3D & 4D Printing Guide to Emerging Technologies

3D & 4D Printing
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3D Technology

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Definition of 3D Printing
The 3D printing process builds a three-dimensional object from a
computer-aided design model, usually by successively adding material layer by
layer, which is why it is also called additive manufacturing unlike conventional
machining, casting and forging processes, where material is removed from a
stock item or poured into a mould and shaped by means of dies, presses and
hammers.
For example:
The term "3D printing" covers a variety of processes in which material is joined
or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object with
material being added together typically layer by layer. In the 1990s, 3D-printing
techniques were considered suitable only to produce functional or aesthetic
prototypes and a more appropriate term for it was rapid prototyping. As of 2019
the precision, repeatability and material range have increased to the point that
some 3D-printing processes are considered viable as an industrial-production
technology, whereby the term additive manufacturing can be used
synonymously with "3D printing". One of the key advantages of 3D printing is
the ability to produce very complex shapes or geometries, and a prerequisite for
producing any 3D printed part is a digital 3D model or a CAD file.

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1. Stereolithography Technology:
SLA is a fast prototyping process. Those who use this technology are serious
about accuracy and precision. It can produce objects from 3D CAD data files in
just a few hours. This is a 3D printing process that’s popular for its fine details
and exactness. Machines that use this technology produce unique models,
patterns, prototypes, and various production parts. They do this by converting
liquid photopolymers into solid 3D objects, one layer at a time. The plastic is
first heated to turn it into a semi-liquid form, and then it hardens on contact. The
printer constructs each of these layers using an ultra violet laser, directed by X
and Y scanning mirrors. Just before each print cycle, a recoated blade moves
across the surface to ensure each thin layer of resin spreads evenly across the
object. The print cycle continues in this way, building 3D objects from the
bottom up.
2. Digital Light Processing Technology:
DLP is the oldest of the 3D printing technologies, created by a man called Larry
Hornbeck back in 1987. It’s like SLA, given that it also works with
photopolymers. The liquid plastic resin used by the printer goes into a
translucent resin container. There is, however, one major difference between the
two, which is the source of light. While SLA uses ultra violet light, DLP uses a
more traditional light source, usually arc lamps. This process results in
impressive printing speeds. When there’s plenty of light, the resin is quick to
harden. Compared to SLA 3D printing, DLP achieves quicker print times for

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most parts. The reason it’s faster is because it exposes entire layers at once. With
SLA printing, a laser must draw out each of these layers, and this takes time.
3. Fused Deposition Modelling Technology:
FDM is a 3D printing process developed by Scott Crump, and then implemented
by Stratasys Ltd., in the 1980s. It uses production grade thermal plastic
materials to print its 3D objects. It’s popular for producing functional
prototypes, concept models, and manufacturing aids. It’s a technology that can
create accurate details and boasts an exceptional strength to weight ratio.Before
the FDM printing process begins, the user must slice the 3D CAD data into
multiple layers using special software. The sliced CAD data goes to the printer
which then builds the object layer at a time on the build platform. It does this
simply by heating and then extruding the thermoplastic filament through the
nozzle and onto the base. The printer can also extrude various support materials
as well as the thermoplastic. For example, to support upper layers, the printer
can add special support material underneath, which then dissolves after the
printing process. As with all 3D printers, the time it takes to print all depends on
the objects size and its complexity.
4. Fused Deposition Modelling Technology:
An American businessman, inventor, and teacher named Dr. Carl Deckard
developed and patented SLS technology in the mid-1980s. It’s a 3D printing
technique that uses high power CO2 lasers to fuse particles together. The laser

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sinters powdered metal materials. Here’s how it works:The build platform, or
bed, lowers incrementally with each successive laser scan. It’s a process that
repeats one layer at a time until it reaches the object’s height. There is
un-sintered support from other powders during the build process that surround
and protect the model. This means the 3D objects don’t need other support
structures during the build. Someone will remove the un-sintered powders
manually after printing. SLS produces durable, high precision parts, and it can
use a wide range of materials. It’s a perfect technology for fully-functional,
end-use parts and prototypes. SLS is quite like SLA technology with regards to
speed and quality. The main difference is with the materials, as SLS uses
powdered substances, whereas SLA uses liquid resins. It’s this wide variety of
available materials that makes SLA technology so popular for printing
customized objects.
5. Selective Laser Melting Technology:
SLM made its debut appearance back in 1995. It was part of a German research
project at the Fraunhofer Institute ILT, located in the country’s most western city
of Aachen. Like SLA, SLM also uses a high-powered laser beam to form 3D
parts. During the printing process, the laser beam melts and fuses various
metallic powders together. The simple way to look at this is to break down the
basic process like thus:Powdered material + heat + precision + layered structure
= a perfect 3D object.As the laser beam hits a thin layer of the material, it
selectively joins or welds the particles together. After one complete print cycle,

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the printer adds a new layer of powered material to the previous one. The object
then lowers by the precise amount of the thickness of a single layer. When the
print process is complete, someone will manually remove the unused powder
from the object. The main difference between SLM and SLS is that SLM
completely melts the powder, whereas SLS only partly melts it. In general, SLM
end products tend to be stronger as they have fewer or no voids.
6. Electron Beam Melting Technology:
This is a 3D printing technology like SLM, in that it uses a powder bed fusion
technique. The difference between the two is the power source. The SLM
approach above uses high-powered laser in a chamber of noble, or inert gas.
EBM, on the other hand, uses a powerful electron beam in a vacuum. Aside from
the power source, the remaining processes between the two are quite similar.
EBM’s main use is to 3D print metal parts. Its main characteristics are its ability
to achieve complex geometries with freedom of design. EBM also produces
parts that are incredibly strong and dense in their makeup.
7. Laminated Object Manufacturing Technology:
A Californian company called Helisys Inc., first developed LOM as an effective
and affordable method of 3D printing. A US design engineer called Michael
Feygina pioneer in 3D printed technologiesoriginally patented LOM.LOM is a
rapid prototyping system that works by fusing or laminating layers of plastic or
paper using both heat and pressure. A computer-controlled blade or laser cuts

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object to the desired shape. Once each printed layer is complete, the platform moves
down by about 1/16th of an inch, ready for the next layer. The printer then pulls a new
sheet of material across the substrate where it’s adhered by a heated roller. This basic
process continues over and over until the 3D part is complete.
8. Binder Jetting Technology:
BJ is a 3D printing process that uses two types of materials to build objects: a
powder-based material and a bonding agent. As the name suggests, the “bonding”
agent acts as a strong adhesive to attach the powder layers together. The printer
nozzles extrude the binder in liquid form like a regular 2D inkjet printer. After
completing each layer, the build plate lowers slightly to allow for the next one. This
process repeats until the object reaches its required height.
9. Material Jetting Technology:
You will also hear Material Jetting referred to as wax casting. Unlike other 3D
printing technologies, there isn’t a single inventor for MJ. Once the 3D model is
uploaded to the printer, it’s all systems go. The printer adds molten (heated) wax to
the aluminium build platform in controlled layers. It achieves this using nozzle that
sweep evenly across the build area. As soon as the heated material lands on the build
plate it begins to cool down and solidify. As the 3D part builds up, a gel-like material
helps to support the printing process of more complex geometries. Like all support
materials in 3D printing, it’s easy to remove it afterward, either by hand or by using
powerful water jets. Once the part is complete you can use it right away, no further
post-curing necessary.

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1. Automotive:
The automotive industry has been tapping the potential of 3D printing for
decades already. 3D printing is extremely useful in rapid prototyping and has
proved capable of significantly reducing design times and lead times on new car
models.3D printing has also augmented manufacturing workflow within the
industry. Custom jigs, fixtures, and other tooling that might be required for a
single car part, particularly when high-performance machines are concerned,
once required an array of custom tools, adding cost and making the process
more and more complex.With 3D printing, custom jigs and other low volume
parts can be created directly for the production line. Manufacturers can cut lead
times by up to 90% and lower risk with the integration of 3D printing
technologies. Through streamlining with in-house production, the
manufacturing process grows more efficient and more profitable.
2. Jewellery:
3D printing is instigating a design revolution in jewellery. Creating 3D printed
pieces that had a comparable look and feel to traditionally handcrafted and cast
jewellery used to be a challenge. However, following the latest round of
advances in specialist high-end 3D modelling programs, and with more
printable materials on offer, more and more jewellery designers now prefer to
3D model and print their designs over traditional handcrafted
methods.Jewellery 3D printers create pieces from resin or wax, based on the 3D
model of the jeweller’s design. Digital models can be easily edited, which
makes prototyping jewellery with 3D printing incredibly cheap and convenient.

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3. Aerospace:
Minimizing weight is a primary way in which 3D printing has enabled the
aerospace industry to make a considerable saving. The lower volume of
components required in a 3D printed construction of a part leads to parts that are
lighter overallthis seemingly small change to production positively affects an
aircraft's payload, emissions, and fuel consumption and speed and safety, all the
while markedly reducing production waste. As in numerous other fields, the
workflow also allows the production of components simply too complex for
traditional methods to handle.
4. Shoes Industry:
The sport-footwear industry has long relied on technology to optimize the
performance of their products, and with the digital workflow they have more
options than ever in customization.Large brands like New Balance, Adidas, and
Nike, having recognized the power of additive manufacture, intend to mass
produce custom midsoles made from 3D printed materials. As in other
industries, the digital workflow will augment traditional methods of
manufacture herecritical, highly-customized components of each product will
be entrusted to the 3D printing, and the rest left to traditional means.
5. Healthcare:
3D printing can also help make the difference during key moments in surgery.
Doctors can scan the patient before the operation and create custom 3D printed
models’ anatomical models to plan and practice for surgery.

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For example, researchers at the University Hospital of Lübeck reduced risks
during brain operations by using 3D printed arteries. Elsewhere, healthcare
providers have doubled down on 3D printing to provide fast, realistic 3D
surgical models.
6. Architecture:
As an industry already based on geometric design, prototyping and modelling,
architecture stands to gain enormously from advances in 3D printing
technology. We've seen the 3D workflow produce a complex architectural model
in full detail, improving the 3D modelling phase of architectural design.On top
of saving time during model production, the digital workflow allows architects
to anticipate the effects of certain design features with much greater certainty,
e.g., by seeing a model produced with a fuller complement of materials, an
architect can measure aspects such a light flow through the structure with higher
precision.
7. Movies and Visual Effects:
3D printing has already been integrated into the production of Hollywood films
and is widely used for practical visual effects and costuming.Whereas the
creation of film's most fantastic creatures once required meticulous handcraft,
the increased deadline pressure and time demands of modern moviemaking have
made a quicker method of creating practical effects vital. Effects studios like
Aaron Sims Creative now use a hybridized approach, practical effect-making
enhanced by the digital workflow, to create new opportunities for collaboration
and cut lead times on bringing ideas to life.

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1. Faster Production:
3D printing is quicker than conventional manufacturing including injection
moulds and subtractive production. Think the speed of a sports car versus the
speed of a horse cart. Both will reach their destination, but the time difference
is significantly huge. From a prototype to a final product, 3D printing tests ideas
and designs quickly.
2. Easily Accessible:
3D printing has been around for decades, but it really did not take off until 2010.
The explosion of 3D printing interests has brought easier to use software and
hardware to consumers as more competition has entered the space. It’s never
been easier to learn the technology and you can incorporate it in a matter of days
into your production cycle.
3. Better Quality:
Traditional manufacturing methods can easily result in poor designs, and
therefore poor-quality prototypes. Imagine a scenario where someone wants to
bake a cake by combining all the ingredients together, mixing them up, and
putting them in the oven to cook. If the elements did not mix well, the cake will
have issues such as air bubbles or a failure to cook thoroughly.That is how
subtractive, or injection moulds can sometimes be. You are not assured of
quality 100 percent of the time. 3D printing allows the step-by-step assembly of
the object, which guarantees enhanced designs and eventually better-quality
objects.

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4. Cost-effectiveness:
Labour costs play a huge role in determining the amount of money to be spent
in developing a prototype. Traditional prototyping methodologies including
production runs and injection mould are costly as they require a lot of human
labour. Labour costs are also very high with conventional subtractive
manufacturing. You need experienced machine operators and technicians to
handle the production. Also, you must pay these laborers and use expensive
machinery. With 3D printing, however, labour can be as little as one person
issuing a print command.
5. Unlimited Shapes and Geometry:
Old methods of manufacturing rely on moulds and cutting technologies to
generate the desired shapes. Designing geometrically complex shapes can be
hard and expensive with this technology. 3D printing takes on this challenge
with ease and there’s not much the technology can’t do with the proper support
material.
6. Less Waste Production:
CNC cutting and injection moulding result in a lot of wasted resources. Both
involve the removal of materials from solid blocks. Unlike these two, 3D
printing only uses material that is needed to create a prototype part no more, no
less. Additionally, reusing the materials from a 3D print is relatively straight
forward. As a result, additive manufacturing creates very little waste, and saves
a company a lot of money.

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7. Risk Reduction:
When it comes to product manufacturing, a good designer knows that proper
design verification is crucial before investing in an expensive moulding tool. 3D
printing technology enables product designers to verify product prototypes
before starting out on substantial manufacturing investments that can sometimes
be disastrous.
Illustrative Example: -
These are some of the companies offering solutions and offerings for 3D
Printing:
1. 3D Systems
2. ExOne Company
3. HP
4. Nano Dimension Ltd
5. Organovo
6. Proto Labs
7. Stratasys
8. Voxeljet

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4D Technology

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Overview of 4D Printing
How Does 4D Printing Work?
Imagine having a box that was printed with a 3D printer. That alone in itself is cool
but imagine if that box could automatically flatten itself for packing once it was
impacted by some stimuli. It almost sounds silly when we just consider the impact of
a box going from 3D to 2D (by flattening itself), but the impact that simple things like
these can have in the business world is massive.
Definition of 4D Printing
4D printing is the process through which a 3D printed object transforms itself into
another structure over the influence of external energy input as temperature, light or
other environmental stimuli. 4D Printing is referred to as 3D printing transforming
over time. 3D Printing is about repeating a 2D structure, layer by layer in a print path,
from the bottom to the top, layer by layer until a 3D volume is created.
For example:
let us assume that a trucking company (we’ll call them Tucker Trucking for fun)
has a warehouse where they store all their shipping boxes. Whenever this
trucking company receives a shipment of goods, they remove the goods from the
boxes for delivery to their sites, and then they flatten the boxes to ship them
back out to their departure point so that they can be re-used for other shipments.

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1. Healthcare:
4D printing is to provide benefits to medical practitioners especially in the
areas not covered by 3D printing technologies. 4D printing helps to create
a 3D physical object by adding smart material layer by layer through
computer-operated computer-aided design (CAD) data. It adds a dimension
of transformation over time where printed products are sensitive to
parameters like temperature, humidity, time, etc. This technology can
provide extensive support in the medical field, especially with better and
smart medical implants, tools and devices. Now doctors and researchers
can explore with 4D printing technology to provide better service to the
patient.
-
-

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Example: -
Until now, Multilateral Shape Memory Polymers.“remember” their shape,
actively transforming configurations over time in response to environmental
stimuli. This shape memory polymer will resemble tailorable shapes is very
important for the health industry. For instance, we could make devices that will
change shape are release medicine when the patient gets fewer.
2. 4D printing in extreme conditions:
4D Printing would be even more useful in big scale projects. For example, in
extreme environments, such as space, it can have very promising applications.
In space, currently, the 3D printing process of the building causes some issues
related to cost, efficiency, and energy consumption. So, instead of using 3D
printed materials, 4D printed materials could be used to take advantage of their
transformable shape. They could provide the solution to build bridges, shelters
or any kind of installations, as they would build up themselves or repair
themselves in case of weather damage.
Example: -
1. Big antennas and other deployable devices.
2. Protecting spacecraft from meteorites.
3. Improving astronauts’ spacesuits.
4. Getting objects on the surface of another planet.
5. Insulating the spacecraft.

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3. Self-repair piping system:
The platelets, small pieces of polymeric or elastomeric material, are introduced
into the pipeline upstream and use the flow of the fluid to carry them down the
pipe toward the leak. There the pressure forcing the fluid out of the leak causes
the platelets to amass at the point of rupture, clogging up the escaping fluid in
the process. Pipes that could heal themselves automatically if they crack or
break, due to their ability to change in response to the environment's change.
Example: -
One potential application of 4D Printing in the real world would be pipes of a
plumbing system that dynamically change their diameter in response to the flow
rate and water demand.
4. Aviation:
In the aviation field, Airbus is developing programmable carbon fiber into a
fuel-saving air inlet component that will cool the engine by adjusting
automatically to control airflow. This ability to control airflow also has the
potential to transform the cabin experience by mediating pressure and making
the space more breathable for passengers. These self-reacting mechanisms will
eliminate the need for less-reliable, heavy mechanical control systems, further
reducing fuel consumption.

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5. Bioprinting:
Perhaps the most advanced version of “4D printing” is bioprinting in that, once
stem cells are printed, they are cultured to maturation, that is, transformed over
time. Given the fact that there are now numerous bioprinting companies, it could
be argued that this is where 4D printing is having the biggest impact.
Example: -
The ability to control the maturation process is achieved in part using a
custom-built CAD tool. The tool allows for the precise placement of each
microdroplet of organic matter so that it can grow in a manner that is predictable
based on the dynamics of cell growth. On the hardware side, the bioprinter uses
a laser to eject bioink into the proper position (see the video below), as designed
in the CAD tool. This is unlike any other bioprinter currently available on the
market.
6. 4D-Printed Clothes:
While most 4D printing is happening in the lab, the design studio Nervous
System has become famous for producing several 4D-printed dresses, one of
which was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). What makes these
dresses fit the definition of 4D-printed objects is that they were printed as a
jumble of connected tiles that, when pulled out of the printer, unfold into fully
wearable garments. This makes it possible to create objects that become bigger
than the printer build platform that produced them when they are removed.

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Example: -
Created jewelry and garments with articulated joints. This allows pieces to
automatically change shape once removed from the printer and placed on the
model resulting in pieces that better fit the form of any body shape.

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Advantages of 4D Printing
1. Size changing:
The most obvious advantage of 4D printing is that through computational
folding, objects larger than printers can be printed as only one part. Since the 4D
printed objects can change shape, can shrink and unfold, objects that are too
large to fit a printer can be compressed for 3D printing into their secondary
form.
The classic image of 4D-printed objects is associated with metamaterials, that
is, materials that change their shape or other physical properties depending on
the environment or application.
2. New materials or New properties:
Another advantage of 4D Printing technology is the usage of possible applied
materials. 4D printing has a vast potential to revolutionize the world of materials as
we know it today. Imagine 4D printing being applied to a variety of smart materials
that today we cannot even imagine.

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Illustrative Example: -
These are some of the companies offering solutions and offerings for 4D
Printing:
1. 3D Systems Corporation
2. Autodesk Inc.
3. ExOne Co.
4. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
5. Stratasys Ltd

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3D & 4D Printing Guide to Emerging Technologies

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