasing social complexity.As the global population grows, so the impact of natural disasters increases, along with the complexity of our global response. 3D printing has already been successfully used to respond to this growing global risk, from providing manufacturing capacity to produce health care devices in rural economies following hurricanes in Haiti, to alleviating the supply chain constraints of losing a single source supplier following an earthquake in Japan.

IN SUMMARY

3D printing has the capability to be used to respond to many of the world’s changing megatrends. The technology is flexible, reconfigurable, adaptable and above all else digital. The smart companies of the future will be those that have a clear strategy for how and where 3D printing fits within their supply chain and their value chain. They will also understand the business drivers to adoption.

“Any color as long as it’s black” no longer applies, as society drives toward ever greater levels of personalization and customization.

3D PRINTING

ADOPTION DRIVERSThere is an old saying that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, to remain competitive in business we have to look to improve on the way we innovate, manufacture and bring products and services to market.

3D printing is already being used by early adopters to support innovation and manufacturing and to bring new products and service offerings to market. But, where it is being used, it is being used because of the business benefits it presents rather than simply because it is an alternative and “new” way of making. 3D printing presents a number of compelling business benefits, which are driving adoption of the technology globally.

3D printing enables the economic manufacture of low-volume products and single-unit batches. This enables us to make both customized and personalized products that respond to the needs of consumers and patients.

It allows us to be more resource efficient in our use of raw materials and enables the design and manufacture of more efficient products.

3D printing empowers us to embed functionality and intelligence into the products we make and allows us to design and manufacture components, products and systems with much greater geometric complexity at no additional cost. 3D printing also frees us to think differently about the configuration of the supply chain, how we engage with our customers and how we continue to digitize our businesses.

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The first industrial revolution saw us move away from human power and craft skills towards mechanization. Industrial evolution then continued through wide scale automation and mass production to the place we are today.

However, the Henry Ford philosophy of having “any color as long as it’s black” no longer applies, as society drives toward ever greater levels of personalization and customization. What society now wants from manufacturers is pre-industrial flexibility coupled with industrial efficiencies — a state that can now be achieved using 3D printing and other flexible digital technologies.

With 3D printing it is possible to go directly from digital design data to a final part with no intermediate production steps. 3D printing technologies therefore eliminate the need for tooling and the associated capital investment. The result is that companies that adopt 3D printing can disrupt the traditional economies of scale, by allowing cost-effective production of single-unit or low-volume batches.

With low-volume part production, products can be customized to local markets, or even to individual customer tastes, driving adoption within industries as diverse as fashion, health care and automotive. Moreover, with the ability to print on demand, businesses also have the opportunity to eliminate inventory and cut aftermarket lead-times by providing digital spare-parts catalogues that can be printed when needed.

ASSOCIATED MEGATRENDS

Individualization

> 3D printing means that products personalized to the geometry of individual customers can be economically manufactured.

Reorganization of Health Care Systems

> 3D printing means that customized prosthetics and medical equipment become more accessible.

Global Risk Society

> 3D printing means rapid-response manufacturing in areas of natural or man-made disaster.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

Koenigsegg Automotive

Koenigsegg, the well-known supercar brand, first used 3D printing for developing true-to-life prototypes. The company soon realized that they could utilize direct metal laser sintering to produce production parts as well and set out to deliver a world first: to produce the titanium exhaust for their One:1 car, of which only six cars and one prototype were ever made.

The exhaust was cheaper to produce than using traditional methods, and the resulting part was optimized to reduce weight, delivering benefits in terms of speed and fuel consumption.

LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION

Whether it is through good corporate social responsibility, legislative compliance or an understanding that environmental good practice stimulates wealth creation, companies in all sectors are focusing more and more on their environmental impact. But this is not limited just to the impact of their factories, but the impact of their products during and after their effective working life.

3D printing can be used to reduce the life-cycle environmental impact of products in a number of ways. Firstly, 3D printing processes can be highly material efficient, using only the minimal material needed to make a part with little waste. This differs greatly from processes such as machining, which rely on billets of feed stock, often largely reduced to scrap.

As a digital technology, 3D printing can also be used to position material only where material is needed, making parts that have the perfect balance of strength and weight. Again, reducing the amount of raw material needed to drive the supply chain, but also the amount of energy needed to make the part.

Some parts with an optimized strength-to-weight ratio also have a life-cycle environmental benefit, as lightweight parts used on vehicles such as aircraft and cars reduce fuel consumption and the associated emissions. The efficiencies of a 3D printing supply chain can benefit the environment. For instance, shipping distances can be reduced through distributed manufacture and end-of-life stock need never occur nor require disposal. Moreover, by coupling 3D printing with 3D scanning to enable reverse engineering, the support of legacy products can be continued long after traditional stock and tooling become obsolete.

ASSOCIATED MEGATRENDS

Climate Change

> Design optimization can reduce life cycle impact, for example in reducing fuel consumption in aerospace and automotive industries.

Upheavals in Energy and Resources

> Topological optimization allows the production of perfect strength-to-weight ratio components using the optimum volume of raw materials.

> On-demand manufacture eliminates product end-of-life waste through stock holding inefficiencies.

Urbanization

> Distributed 3D printing will reduce waste, and allow local material reuse within the urban environment.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

Airbus A350

In 2014, Airbus used Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM®) technology to produce 1,000 production parts using ULTEM™ 9085 resin for their A350 XWB aircraft. The 3D printed parts (including ducting, and internal fit-out of the plane) increased supply chain flexibility, enabling Airbus to meet its delivery commitment on time. ULTEM 9085 resin provides a high strength-to-weight ratio and is flame, smoke and toxicity compliant for aircraft interior applications. By reducing weight, part count, design constraints and supply-chain risk, 3D printing is creating new production efficiencies for the aerospace industry.

3D PRINTING ADOPTION DRIVERS

LIFE CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY

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There is more to an engineered product than just its shape. Products are engineered to have function – whether this is strength and resistance to deformation, or resistance to extreme heat or cold. Other products provide insulation to prevent exposure to electric shocks, while others are designed to conduct electricity to the locations where it is needed. To achieve functionality, many products go through multiple manufacturing stages along the supply chain from primary production to heat treatment, coating and sub-system assembly.

With 3D printing it is now becoming possible to reduce some of these stages of the supply chain and to start to impart functionality during the 3D printing processes. For instance, using a combination of insulative polymers and conductive metallic inks, it is now possible to embed simple electrical pathways into plastic components, something traditionally achieved only through multiple component assembly. Metallic 3D printing processes can also be used to make parts with different mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength at the inner core of a part, but

high wear resistance on the surface, something traditionally achieved only through coatings and heat treatment.

By using multi-material 3D printing it is also possible to produce parts with anisotropic properties where parts resist loading in different ways in different directions. Although having limited uses today, unique material properties achieved solely by 3D printing will in the future present companies with exciting new options for product innovation.

ASSOCIATED MEGATREND

Technology Convergence

> Multi-material 3D printing will enable the integration of complex systems such as sensors, actuators and energy storage devices.

> 3D printing enables the production of wholly new “Digital Materials” and reactive materials that cannot be produced using traditional systems.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center hot-fire tests direct metal laser sintered (DMLS) injector fuel nozzles for rocket advancements in the space launch systems program.

One goal of 3D printing is to consolidate parts to reduce labor and weight and create an overall more efficient part with increased complexities that help optimize injectors for future applications.

Overall, the Marshall team is exploring how this advanced manufacturing process might replace or enhance current manufacturing methods for faster, more cost-effective production of complex parts, by consolidating an assembly of parts into one single part.

INCREASED PART FUNCTIONALITY

The distance between production and consumption is getting shorter. The established supply chain models based on economies of scale are being challenged by new customer supplier relationships driven by the internet and social media. Websites such as Etsy and Alibaba allow companies to sell directly to consumers without traditional wholesalers and retailers. Websites such as notonthehighstreet.com allow consumer makers to sell directly to other consumers with little or no corporate involvement.

Companies therefore need to find highly responsive digital technologies to remain competitive. Moreover, companies also need to position technology at the heart of their business, with seamless integration between the customer defining and ordering the product, to the shop floor making the product, to the distribution business delivering the product. 3D printing is one such digital technology. But smart companies are going further than just integrating 3D printing into their existing supply chains. They are using it to reinvent the supply chain by locating 3D printing machines

in shopping malls, medical centers, hospitals, airport maintenance facilities and hardware stores. Companies are then linking intuitive web-based interfaces and 3D scanning technologies at the front end of the supply chain, allowing consumers to become product designers and driving real-time, lean and agile manufacturing. Smart companies are also digitizing their product catalogues, reducing stock holding and ensuring an almost endless supply of spare parts on demand. 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way supply chains operate by enabling the truly brilliant factory and Industry 4.0.

ASSOCIATED MEGATRENDS

Digital Culture > 3D printing is an integral element of Industry

4.0, alongside AI, robotics, big-data analytics and the cloud.

Global Risk Society > 3D printing reduces reliance on single source

suppliers prone to political and economic instability.

Reorganization of Health Care Systems

> 3D printing enables the manufacture of medical devices and drugs closer to point of patient care.

Business Ecosystems

> 3D printing enables the convergence of traditional supply chain and new ownership models, where design, manufacture and retail become co-located.

Urbanization

> Communal urban factory networks using 3D printing technology will support local consumption, and spare part manufacture in front line positions.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

Normal Earphones

Normal is one of the first companies to use 3D printing for large-scale customization, producing customized earphones in as little as 48 hours. What’s more, manufacturing takes place in Manhattan. Normal recognized early on the benefits of 3D printing, as each pair of earphones is engineered, 3D printed, assembled and shipped

SUPPLY CHAIN REALIGNMENT

3D PRINTING ADOPTION DRIVERS

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at Normal’s flagship location, which serves as their factory, headquarters and retail store. A great example of how 3D printing is a catalyst for supply chain disruption.

There are 7.4 billion people on the planet. We are each a different shape and a different size. Our cultures are wildly diverse, and our values and the things we hold dear are utterly individual.

Consumers and patients, it turns out, are individuals. As such, we want personalized products and need personalized health care. But personalization can be difficult to deliver for companies focused on the economics of mass production.

Given that 3D printing dislocates the relationship between production economics and volume, it is perfectly suited to the manufacture of personalized products. For instance, the digital nature of the 3D printing supply chain makes it the perfect solution for manufacturing patient-specific products using medical scanning and imaging data. In addition 3D printing can also be used to make products designed by the consumer

through the web browser or customized by the consumer from online data repositories.

This level of interaction also brings customers and brands closer together, allowing unparalleled insight into the wants and needs of the consumer. Personalized and customized products also sell for a premium, which is why smart companies are already using 3D printing to make everything from personalized jewelry and toys, to prosthetic limbs, orthotic insoles and sunglasses. As our lives become ever more digital and connected, personalization will no longer be the exception – it will become the norm.

ASSOCIATED MEGATRENDS

Individualization > 3D printing means cost-effective mass

personalization. The market of one becomes a reality.

Reorganization of Health Care Systems > 3D printing means patient specific surgical

devices can be produced to achieve better patient outcomes and reduced cost.

Digital Culture > Web 3.0 coupled with 3D printing will enable the

production of customized products designed through machine learning and a consumer’s own digital footprint.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

Ligaments Restored

Dr. Dana Piasecki, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCarolina, in Charlotte, North Carolina, set out to improve the success rate of ACL reconstruction by modifying the standard surgical technique using a 3D printed metal surgical tool.

“This surgical tool has turned our vision of transforming ACL reconstruction into a reality faster and someday will hopefully eliminate repeat knee injuries to keep more athletes off the bench and on the field,” said Piasecki. Piasecki plans to continue production with DMLS and Inconel 718 for the awarded design freedom, cost savings, flexibility, and strength.

PERSONALIZED PRODUCTS

Imagine being able to make almost impossible shapes. Shapes traditionally associated with nature or the hands of the most skilled and experienced artisans.

Unfortunately, this is far from the case for most of the products we buy today. As manufacturing has evolved and new production processes have developed, so have the constraints placed on the design and aesthetic of the products we make. Design for manufacture and assembly (DMFA) has now become a vital consideration for any business, but it can also define the relationship between production economics and product desirability.

Now imagine what the products and assemblies of the future would look like if the DFMA rulebook were largely discarded. 3D printing processes are not constrained by traditional DFMA rules. Unlike injection molding there are no split lines to consider or reentrant features to design out.

There is no need for jigs or fixtures, datums, runners, risers, gates or tooling. This level of freedom allows the adopters of 3D printing to make beautiful yet highly efficient products with little or no cost penalty. Parts can be designed for optimum performance rather than manufacturability. Parts can be consolidated together, mitigating assembly and inspection. Parts can be designed around lattice structures and honeycombs or using genetic algorithms – all producing parts that are lightweight yet structural and functional.

ASSOCIATED MEGATREND

Technology Convergence

> Two-photon lithography will enable the manufacture of complex nanoscale devices.

> 3D printing enables the production of wholly new digital materials and reactive materials.

> 3D printing can be used to produce materials with new mechanical and physical properties, such as anisotropy, variable density, energy absorbency and stealth applications.

ASSOCIATED CASE STUDY

Shaping Young Hearts

3D printing has kickstarted a fundamental change in how surgeons approach complex surgical techniques. Surgeons can 3D scan and print an anatomical model that is an exact replica of the patient’s anatomy. In the case of Mia, she had a double aortic arch. The surgeon was able to present the parents with the 3D model of Mia’s heart, show them the problem and know with certainty that their surgical plan would work.

“My team could visualize the operation before we started. We knew the safest approach, and confidently made a smaller incision. A 3D printed heart, accurate to the most minute detail, has the been the difference maker for me. It’s helped me take someone who’s inoperable to operable, and we’ve saved their life.”

Dr. Redmond Burke, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

DESIGN COMPLEXITY

3D PRINTING ADOPTION DRIVERS

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3D PRINTING ADOPTION DRIVERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED MEGATRENDS

LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION

DESIGN COMPLEXITY

LIFE CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY

SUPPLY CHAIN REALIGNMENT

PERSONALIZED PRODUCTS

INCREASED PART FUNCTIONALITY

MEGATRENDS KEY

Business Ecosystems

Climate Change

Digital Culture

Global Risk Society

Individualization

Reorganization of Health Care System

Technology Convergence

Upheavals in Energy and Resources

Urbanization

What are the certified materials and processes that 3D printing can deliver for aerospace?www.stratasys.com/aerospace

However, it is only within the last decade that we have seen the technology being applied to making components and products. Companies across almost all sectors of the economy have now started to embrace 3D printing as a way of making products, stimulated by the business drivers we have already discussed.

AEROSPACE

Polymeric 3D printing is used to make many unseen parts within aircraft cabin interiors such as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning ducts and the clips and connectors used to hold the miles of vital wiring. It is also used to make drilling guides and assembly jigs used on the

shop floor, along with the layup tools needed to make carbon composite components.

Metallic 3D printing is also starting to find applications for static engine components such as heat tiles and fuel injector nozzles. As process validation and control improves, we can expect to see more and more static non-loaded metallic and polymeric parts within both airframes and engines.

There will come a time when hot-end dynamic and structurally loaded parts will be produced using metallic, polymeric and ceramic 3D printing processes, but this may take some years to come.

HOW IS 3D PRINTING

SUPPORTING SECTORS?Companies have used 3D printing for almost 30 years to make accurate and repeatable rapid prototypes and models to support the product design and innovation process.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within aerospace:

> Geometrically optimized parts to reduce aircraft weight and fuel consumption

> Increased engine efficiency through component part design optimization

> Reduced raw material within the supply chain, decreasing cost and associated lead times

> Spare parts on-demand at maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities

> Increased personalization on private jet interiors or airline branding on commercial aircraft

> Rapid-response tooling needed for shop floor assembly and production fixes

FASHION AND JEWELRY

Traditionally, bespoke hand-made couture and jewelry was seen as the very high end of fashion, and accessible only to the very wealthy. However, digitization now allows us all to personalize our jeans and even our sneakers at a cost only marginally more than mass produced alternatives.

As a digital technology 3D printing is already being used in the manufacture of both sports and fashion footwear, apparel such as luggage, and accessories such as costume jewelry and sun glasses. 3D printing has also been integrated into some high-end jewelry retailers, allowing consumers to design their own pendants online before they are 3D printed and dispatched for home delivery.

As 3D printing materials develop, we can expect to see more functional apparel start to emerge onto the market, blending the freeform design possibilities of 3D printing with affordable personalization.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within the fashion and jewelry sectors:

> Bespoke and unique pieces in batches of one

> Products personalized by consumers

> Product made for consumers using body-conformal scan data

> Rapid response to changing trends and global events

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“Anthozoa” 3D printed cape and skirt, designed by Prof. Neri Oxman and Iris van Herpen.

“Tangens” necklace, designed by Jenny Wu. 3D printed on Stratasys’ Fortus ® 3D Production System.

AUTOMOTIVE

The automotive industry was one of the early adopters of 3D printing as a way of making rapid prototypes back in the 1980s.

Over the last 30 years, the sector has become a mature user of the technology, with 3D printers used along the product development process, from concept design and early-state prototyping, to making low-volume components used on demonstration and test models. However, some high value, low-volume car markets are already starting to use the technology to make permanent metallic and polymeric component parts, from exhaust manifolds and turbo chargers to personalized interior trim components.

Vehicle marks are also looking to use the technology to support legacy vehicles with spare parts and within dealerships to add personalization value. As the productivity of 3D printing processes inevitably increases, so the economics of part production will decrease, making more parts economically viable to 3D print rather than injection mold or even die cast.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within automotive:

> Cost effective production of low volume vehicle components

> Ensuring the supply of spare parts for legacy vehicles

> Increasing the level of trim personalization on vehicle interiors

> Improving customer experience and growing personalization within dealerships

HOW IS 3D PRINTING SUPPORTING SECTORS?

“ The industries that are going to be impacted the most by 3D printing are those that are capital intensive…eliminating needless costs and saving time.”

Ryan Pickens, Senior Systems Engineer, Delphi Automotive

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CONSUMER GOODS AND FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS

Although 3D printing is typically associated with high-value, low-volume manufacturing, the technology is starting to be embraced by the consumer goods and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.

Consumer goods such as housewares, tableware, furniture, lighting, toys and collectables are all being produced by 3D printing today. Some companies are choosing to exploit the low-volume economics of 3D printing to launch limited-edition products where others are opting for the manufacture-on-demand business model using design input from the consumer.

Even FMCG companies are now starting to adopt 3D printing for the manufacture of low volume and bespoke cosmetics packaging, to make bespoke tooling for one-off personalized toiletries and even in the manufacture of confectionery.

As technologies evolve and 3D printing architecture becomes more focused on speed and productivity, we believe more FMCG companies will adopt the technology, both as a way of making low-volume and personalized products, but also as a way of embedding functionality into products, such as flavors and fragrances or adding materials that react to warmth or moisture.

However, in the short term, FMCG companies will simply use 3D printing as a way of sourcing replacement parts for complex production equipment, vending machines and shop displays, or as a way of configuring production lines.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within consumer goods and FMCG:

> Cost effective production of low-volume products

> Enabling the consumer to be part of the product design experience

> Allowing multiple materials to be printed into a single product adding functionality and value

> Enabling the production of spare parts for manufacturing and retailing hardware

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Many consumer electronic products such as smartphones and tablets are highly personalized at a software level, with everyone choosing a different device configuration and collection of apps. However, at a hardware level many electronic devices are simple sold as “one size fits all” irrespective of the ergonomic or ethnographic needs of the consumer.

3D printing is however being used by some companies to produce personalized cases for smartphones and tablets, with other companies going one step further, using 3D printing to produce the ergonomic bodies, housings and spare parts for devices such as electric razors and cell phones.

Consumer electronics companies involved in computer gaming are also integrating their digital content and IP with 3D printing to realize new tangible products such as characters, avatars, virtual world structures and vehicles, produced as both toys and collectables.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within consumer electronics sector:

> Integration of 3D printing with digital intellectual properties to create new revenue streams

> Higher level of product personalization through bespoke electronics packaging

> Low-volume packaging for limited market products

> Manufacture of spare parts for legacy technology

MEDICAL

At some point in our lives we are all patients, and when we are we hope to receive truly personalized care. However, although the human to human contact and care we receive may be personalized, many of the medical devices and procedures we receive are not.

3D printing is playing an important part in enabling true medical personalization by allowing the production of patient specific surgical cutting guides, implants and prosthetics along with other devices such as orthotic insoles and rehabilitation splints. It is also being used to make 3D facsimiles of CT and MRI scan data, which surgeons can use to plan complex procedures, reducing theater time and associated cost and risk.

HOW IS 3D PRINTING SUPPORTING SECTORS?

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3D printing is also being used to make low-volume, high-value medical device components used in products such as CT and MRI scanners and blood plasma processing systems as well as lower-value products such as drug inhalers and even the drugs themselves.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within the medical sector include manufacture of:

> Patient-specific implants for improved care

> Pre-operative surgical planning tools to reduce health care time and cost

> Low-volume component parts enabling more accessible care

PROCESS INDUSTRIES, POWER AND UTILITIES

3D printing has already established its place within the process industries and the power and utility sector. Using high performance polymers and metals, companies are producing heat exchangers, catalysts, filters and strainers, cutting tools, complex pipework and ducting along with a host of experimental devices and test rigs.

3D printing is also being used for the resupply of spare parts and as a way of making specialist tooling needed in remote locations.

Drivers for 3D printing adoption within power, utilities and processes industries:

> Low-volume cost effective production of component parts

> Responsive supply of high-value spare parts

> Distributed manufacture of parts at remote locations

> Manufacture of complex geometry parts and systems with added functionality

“ 3D printing enables us to design, develop and manufacture products that would be impossible to produce using any other technology.”

Gene Kulesha, Senior Director, Stryker

3D PRINTING MATERIALS

Over the last 30 years, a wide range of materials have been characterized for 3D printing. However, only certain types of materials can be processed in certain types of 3D printers.

When considering how and where to use 3D printing within a business, one of the most important starting points is to consider the available materials and their suitability to your application.

ORGANIC CERAMIC POLYMERIC METALLIC

Waxes Alumina ABS Aluminum

Living Cells Mullite Polyamide (Nylon) Tool Steel

Wood/Paper Zirconia PLA Titanium

Food Stuffs Silicon Carbide PEEK & PEKK Inconel

Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate Thermosetting Epoxies Cobalt Chrome

Silica (Sand) Hydrogels Copper

Plaster PMMA Gold/Platinum

Graphite Polycarbonate Hastelloy

Concrete Polyphenylsulfone Tungsten

Glass ULTEM (PEI)Shape Memory Alloys

Ceramic (Nano) Loaded Epoxies Stainless Steel

Filled Polymers

Polymer Coated Metallic Powders

Pharmaceuticals

Multimaterial – Multifunctional systems

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Once you have selected a capable 3D printing material, the next stage is to identify the most appropriate technology solution to process that material. Only then can you start to look at issues such as technical capability and economic feasibility.

SYSTEM CLASSIFICATION MAJOR PROCESS AVAILABLE MATERIALS MATERIAL FORMAT

POWDER BED FUSION

Laser Sintering Thermoplastic Metal Ceramic

PowderIR Melting Thermoplastic

Electron Beam Metal

DIRECTED ENERGY DEPOSITION

Laser Deposition

Metal Powder Feed Wire FeedIon Fusion

Electron Beam

MATERIAL JETTING Jetting Photopolymer Organic Metal Liquid

BINDER JETTING Jetting Thermoplastic Metal Ceramic Binder: Liquid Bed: Powder

MATERIAL EXTRUSIONFused Deposition Modelling Thermoplastic Metal Ceramic Filament Granular

Cold Extrusion Ceramic Organic Paste

SHEET LAMINATION

Adhesive Lamination Organic Thermoplastic

Sheet TapeUltrasonic Consolidation Metal

Laminate Then Sinter Ceramic

VAT PHOTO-POLYMERISATION

StereolithographyPhotocurable Thermosetting Polymers

Loaded Photocurable Thermosetting Polymers

LiquidDigital Light Processing

Two-Photon Lithography

Transform Your Business Across the Entire Supply Chain.

Speed. Cost savings. Design flexibility. You know what 3D printing can do. Now imagine implementing it on a greater scale, achieving greater efficiencies, the potential for new applications, and business growth. Whatever your level of investment has been to this point, Stratasys Expert Services helps you understand, incorporate, and leverage the possibilities to do big things with 3D printing solutions.

3D PRINTING

A STRATEGIC APPROACH

Stratasys Expert Services – helping you navigate the 3D printed world. Contact us to arrange a consultant meeting.T(UK): +44 (0)1773 880527 | T(US): +1 952 294 3700 | strategic-consulting@stratasys.com

27OUR PORTFOLIO OF EXPERT SERVICES:

OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT

Need help figuring out how 3D printing fits into your business? Stratasys Expert Services can help. We gain a clear understanding of your strategic imperatives and what external drivers are influencing you to help you to conceptualize products and services that take advantage of 3D printing opportunities.

FACILITY QUALITY REVIEW

How do you minimize product testing and inspection costs with end-to-end process control? Achieve operational excellence by partnering with our production quality management services to ensure quality compliance across your 3D printing facilities.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

Which 3D printing technologies, materials and software are right for your business? Stratasys Expert Services helps uncover the true cost of 3D printing ownership and how to calculate ROI, then builds a robust business case for 3D printing adoption.

HEALTH AND SAFETY REVIEW

How can you minimize 3D printing facility costs with an optimal mix of engineering controls and safety management systems? Our safety and environmental management services help you ensure compliance with the latest regulations while maintaining workforce efficiency.

3D DESIGN OPTIMIZATION

Do you fully understand the information required in a technical data package for 3D printing? For companies that are already using 3D printing or are just on the cusp of it, we offer expert part and tooling design services to help you exploit the design freedoms this constantly improving technology affords.

© 2017 Stratasys. All rights reserved. Stratasys, FDM and Fortus are registered trademarks of Stratasys Inc. ULTEM is a registered trademark of SABIC or affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and Stratasys assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of these non-Stratasys products. Product specifications subject to change without notice. Printed in the USA. EB_DU_SCC_0117a

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