What is 3D Metal Printing and What is it used For?

Today, companies need to be following trends and keeping up with new technologies, if they want to remain competitive.

This is true about the software that they use, but also about the hardware. When a company needs to manufacture a complex metal object, it needs to learn about the latest technologies, which include 3D metal printing. Here is what you need to know about it and how it is being used.

A Quick Definition of 3D Metal Printing

If you have ever seen a 3D printing machine that uses plastic in order to create the objects that its user requires, then you can easily understand the concept. In fact, 3D metal printing is the process of creating three-dimensional structures out of metal materials using a layer-by-layer approach, which is exactly what the most common 3D printers already do, today.

Companies use them to create pieces featuring complex geometries and other customized designs that are simply not possible through traditional manufacturing methods. There are various types of DED additive manufacturing technologies. They come into different formats, which adapts accordingly to the size of objects that a company is looking to manufacture.

They all use the same technology (Directed Energy deposition), which basically melts a metal powder through the use of a laser so, that every bead created can be placed on top of one another, in a position designated by the technical plan of the object, which was inserted in the software to start with.

What is this Technology used For?

Companies that use innovative metal additive manufacturing solutions come from various industries. They include healthcare, aerospace, automotive and general manufacturing. They acquire such machinery in order to create prototypes, spare parts, and tooling.

There are various manufacturing methods that are able to create 3D metal printing, with the two most important ones being power bed fusion and direct energy deposition (DED). As we mentioned earlier, there are objects that are simply too complex in their design to be manufactured in any other way than through a 3D metal printer.

What are the Added Values that convince Companies to acquire a 3D Metal Printing Machine?

Acquiring a 3D metal printer can reduce costs and increase the efficiency of a company. That is because it eliminates the need for expensive tooling and reduces greatly the time required for prototyping and production.

Since on many occasions, more than one prototype will be required to arrive at a final product, the firm that uses this machine can proceed without any delay at another trial, as soon as the new plans are completed and uploaded inside the machine’s software.

Also, every time you create a metal prototype through another form of manufacturing process, the cost rapidly accumulates.

There is another important advantage to installing such a machine inside a company. Once it is in place, nothing stops management to use it as a new service offered to its clients, who also need parts and/or prototypes of their new projects in development. It then becomes a source of revenue that can quickly grow to be an important one.