3d Printing
3d Printing
3d Printing
Of all the major innovations to reshape industry over the past few years,
one of the most important has been 3D printing.
3D printing provides a valuable alternative to conventional, subtractive
manufacturing techniques.
The approach, which is typically much faster and easier to retool than
conventional manufacturing setups.
It’s used in a variety of ways across manufacturing, including for rapid
prototyping and small-batch manufacturing.
We can create many things now like 3D printed electronics and 3D printed
prosthetics and more.
Recent innovations in 3D printing tech, however, mean that it’s becoming
easier and easier to print more advanced components with the right printer
— including circuit boards and complex electronics.
Now, the new technology may be on track to revolutionize the industry
and reshape how electronics get made.
HOW TO CREATE 3D PRINTED
ELECTRONICS?
To understand what applications 3D-printed electronics would provide, we first need to recognize their
advantages:
Enable fast prototyping of circuits• Enable complete customization of the final design• Potentially allow
for designs to be stacked (i.e., creating active parts in all dimensions)
Remove the need for highly complex processes. Potentially fully recyclable The first potential application
for 3D-printed electronics is the ability to create custom designs in remote locations. For example, 3D
printers could be key to future space missions that aim to colonize extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars
and the moon. Such systems would enable colonizers to create their own electronic products without the
need to rely on Earth to produce ICs and other components.
The ability to rapidly create designs may make 3D-printed electronics ideal for emergency repairs and
replacements. For example, naval vessels and military base camps may utilize 3D printer systems for
replacing and repairing defects in key equipment. As military environments can be both hostile and
difficult to reach, the ability to send in replacement parts may be compromised; thus, any military
installation or platform equipped with 3D printers could have an advantage over hostile environments.As
technology advances, older electronic components that are no longer in widespread use are discontinued
by their manufacturers. While this does not affect modern designs, aging systems that are still needed
(such as power plants and critical infrastructure) can be vulnerable to the discontinuation of components.
The use of 3D-printed electronics could allow the printing of such parts, thereby ensuring that aging
systems can continue their operation while alternatives are sourced.One major potential that printed
electronics has is the ability to combine with typical 3D printers. A multi-nozzle design could
simultaneously print structural plastic and components at the same time, essentially allowing for an entire
design to be built in a single step.
Electronics could be easily integrated into any part of a 3D-printed structure, including components and
wires, creating designs that are currently too difficult to manufacture. This could also lead to the
possibility of printing components vertically on walls and allowing engineers to utilize all three dimensions
instead of just two on a PCB.
KEYBENEFITS OF 3D PRINTED
ELECTRONICS
KEY BENEFITS OF 3D PRINTED
ELECTRONICS
These 3D printing approaches offer a few key benefits for manufacturers that adopt them. Here
are some of them:
Better Agility As in other industries, additive manufacturing will primarily help to enable more
agile manufacturing, and provide manufacturers with an approach better-suited to on-demand
and small batch fabrication.
Improved Efficiency at Better Prices In general, 3D printing can do a lot to speed up the
manufacturing process and make it much, much cheaper.
3D printing also tends to be much more cost-effective than conventional manufacturing
techniques at smaller scales. This makes small-batch runs of a particular device or product
much more affordable than it would be with subtractive manufacturing. With a lower per-unit
manufacturing cost, you won’t have to produce and sell as many devices to make the
manufacturing process worth it More Customization Capabilities The low cost of
manufacturing means that customization may also be more cost-effective.
With some devices, like medical electronics, it’s often not practical to manufacture a device
for each patient, even if it would make the device more effective.
3D- printing can help manufacturers offer customized items like these to customers. It also
may make specialty medical devices more affordable.
Enhanced Sustainability The 3D printing process can also make manufacturing more
sustainable overall. In one instance, researchers developed a way to make Internet of Things
(Iot) sensors with a 3D printer using a substance derived from wood cellulose. The primary
benefit is that end users could dispose of the sensors without contributing to environmental
contamination.
WHATABOUT THE FUTURE OF 3D
PRINTING IN THE ELECTRONICS
INDUSTRY?
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF 3D
PRINTING IN THE ELECTRONICS
INDUSTRY?
3D-printed electronics are still in their infancy, but there is no doubt that
what researchers have been developing is anything less than exciting.
However, it is unlikely for such technology to begin replacing electronics
commercially for the next decade or two.
It is more likely that 3D-printed electronics will be used in niche
applications such as printed antennas in smartphones or RFID tags on
products, as these applications are far less demanding than processors or
memory.
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.
Credits
PPT made by : Vishesh and Sweta