Serial production technologies in 3D printing include advanced methods and equipment to produce large batches of products with consistent quality and high repeatability. Originally used primarily in prototyping, 3D printing is finding increasing use in serial production due to its ability to create complex geometries, reduce production costs, and provide design flexibility. Serial production using 3D printing is based on technologies, such as selective laser sintering (SLS), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), and stereolithography (SLA), as well as hybrid systems combining additive technologies with conventional processing methods.
Serial Production Technologies
Type of technology
Description of the technology
Basic elements
- Additive technologies for metal manufacturing: 3D printing techniques used for serial production of metal parts, such as SLM (selective laser melting) and DMLS (direct metal laser sintering).
- Technologies for polymer production: Printing from polyamides, PEEK, and high-strength composites.
- Systems for quality control: Advanced tools for inspection and monitoring of production parameters, such as computed tomography (CT) and optical analysis.
- Automation of production lines: Integration of 3D printers with industrial robotics and automated production lines.
- Production management software: Tools for planning, scheduling, and managing serial production using 3D printing.
Industry usage
- Automotive industry: Serial production of lightweight structural components for automobiles, such as lattices and brackets.
- Medicine: Serial production of medical implants and biocompatible components.
- Aviation: Serial production of structural parts with complex geometries for aircraft and drones.
- Electronics: Creating custom electronic enclosures and components.
- Fashion and design: Serial production of personalised jewellery pieces and accessories.
Importance for the economy
3D printing technologies in serial production enable companies to reduce production costs while maintaining high quality and design flexibility. By using 3D printing, companies can create complex structures and components that could not be made by traditional methods. Serial production using additive technologies is becoming attractive in sectors where weight reduction, design complexity, and low unit production costs are important, such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medicine.
Related technologies
Mechanism of action
- 3D printing technologies for serial production use advanced systems to quickly produce large numbers of identical products with high precision and repeatability. The process begins with creating a digital model and dividing it into appropriate layers. Then, the 3D printer builds the object layer by layer by melting, sintering, or curing the material. Serial production uses automated systems to monitor parameters, such as temperature, print speed, and material application precision, to ensure consistent quality at every stage of the process. After printing, the objects are subjected to post-processing, which includes surface finishing, removal of supports, and testing for compliance with quality standards.
Advantages
- Production flexibility: Ability to quickly adapt production to changing market requirements.
- Reducing tool costs: No need for injection moulds or other manufacturing tools.
- Geometric complexity: Creating complex structures that cannot be achieved by traditional methods.
- Shorter production cycles: Small batch production without the need for expensive tooling.
- Waste minimisation: Accurate dispensing of material minimises production waste.
Disadvantages
- High unit costs for small-scale production: 3D printing can be more expensive than traditional methods for large batches.
- Material limitations: Not all materials are suitable for serial production using 3D printing technology.
- Quality control issues: Difficulties in maintaining consistent quality when producing a large number of items.
- High post-processing requirements: Additional surface treatment and quality testing are often required.
- Complexity of management: Managing large production batches using 3D printing can be more complicated than with traditional methods.
Implementation of the technology
Required resources
- Advanced 3D printers: The equipment is designed to work in a serial production environment.
- Systems for automation: Production lines integrated with 3D printers and robots to automatically finish parts.
- Production management software: Tools for planning, scheduling, and quality control in serial production.
- Quality control specialists: Experts responsible for monitoring and testing the quality of products.
- Print materials: Specialised materials of consistent quality, suitable for serial production.
Required competences
- Knowledge of 3D printing technology: Knowledge of serial production techniques and materials used.
- Quality control: Ability to monitor and verify quality in serial production.
- Production automation: Knowledge of integrating 3D printing with industrial automation.
- Production process management: Ability to plan and coordinate large production orders.
- Production safety: Knowledge of safety standards for serial production.
Environmental aspects
- Energy consumption: High energy demand of automated production lines and advanced systems for serial production.
- Emissions of pollutants: Emissions from laser sintering processes and metallic material processing as well as emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when printing with polymers.
- Waste generated: Problems with disposal of production waste, residual metallic powders, and resin residues.
- Recycling: Difficulties in recovering compound materials, such as composites or multilayer materials, which are used in advanced printing technologies.
- Raw material consumption: High demand for specialised raw materials for 3D printing, such as powdered metals, biocompatible polymers, and ceramic materials.
Legal conditions
- Standards for serial production: Quality and repeatability requirements for serial production, such as ISO standards (e.g. ISO 9001).
- Certification of materials and components: Regulations for certification of materials used in serial production (e.g. EN9100 aerospace standards).
- User safety: Standards for the safe use of printed products in critical applications, such as the medical or aerospace industries.
- Intellectual property protection regulations: Regulations for the protection of design rights and technology copy protection.
- Environmental regulations: Waste management and emission reduction regulations for serial production using 3D printing (e.g. REACH).