RAPID + TCT 2019 was an amazing event. The hall was brimming with exhibitors showing off their hardware, software, materials and services that provide additive manufacturing (AM) solutions. The show-floor aisles bristled with visitors seeking options for their current and planned applications. The activity was almost at the point of being overwhelming.
This year I played several roles. I kicked off the event with the annual recap of what is new in AM. Next, I participated in the inaugural Executive Summit. Following that I presented in the show-floor’s Knowledge Bar to a good-sized group of inquisitive individuals. After these duties were complete, I then squeezed in some roaming of the exhibition.
In the run-up to the event—when I was preparing my presentations—and as I spoke the words from the stage, I had a realisation about a new trend in AM. Conversations with others and my journey through the show floor reinforced this observation. For the first time in a decade, RAPID + TCT had very few never-before-seen technological advances. Even the highly anticipated unveilings of stealth organisations, at least those that I visited, were refinements and alterations to processes and chemistries that have been previously established.
This is not a negative reflection on RAPID + TCT; it is an industry-wide trend that you can witness at other expos and conferences and in the reporting of trade publications. Also, this is not a negative trend in AM. Rather, it is something to be celebrated. AM has reached a time where the steady march of technology enhancement builds on what is good to make it better. It is a time where sound ideas, practical science, and good engineering deliver solutions that users are seeking; solutions that improve the process, improve the output, increase adoption and expand applications.
AM now has a new normal where mind-blowing technology rollouts will be the exception. Don’t get me wrong, we will see plenty of new, unique processes and materials in the coming years. They just won’t be as frequent.
At the event, evidence of this trend was most notable in the vat photopolymerisation (SLA, DLP) and material extrusion (FDM/FFF) technology categories. Companies that in the past claimed to have a cheaper, competitive alternative to the established players—based purely on the fact that they could form a shape from cured photopolymer or from melted filament—have recognised that there is much more needed for application success.
In material extrusion, companies highlighted the mundane, such as direct-drive motors, CNC motion controllers, thermal controls and refined extruders. These were paired with sensors to offer closed-loop feedback and on-the-fly adjustments. In vat photopolymerisation, one company added heat and gas management to expand the range of material properties. Another paired a digital mask with a light array to improve throughput. And several had new strategies for part separation from the transparent interface that separates UV light from liquid photopolymer. The latter item helps throughput, but perhaps more importantly, it reduces forces, which expands what is possible while improving part quality.
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
I have written this recap not to motivate you to celebrate the mundane (although you should since it represents progress). Instead, my intent is to motivate you to be aware, investigate and test. The announcements were, and will be, about features that are not so dramatic that they naturally draw your attention. You will have to be vigilant to stumble upon or unearth these differences. Since they are features, it will also be up to you to investigate to understand if they translate to benefits for your applications. The last recommendation is to test your hypotheses through benchmarking and outsourcing so that you can confirm that the features translate to benefits without unwanted side effects.
The steady march is an evolutionary one that blurs the differences between AM offerings. Rather than clear delineations, this progress adds many shades of grey to the less-than-obvious differentiators that lie under the hood. Don’t assume equivalence between competitive solutions. Discover, investigate and test to find and prove the differences that matter to your company.
AM is moving forward, and these incremental advances will accelerate the journey to the promised future. Your personal journey will also accelerate when you invest the time to find the best solution, one that delivers the predictability, reliability, and capability to get the job done right.
This article was first published in the print editions of TCT Magazine Europe Vol 27 Iss 3 & Vol 5 Iss 3. Access the digital versions of the mag here and to have the print issue delivered to your home or office subscribe here.
