Week 2 - 3D Manufacturing Capabilities - Group D

After sifting through many academic journals and articles, I did not ascertain a strong enough understanding for the 3D manufacturing capabilities that truly apply to this course and/or scope of this blog post. In an effort to learn more about the present-day 3D manufacturing capabilities being sold and utilized in today’s work place, I decided to select a rather unconventional source: a company’s white papers on two systems. Certified in 2008 and released in 2010, this Stratasys White Paper document, called “3D Printers vs. 3D Production Systems: 10 Distinguishing Factors to Help You Select a System,” provides a detailed breakdown and comparison of the two systems and their capabilities. The 10 distinguishing factors are:

• Price
• Capacity/Build Envelope
• Materials
• Speed
• Ease of Use
• Accuracy
• Facilities
• Centralized Operations
• Overhead

These characteristics help to differentiate the two systems and ultimately help a manufacturing company reach a final system selection. However, while these factors are presented to assist with selection, the document clearly states in its closing that “the application will drive the decision.”

Figure 1: General comparison breakdown.

Figure 1 above shows the general comparison from the white paper. Let’s dig a little deeper and briefly break down the criteria in an attempt to summarize the similarities and differences.

• Firstly, obviously price (cost) is always a top consideration and the key driver for a business decision. 3D Printers are priced in the range of $10,000/unit to $50,000/unit. 3D Production Systems are priced $50,000/unit and above.
• Capacity/Build Envelope is defined as the size capacity that the unit can manufacture. 3D Printers can handle up to 10” x 10” x 10” while 3D Production Systems can handle greater than 1’ x 1’ x 1’.
• The number of materials each system can utilize is also a key difference between the two systems. 3D Printers can utilize only one or two materials while 3D Production Systems can utilize 8+ materials.
• The fourth factor is speed and the two systems can output at relatively the same speed and this is not applicable when comparing.
• Ease of use, however, is a factor that will need to be considered because the occasional user can operate 3D Printers, but 3D Production Systems require a trained operator. This ties into the next factor of user options, where the 3D Production Systems offer substantial options from swappable parts to settings options.
• Accuracy in dimensions is rated better in 3D Production Systems than 3D Printers, however, it is application driven of course.
• Facilities is defined as the location of where the unit will operate. A 3D Printer unit can be used in an office setting but 3D Production Systems require a lab or shop environment.
• Centralized Operations is defined as the preference between flexibility and independence of a distributed network versus control and oversight of a centralized concept. 3D Printers offer the ability for a distributed network and 3D Production Systems are usually centralized.
• Lastly, the overhead analysis. 3D Printers are user-friendly and have lower overhead burdens as opposed to 3D Production Systems, which have moderate to high overhead burdens.

As you can see, there are only subtle differences in these two systems and a selection will most likely be driven by the application, accompanied by considerations for each of these ten factors. On a brief personal note, I have used a 3D Printer for a project a few years ago when they were still called “rapid prototypers” and the accuracy was only just fair. However, the technology has advanced tremendously since then and the accuracy is much improved.

Surely, this technology will continue to advance and hopefully soon, we will see the capacities of these systems vastly increased and more building materials will be able to be used. Similar to Brian Benson’s comprehensive post, maybe one day there will be the capabilities for full-scale construction. The key will lie in the efficiency, accuracy, and cost while maintaining or improving upon the building material properties. Like Brian stated, the idea of more organic structures is definitely something that is intriguing to ponder, especially being a young structural engineer and seeing this technology advance so quickly. I am eager to see how far away this concept really is from reaching maturity and implementation.

Resource:

Hiemenz, Joe. “3D Printers vs. 3D Production Systems: 10 Distinguishing Factors to Help You Select a System.” Stratasys, Inc., Stratasys White Papers. PDF Document. 2008. Pages 1-8.