1. Applications of 3D Printing
Dr. Ben Wood
& Dr. Greg Gibbons
© 2012

2. A couple of questions to start…
WHO USES 3D PRINTING?
WHAT FOR?
© 2012

3. Architecture
© 2012

4. Marketing/Advertising
© 2012

5. Medical
© 2012

6. Furniture
© 2012

7. Fashion
© 2012

8. Animation
© 2012

9. SME Application
• Injection mould tool ~£10,000
– Requires high volume
– Difficult to modify
– Tool required for each product
• Insert tooling
– Simpler pocket tool required
– 3D printed insert
– Lifetime of 10-200 parts
– Low insert cost
– Easy to modify/replace
© 2012

10. IIPSI 3D Printing Capabilities and R&D
Dr. Greg Gibbons
© 2012

11. 3D Printing
• Significant capability in commercial 3D Printing
technology
– FDM • MJM
• 400mc (Stratasys) – Connex 260 (Objet)
• Dimension (Stratasys) • Laser Sintering
• Prusa (RapRep) – EOS P380i
– 3DP • EBM
• Z450 (ZCorp) – Arcam S12T
• Z310+ (Zcorp)
© 2012

12. FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling)
• 400mc
– Wide range of materials
• Thermoplastics
• High temperature
• High impact
– Have in-house facility to manufacture
bespoke feedstock
• Xtrutech twin-screw extruder
• Novel material capability
• Metal, ceramic filled - sensors and actuators a
possibility
© 2012

13. FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling)
• Prusa RepRap
– Lowest cost 3D Printing system
available
– Range of low-cost thermoplastics
– Initial test-bed for novel materials
– Evaluating system for appropriate
applications
© 2012

14. 3DP (3D Printing)
• Z450
– Enables full colour printing of
working assemblies
– Upgraded to ZP150 (stronger
and whiter, more vivid
colours)
• Z310+
– Mono printer
– Utilised for materials and
applications research
© 2012

15. MJM (Multi-Jet Modelling)
• Connex 260
– Multi-material printing
– 10 variations in material
properties in one build
• Stiffness variation
• Density variation
• Colour variation
• Transparency variation
– Potential for research
• Novel material combinations
• Offering new product capability
© 2012

16. LS (Laser Sintering)
• P380i
– Range of functional thermoplastics
• Polyamide 12
• Aluminium / polyamide 12
• Carbon fibre / polyamide 12
• Polyamide 11/12 co-polymer
– Polystyrene
• Supports direct manufacture of complex
investment cores
– Potential for research
• New materials
• New applications
© 2012

17. 3DPrinting Research Activities
• In addition, WMG has significant 3DP research
activity, supported by a number of technologies
– Metallic and metal – Polymeric / composite 3DP
composite 3DP • High resolution hybrid
polymer / composite
• High resolution laser deposition
melting
• High resolution 3D
• Electron beam melting Photocopying
• Plasma Transferred Arc / • Medical modelling
CNC • Low cost 3DP
© 2012

18. Plasma Transferred Arc / CNC
• Hybrid system utilising PTA to
deposit metals and alloys, with
CNC material removal
– 2 powder feeds
– 1 wire feed
– CNC machine between layers
• Advantages
– Repair and augmentation of parts
– Functionalise parts
– Hybridise parts
© 2012

19. Plasma Transferred Arc / CNC
© 2012

20. High Resolution 3D Photocopying
• Using laser printing principle for layer-wise
addition of functional materials
• Advantages:
– High rate
– High resolution
– Multi-material
– Low cost
© 2012

21. Medical Modelling
• Surgical training
– Working with Prof Abrahams in Institute of Clinical
Education
– Investigating benefit of ‘low cost’ medical models for
clinical training
– Moving towards more realistic anatomical models using
3D multi-material printer
• Surgical procedural planning
– Provide service to UHCW for a range of orthopaedic
surgical interventions
– Developing into a range of areas, including midwifery
© 2012

22. Medical Modelling
• AirPROM
– FP7 project
– 33 partners
0 s 0.3s 0.6s 0.9s
– 11 EU countries 1.2s
– €12M
– 2011-2015
• Developing customised treatment
methodology for COPD
• WMG leading the physical validation of
macro-airway modelling
© 2012

23. Medical Modelling
• Compare CFD-PIV
– Establish inflow conditions
• CFD to test transition length
• For fully developed flow: tube-trachea
• Upper and lower airway
• Compare to MRI Velocimetry
© 2012

24. Low Cost 3DP
• Utilising ultra low cost 3DP systems
– New materials development and evaluation
• Supported by in-house polymeric / composite
filament manufacture
© 2012

25. Hybrid 3D Printing
• Bespoke system hybridising
MJM with syringe deposition
– 2 x 512, 14pl nozzle heads, individually
addressed
– High viscosity liquid dispensing
– Continuous flow for deposition of resins with
highly suspended solids
– SmartPump for deposition of higher viscosity
resins and pastes at extremely high
resolution
© 2012

26. Day 2 Preview
• Physical to Digital
– Laser Scanning
• Digital to Physical
– Prototyping
• Adding functionality with novel ALM
– Plastic and printed electronics
• Low volume manufacturing
– Bridging the gap between prototyping and production
© 2012

27. “We can work with you to develop new products using
innovative polymer technologies”
We’d love to hear your project ideas…
DR. BEN WOOD
@BENJAMINMWOOD
B.M.WOOD@WARWICK.AC.UK
© 2012