Last week，we caught up with Paul Benning, the chief technologist for HP 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing to get an idea of where additive production is headed in the future. Benning discussed that we’re headed for mixed-materials printing, surface areas development, more involvement from academic community, and higher use of software and information management.
Automated assembly with mixed products
Benning believes we will start to see automatic assembly with markets perfectly incorporating multi-part assemblies including combinations of 3D printed metal and plastic parts. “There’s not currently an incredibly printer that can do all things inherently, like printing metal and plastic parts, due to factors such as processing temperatures, nevertheless, as automation increases, there’s a vision from the industry for a more automatic assembly setup where there is access to part production from both tastes of HP innovation: Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet.”
While the medical market and just recently aerospace are included 3D printing into production, Benning also sees automobile makers as a future client for additive. “The auto sector is a terrific example of where automated assembly could grow on the factory floor.”
Benning sees a wide variety of applications that might integrate metal and plastics. “Benefits of an automated assembly for industrial applications include printing metals into plastic parts, building parts that are wear-resistant and gather electrical power, adding surface area treatments, and even developing conductors or motors into plastic parts,” stated Benning. “The industry isn’t ready to bring this innovation to market just yet, but it’s an example of where 3D printing is headed beyond 2020.”
Surfaces will end up being a location of development
Benning sees a future where information payloads for 3D printed parts will be coded into the surface area texture. HP has experimented with coding digital information into a surface texture.
He keeps in mind that the surface area coding could be checked out by, humans for makers. “One way to tag a part either overtly or discreetly is to make certain that both machines and people have the ability to read it based on the shape or orientation of the bumps. We have actually put numerous copies of an identification number spread throughout the surface area of a part so that it’s both widely evident and hidden.”
Benning sees this concept as p [art of the future of digital manufacturing. “This is one of our inventions that serves to loop our technologies with the future of parts tracking and information systems,” stated Benning.
Universities will present brand-new ways to thinking
Benning believes that academia and training programs can offer new thought procedures to free designers from old thinking and allow them to take advantage of innovations of the future. “3D printing’s most significant impact to producing task skills push the style side,” said Benning. “You have a world of designers who have been trained in and grown up with existing technologies like injection molding. Because of this, people inadvertently predisposition their design towards legacy processes and away from innovations like 3D printing.”
“To fight this, educators of present and future designers need to adjust the idea procedure that goes into creating for production given the new innovations in the area,” said Benning. He likewise thinks new software application style tools will assist designers to make much better use of 3D printing in manufacturing.
Software and information management is vital to the 3D printing future
Benning believes advancements in software application and data management will drive better system management and part quality. This will then result in better client results. “Companies within the industry are creating API hooks to construct a fluid community for partners and clients,” said Benning.
HP is starting to use information to allow ideal styles and optimized workflows for Multi Jet Fusion factories. “This information originates from style files, or mobile phones, or things like HP’s FitStation scanning innovation and is applied to make production more effective, and to much better deliver individualized products purpose-built for their end clients.” The goal of that individualized production can support custom-made products build with mass production manufacturing strategies, leading to a batch-of-one or mass personalization.
“The industry isn’t all set to bring this technology to market just yet, but it’s an example of where 3D printing is headed beyond 2020.”
Benning sees a future where data payloads for 3D printed parts will be coded into the surface area texture. “3D printing’s biggest impact to manufacturing job skills lie on the style side,” stated Benning. Because of this, people unintentionally bias their design towards legacy processes and away from innovations like 3D printing.”
He also thinks new software style tools will direct designers to make better use of 3D printing in manufacturing.
