Direct digital manufacturing is a manufacturing process which manifests physical parts directly from 3D CAD files or data using additive fabrication techniques, also called 3D printing or Rapid Prototyping. The 3D printed part or parts are intended to be used as the final product itself with minimal post-processing. Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of a wide range of computer-based tools that assist engineers, architects and other design professionals in their design activities. ... Three-dimensional printing is a method of converting a virtual 3D model into a physical object. ... A rapid prototyping machine using Selective laser sintering. ... We dont have an article called Post-processing Start this article Search for Post-processing in. ...

Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing is also referred to as Additive Freeform Fabrication, Rapid Prototyping, Layered manufacturing or 3D printing. The technique physically constructs or manifests 3D geometries directly from 3D CAD. The history of the process spans approximately 25 years. It was originally known as Rapid Prototyping because the technology was used to make prototypes of parts without having to invest the time or resources to develop tooling or other traditional methods. Since the process was slow, it was used solely for prototyping and the name rapid prototyping became the common term use to describe the process. A rapid prototyping machine using Selective laser sintering. ... Three-dimensional printing is a method of converting a virtual 3D model into a physical object. ... Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of a wide range of computer-based tools that assist engineers, architects and other design professionals in their design activities. ... A rapid prototyping machine using Selective laser sintering. ... Prototypes or prototypical instances combine the most representative attributes of a category. ...

Additive Manufacturing and or Direct Digital Manufacturing is a logical extension of the process. In the past 10 years the machines have become practical both in cost and speed. They have become both reliable and economical to use. This has led to the expansion of the technologies use in industry and an explosive growth in the sales and distribution of the hardware and the emergence of a new industry for better software tools to make more effective use of the technology. Even the materials that the machines are capable of utilizing has seen an explosive growth in the past decade. ^[1] Modern machines can utilize a broad array of plastics & metals. The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic condensation or polymerization products that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or fibers. ... For alternative meanings see metal (disambiguation). ...

As the speed, reliability and accuracy of the hardware improves, the potential exists for additive manufacturing to replace or compliment traditional manufacturing as a means to produce end use products and eventually the potential for complete elimination on the reliance of traditional manufacturing. In fact, much of the labor associated with traditional manufacturing is also eliminated.

The practicality of the technology for widespread use is on the verge of a paradigm shift. In 2007 a sub $4,000 machine was presented. The price and throughput continues to drive appeal in the market but the deployment technique is akin to traditional small machine shops as 3D printing bureaus have sprung up around the globe. New deployment models and uses will only help to expand the presence of the technology in the manufacturing industry.

Advantages

1.) Energy efficiency: Only the energy necessary to form the part is necessary and excess waste is eliminated. This can be demonstrated by the concept of machining. In traditional machining, energy is used to smelt metal into ingots which become billet materials. These billet materials are then machined, removing a great deal of the material to end up with a final part. The energy used to create the original block of material was effectively wasted. A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ... An ingot is a mass of metal or semiconducting material, heated past the melting point, and then recast, typically into the form of a bar or block. ...

2.) Low waste: Since the process only forms the desired part, there is almost no waste formed. Unlike traditional machining, the amount of scrap material created is almost non-existent. This fact ties in with the energy efficiency concept. Since there is no waste by product, there is also no energy needed to transport the waste or dispose of it.

Technologies

There are presently about 25 3D printing technologies. The oldest is Layered Object Manufacturing(LOM). The next oldest is Stereo Lithography. More recent technologies include Selective Laser Sintering(SLS), Jetted Model technologies (similar to an Inkjet), fused deposition modeling(FDM) and many variations. All of these technologies take a 3D data file from a computer, slice it into layers or cross-sections and then use each cross section to build a product in a layered fashion by printing each layer one at a time on top of each other until the final geometry is manifested. Ink jet printers are the most common type of computer printer; and industry and commerce also use them extensively for special-purpose applications. ... Fused deposition modeling, which is often referred to by its initials FDM, is a type of rapid prototyping or rapid manufacturing (RP) technology commonly used within engineering design. ...

An easy way to think of how the technology works is to consider taking an object and placing it on a meat slicing machine. Set the slicer to the finest setting and begin slicing the part. The slices represent layers that when re-combined effectively reproduce the part. 3D printing takes a 3D model, slices it into layers in a computer and then send each layer to a 3D printer which prints successive layers until the product is effectively manifested as intended. Varying the layer thickness affects the model surface finish and many methods have been devised to improve surface finishes which are historically a tradeoff between speed; which is a direct function of layer thickness and print speed). This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the machine. ...

Direct Digital Manufacturing Usage

There are presently around 50 commercially viewable examples of 3D printing being used for tooling or intermediate parts. The technology is still in its infancy and the use is directly dependent on someones knowledge of engineering to design a part and effectively use the printing equipment thus; the growth of the market is, although fast at 33% annually or better according to Terry Wohlers. Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ...

References

External links

• Digital Reality, Inc. - A startup company in Austin, Texas, holds several patents pertaining to mass customization through Direct Digital Manufacturing.
• Ponoko - A New Zealand company that holds several patents pertaining to mass customization using numerically controlled laser-cutting.