News reporter Yang Hao On the computer, the design software is used to draw the model and convert it into a printable file. When the key is used to wake up the spray gun of the 3D printer, the plastic, the photosensitive resin or the metal can be stacked one by one. This isn't just about creating a toy or model scene with a microwave-sized desktop-grade 3D printer. Industry giants have begun experimenting with the use of industrial-grade 3D printing equipment to directly produce the final-use parts. However, in the eyes of practitioners and analysts in the 3D printing industry, the value of this "revolutionary" technology and its "destructiveness" to traditional production processes and concepts are still far from being optimal. "On the matter of making final parts with 3D printing, it has only just begun." Omer Krieger, Asia Pacific and Japan president of Stratasys, the world's largest manufacturer of 3D printers, said in a recent interview that the current situation is that The application market of 3D printing is rising from the prototyping of the design stage to the manufacturing stage of the customized tools, but it is still a long way from achieving the mass production of the final parts using this technology. According to a survey conducted by Ernst & Young (EY) last year on 900 companies worldwide, only 8% of companies included 3D printing in the company's strategic height, and 16% of the companies considered the technology to be important, but they are still assessing their importance. 3D printing, known as disruptive technology, has been in existence for 30 years. Why is the popularity of it unimaginative? "I have always felt that there are still some challenges in product recognition, such as 3D printers." Omer Krieger believes that 3D printing will not replace traditional manufacturing industries on a large scale. To achieve direct printing of parts, in addition to technological and material performance improvements, the traditional production concept of innovation will also take some time. How to make the market more willing to use 3D printing? In China, Stratasys chose to reduce the price of printed materials. Additive manufacturing with advantages of customization will not replace traditional manufacturing Unlike traditional cutting and processing "subtraction", 3D printing (additional manufacturing) reverses its path, creating three-dimensional solid objects by adding materials one by one. No need for cutting, drilling or subsequent machining, 3D printing has the advantages of rapid prototyping, high flexibility, and cost savings. It doesn't care how complicated the geometry is. On the contrary, the more complex structure may be due to the more hollow, the less material and the lower cost, which is the opposite of traditional production. The development path of 3D printing applications can be divided into three stages. Prototype production - fixture manufacturing - printing of final parts, layer advancement. At present, the largest application area is still prototype production, which is to shorten the product design cycle with 3D printing and speed up the market. Stratasys believes that the current market is in the transition from the first phase to the second phase, and the final parts production starts. By 2019, the application of 3D printing in final part production will exceed the application of tool production. Three application phases Rapid prototyping in the design process In the third phase, the final parts have higher requirements for material toughness, surface smoothness and aesthetics, and printing technology. At present, the functionality of the materials used in 3D printing makes this technology still a certain distance away from the mass production of final parts. For example, it is still unable to meet the requirements for mass production of vehicles in high temperature and impact resistance. The challenge for the 3D printing industry is to improve materials and hardware and software performance to ensure that printing is more accurate, reliable, and repeatable. “We often say that 3D printing is a destructive technology, but in fact, people are not very fond of such a destructive new thing in the manufacturing industry.†Omer Krieger said that the new production method will be introduced into the traditional The production process must first of all overcome conceptual barriers. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, people's concern has been to reduce costs by continuously increasing production, but 3D printing is exactly the opposite. Advantages of additive manufacturing are low-volume customization and on-demand production, so it will not replace traditional manufacturing that is characterized by large-scale production. Stratasys currently enjoys the four most promising vertical markets, namely aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, and healthcare, all of which are industries that have a lot of customization needs. For example, to print teeth or bones, each patient has unique needs. Recently, Stratasys became an Airbus supplier to produce components for the A350 model aircraft. This must be a very small quantity, only 36 parts. Since there may be only one or a few parts per aircraft, there is no need for mass production. Ford Motor Company, which is testing the feasibility of large-volume 3D printing of large-size parts, also believes that 3D printing cannot afford large-scale auto parts manufacturing at this stage, but for those with low volume of customized orders or car manufacturing, this is undoubtedly Better manufacturing methods. China Eastern Airlines uses ULTEM 9085 aviation certification materials to print aircraft cockpit "electronic flight data package" bracket to complete the use of post-processing installed "3D printing may be the fastest growing in the aerospace and automotive industries," predicts Omer Krieger. Previously, NASA had used Stratasys' 3D printers to manufacture complex, rugged Mars rover components. The German space program also plans to use its 3D printing technology to manufacture a prototype of the Mars exploration robot TransRoPorter for Mars extreme environment simulation tests. Apply to orthodontic models, crowns and bridge models, surgical guides The acceptance of 3D printing in the Chinese market is still at an early stage In addition to the operation and maintenance costs of the printing equipment itself, the high price of 3D printing materials has always been an important factor hindering the popularity of the technology. In the United States, 3D printing technology has gradually begun to transition from prototyping to manufacturing of customized tools. Compared with mature markets such as the United States, 3D printing applications in China lags behind and remains largely in the conceptual prototyping stage. Printed materials are also more price-sensitive. For this reason, Stratasys decided to introduce two customized materials to the Chinese market in the middle of next year, which is 50% lower than the current price of similar materials to meet the huge demand for conceptual prototyping. In December this year, the company will adjust the price of some materials. "The acceptance of 3D printing in China is still at an early stage. The price reduction is to promote users to use 3D printing technology more for R&D and concept prototype printing," said Lin Lianzi, general manager of Greater China at Stratasys. "The penetration rate of 3D printing technology in China's manufacturing industry is still far inferior to that of the United States." Omer Krieger said that the application of 3D technology has always been a gradual and small-scale trend. This is the case in the United States and Germany, and also in China. It should be about the same rhythm. The advantage of the Chinese market is that once a new technology is adopted, the speed of replication will be very fast. 30 years ago, the founder of Stratasys applied for and obtained the patent of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, which is still the core technology of 3D printing so far. However, Omer Krieger believes that if 3D printing is to truly change the production process of the entire industry and be accepted by more companies, the power of one family alone is not enough. The 3D printing industry is not a zero-sum game for several companies and must form a concerted effort to expand the application scenario. The combination of robots and 3D printing “Last year we worked together with Siemens to develop the Stratasys Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator concept machine. Traditional 3D printers are vertical or horizontal, but this machine can be fully automated with 360 degrees of printing. Lighter, higher-strength products,†Omer Krieger said, adding that the new printing methods that each director of the company has created are intended to make the leaders of the aerospace or automotive industry more aware of the technical value of 3D printing. 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