In our earlier Article, we discussed how 3D printing has the potential to rewrite the rules of global manufacturing, with an impact that could be as significant to the industrial sector as the now pervasive adoption of the principles of the Toyota Production Systems and Lean Manufacturing. We’d like to enlighten on the actual Process and the Material used in the 3D printing Job.
The different print processes are typically tied to specific materials and produce varying material properties such as strength and surface finish that can better suited for certain applications. The print consumables address nearly the entire spectrum of materials currently being used in the manufacturing process with plastics, glass, paper, ceramics and even metals.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) / Material extrusion
The process involves plastic filament being forced through a