The AM landscape is diverse. In the plastics printing market, larger, integrated players cover the entire value chain from supplying materials to manufacturing printers to providing printing services. Several have added services by making targeted acquisitions. The larger players are also very active in creating new use cases in particular industries, driving sector-wide adoption and sale of equipment. In the metal printing market, by contrast, relatively small players focus more on certain parts of the value chain, such as in printing equipment or in printing services.

People tend to overestimate the short-term impact of technologies and significantly underestimate the long-term impact. Yet there is currently a lot of uncertainty about the long-term impact of AM on traditional value chains. Understandably, the issue is being raised by traditional players such as logistics companies that will be directly affected, and by governments that aim to prepare their manufacturing ecosystems and workforces for changes that may be coming soon.

To support the high-volume production of individual single wire seals, tooling partner Rico Group reveals its proprietary 256-cavitation LSR mould tool. Combining the direct injection system with double nozzle technology with the IntElect machines optimised clamp force, this LSR package successfully achieves the highest number of cavities in the most compact installation space. The turnkey system coordinates every processing step to efficiently manufacture 256 LSR parts every 15 seconds with minimal flash and material waste. “It’s the definition of high-volume sustainable production,” notes Aliyev.

We see little evidence of a race toward a single technology, since—because of factors including variations in cost, available materials, and surface finish—the existing technologies serve different purposes. To explore the potential of AM, manufacturers therefore often need access to more than one technology, which they can get via specialized service providers that offer all the key ones. This picture may change, however, if new entrants dramatically increase performance by improving an existing technology or creating a completely new one.

LSR tooling specialist RICO supplies the 256-cavity open tool system. The Elastosil LR 3844/50 material from Wacker Chemie is dispensed via a sophisticated yet compact Industry 4.0-ready LSR eTwin Connect dosing system engineered by another LSR expert - Reinhardt-Technik. This metering and static mixing system guarantees the perfect mixing ratio of two additives, ensuring 99.75% of the LSR material is processed.

With these changes in production capabilities will come equally dramatic shifts in company functions and their relative importance on the value chain. The ability to make completely customizable products will shift the traditional manufacturing mind-set of “What is feasible?” to one of “What is possible?” Design capabilities will therefore become an even more important strategic asset.

LSR is regarded as a unique material, in that it remains flexible and elastic down to -50°C, yet also retains its properties up to 200°C. As a result, LSR is used extensively in electronic components, cables etc. where insulation is required, as well as in medical and healthcare products and the consumer goods sector. To support these markets, in the last five years Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has made significant investments developing an all-electric LSR package that inevitably delivers the cleanliness and precise shot control required to handle this low viscosity material. This year’s Fakuma exhibits demonstrate the company’s advanced proficiency in moulding high-specification LSR components, exclaims Aliyev.

Several analyst reports expect that the direct market for AM will grow to at least $20 billion by 2020—a figure that represents just a fraction of the entire tooling market today.1 1.Nancy Eigel-Miller, Joe Jablonowski, and Steven Kline Jr., 2014 World machine-tool output and consumption survey, Gardner, February 27, 2014, gardnerweb.com. However, we believe that the overall economic impact created by AM could be much higher, reaching $100 billion to 250 billion by 2025, if adoption across industries continues at today’s rate. Most of that potential will come from the aerospace and defense, automotive, medical, and consumer-goods industries.

“The market for liquid silicone is growing dynamically, both in terms of applications demanding skills in LSR, as well as volume," observes Rustam Aliyev, the company’s LSR expert and business development director of automotive & electronics.

The main Sumitomo (SHI) Demag stand (Hall B1, Stand 1105) features a fully electric IntElect 180/570-250 injection moulding machine equipped with an LSR package comprising a twin dosing system, robotics, and vacuum and venting peripheral equipment. In a cycle time of just 17 seconds, this IntElect LSR package manufactures 256 individual 0.06-gram single wire seals with absolute precision and stability. Despite this high throughput, the IntElect machine’s energy consumption remains one of the lowest on the market.

The eTwin servo-driven piston pumps save processors up to 80% energy compared to air-driven pumps. While the integrated cooling system and pulsation-free volume flow helps to optimise the filling behaviour and prevent the LSR material from curing too soon. The unit also performs automatic venting, purging air from the material before it is fed into the moulding machine and tool. Combined with the IntElect’s high injection dynamics, the repeatable process ensures the highest component quality is achieved time and time again.

On their main stand, the company highlights its multi-cavity LSR processing competence, including OPC-UA interface compatibility, on an all-electric IntElect 180/570-250 injection moulding machine. Visitors to the Reinhardt-Technik booth (Hall A3, Stand 3313) will have the opportunity to view another market where LSR processing is prevalent, the healthcare sector.

Manufacturing four burr-free dental components every 25 seconds, a Sumitomo (SHI) Demag SAM-C5 robot performs the demoulding task. A special end of arm tool uses compressed air to delicately extract and place the dental covers into containers, ensuring hygiene standards are never compromised.

“Integrating a high precision dosing system with the IntElect machine and the optimal heat balance attained by the Rico dual tip nozzle delivery system ensures unprecedented distribution of the 15 gram shot weight. The result of the high machine dynamics means that part weight accuracy of 0.059 grams is repeatably replicated in the fastest possible cycle time,” explains Aliyev.

Modular by-design, the LSR eTwin Connect allows for quick configuration of programs and instant software upgrades. To support quick drum changes and for ease of  maintenance, the system also features a roll in device and automatic drum locks.

Supporting full connectivity, the OPC UA interface facilitates seamless communication between the IntElect machine control and the eTwin Connect dosing system. During every injection cycle, the intuitive, user-friendly multi-touch 15.6 inch HMI capturing all processing documentation, including material pressure, colouring and additive settings, to ensure high-level transparency and traceability.

Meanwhile, the number of materials that AM can handle is constantly expanding. A wide range of new plastics has been developed, along with processes and machines for printing with ceramics, glass, paper, wood, cement, graphene, and even living cells. Applications are now available in industries ranging from aerospace to automobiles, from consumer goods (including food) to health care (where artificial human tissue can be produced using AM) (Exhibit 1).

Manufacturers of AM machines, however, are addressing these limitations with significant results. Specialized AM service companies, along with engineering and consulting firms, are now bridging the design-skills gap. In addition, regional governments are funding AM-focused production clusters for applied R&D. Several analysts predict that next-generation machines will cut current AM production costs dramatically because of factors such as patent expiration and reduced postprocessing needs. Manufacturers will also benefit from increasing economies of scale and sourcing opportunities in low-cost countries.

Meanwhile, in addition to the traditional material, printing, and service businesses, fast-growing niche players are starting to arise. These companies ground their entire business models on AM, ideally combined with digital sales and service models. Align Technology, with its product Invisalign, provides an alternative to metal dental braces; there are similar examples from Sonova for in-ear hearing aids, Mykita with eyeglasses, and Shapeways with crowd design of consumer products.

New competitors are also entering the OEM market. Large players such as Stratasys and 3D Systems are certifying an end-to-end process for producing medical parts with newly developed materials, using their own printing technology and offering printing services to customers such as hospitals, which formerly purchased from OEMs.

Company functions of today will also change when, for example, operators skilled for one production line will need to operate new AM production lines that produce a large variety of products. Traditional engineers will need to be trained in AM design. Marketing and sales, meanwhile, will need to learn how to market individualized products that can be produced anywhere in the world.

Despite all of the optimism about AM, there are still major challenges to be overcome before the technology enjoys truly widespread adoption (Exhibit 3).

This 21-article compendium gives practical insights for manufacturing leaders looking to keep a step ahead of today’s disruptions.

AM machine manufacturers are working on better in-process control, advanced quality diagnostics, and data storage along the entire production process for certification purposes. Large AM manufacturers, including Materialise and Stratasys, suggest that AM can achieve material properties in both plastics and metals comparable to those from traditional production techniques.

Additive manufacturing (AM)—the process of making a product layer by layer instead of using traditional molding or subtractive methods—has become one of the most revolutionary technology applications in manufacturing. Often referred to as 3-D printing, the best-known forms of AM today depend on the material: SLS (selective laser sintering), SLA (stereolithography), and FDM (fused deposition modeling) in plastics, and DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) and LMD (laser metal deposition) in metals. Once employed purely for prototyping, AM is now increasingly used for spare parts, small series production, and tooling. For manufacturing with metals, the ability to use existing materials such as steel, aluminum, or superalloys such as Inconel has significantly eased the process of adopting AM.

Compared with traditional production methods, AM offers enormous benefits, including less hard tooling and assembly. In the long run, AM can completely change the way products are designed and built, as well as distributed, sold, and serviced (Exhibit 2).

Visitors to the Reinhardt-Technik booth (Hall A3, Stand 3313) will have the opportunity to view the healthcare sector where LSR processing is prevalent. Manufacturing surgical dental protection covers demands a combination of the thinnest walls and thicker beaded geometries. To accomplish this level of 3-dimensional LSR moulding precision, specialists in healthcare applications EMDE MouldTec supplies the gated 4-cavity mould tool, which fits into the generous tool space of the IntElect 75/420-65.

We are also seeing an increasing availability of materials with properties comparable or even superior to those of existing ones. These materials include polymers such as nylon, PEEK, and ULTEM that are becoming more heat resistant and lending themselves to more applications, and metals and alloys within the standard range of available materials: industrial metals such as steel, aluminum, titanium, and Inconel; precious metals such as gold and silver; and new materials including amorphous, noncrystalline metals.

Given the investments necessary for developing the next-generation machines, many of these smaller players are looking for capital. Consolidation in the market has therefore begun. Uncertainty about which manufacturers will survive will change the face of the industry, creating risk for manufacturers investing in equipment even as improving technology holds out the promise of surmounting current barriers to the adoption of AM.

How will the traditional way of serving markets change, and what are the implications for traditional plant setups and value chains? As far as production and distribution are concerned, a few things seem clear. Advantages from production in low-cost countries will likely diminish. New, customer-centric plants will emerge, allowing the finishing of products according to local demand and significantly reducing the need for long-distance transport of finished goods. We may also see new production-network models—for example, production of half-finished products in low-cost countries, with finishing done close to customers to adjust for local taste, seasonality, and similar factors.

Universities are partnering with manufacturers’ research centers to create innovation centers for applied R&D, with examples including Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre in Singapore and RWTH Aachen University/Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology. Finally, a vibrant start-up scene has arisen as most patents on existing AM technologies have run out, leaving space for new (as well as established) players from various industries to enter at all points on the value chain. New design and service companies are being set up and new technologies developed, such as by BigRep and Carbon3D.

At Fakuma 2023, visitors will get the opportunity to see Sumitomo (SH) Demag’s LSR processing competence in two live demonstrations.

Given that each dental article weighs just 0.425 grams, and with an LSR shot weight of just 1.7 grams, the exhibit features Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s smallest IntElect injection unit. An LSR eTwin Connect from Reinhardt-Technik delivers material to the needle gate nozzle tool. Material is then injected into each of the four cavities twice. Metering data directly connects to the IntElect processing data via OPC-UA, ensuring a fully traceable and stable production process.

Ensuring the material is exposed to a consistent temperature in all 256 cavities, the Rico tool is designed to run on a cold clamping force. This helps to avoid premature curing of the material before every cavity is filled. As a result, it reduces the risk of component and tooling damage, and consequently expensive machine downtime and costly tool repairs.

Meanwhile, various stakeholders are accelerating the overall market development for AM. Large OEMs are investing significantly in R&D and building internal centers of competence, while other large corporations—such as HP, from the traditional printing business—are entering the market. Major governments are setting up R&D funds, including the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, or are starting capability-building programs for their workforces, as in Korea.

Adoption of AM has been highest in industries where its higher production costs are outweighed by the additional value AM can generate: improved product functionality, higher production efficiency, greater customization, shorter time to market (that is, improved service levels), and reduced obsolescence, particularly in asset-heavy industries. Engineering-intensive businesses such as aerospace, automotive, and medical can accelerate prototyping, allowing them to explore completely new design features or create fully individualized products at no extra cost. High-value/lower-volume businesses see faster, more flexible manufacturing processes, with fewer parts involved, less material wasted, reduced assembly time for complex components, and even materials with completely new properties created. And spare-parts-intensive businesses in fields such as maintenance, repair, and overhaul get freedom from obsolete parts, faster time to market, more local and on-demand production opportunities, and independence from traditional suppliers.