3 D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

Can metal 3D printing help automakers with more than just prototyping? It can, and it has, says our engineering expert.

What parts of the design process are the most difficult? What information are you looking for now to help you with your job? Is there a specific technology area that can be challenging to find out the latest solutions for?

If you think there’s too much hype surrounding 3D printing, perhaps that’s because you’re only thinking about plastic parts.

A recent video on Tech Briefs TV featured an achievement from Berkeley Lab scientists who have developed a way to print all-liquid 3D structures.

In today’s INSIDER, MIT researcher Professor Stefanie Mueller said that her laboratory’s color-changing 3D printables support new customizable objects and accessories, as well as opportunities for product designers showing off their prototypes.

3D printing uses computer control to fuse layers of polymers or powders into a three-dimensional object. Rutgers University researchers found a way to add to a fourth dimension – time – to the manufacturing process.

A major drawback to 3D printing is the slow pace of the process, which ensures details are reproduced accurately. The pace of 3D printing is one of the factors that has prevented the technology from finding a broader audience. A new algorithm was developed that boosts the speed at which the printers operate.

Current methods of identifying a unique part involve adding a unique serial number to the part. There are many reasons that manufactured parts receive a serial number. They enable traceability of a part throughout its lifecycle, and ensure the part is not a counterfeit; however, labels and stamped codes...