AM Applications

• Functional models
• Pattern for investment and vacuum casting
• Medical models
• Art models
• Engineering analysis models
• Rapid tooling
• New materials development
• Bi-metallic parts
• Re-manufacturing
• Application examples for Aerospace, defense, automobile, Bio-
medical and general engineering industries
Functional Models
Applications – Functional Models

• Parts that can withstand limited functional testing, or fit and operate within an
assembly.
• Functional Prototypes can be built with material properties close to those of
production parts by using various AM technologies. One of the major technologies
is SLS for developing functional models.
Applications – Functional Models

Initially Four Nylon Based materials were used during 1999

• Standard Nylon
• Fine Nylon

Fine Nylon Medical Grade

• Nylon Composite

Replaced by
• DuraForm PA
• DuraForm GF (Glass Reinforced)

Before DuraForm, ProtoForm is used.

Applications – Functional Models
ProtoForm based Functional Model Case Study.

ProtoForm = 50% of Nylon powder (50um size) + 50% Glass Beads (35um dia).
(% by weight)
Properties :High Modulus, Good Heat and Chemical Resistance
Model :Mounting Base part for Precision components
Requirements :Undergo harsh conditions with temperature of 1000C ,
Dimensions need to be in close limits
Machine :DTM Sinterstation 2000
Applications – Functional Models
Initially the part is made without ribs, which
• suffered from much distortion,
• had vertical growth and “wash out” (loss of
definition and rounding of edges) on the
downward facing surfaces
• the external dimensions of the sidewalls
varied by more than 1 mm
Solutions done
• Uniform wall thickness and reducing it to
2mm.
• 2mm non-functional ribs were added
across the housing to stiffen it (2 ribs each
horizontally and vertically). Fig:1 Composite Nylon housing:
Without ribs (left) - With ribs (right)
Applications – Functional Models
Patterns for Investment
and Vacuum Casting
Applications - Patterns for Investment and Vacuum Casting
Investment Casting Process

Fig:2 Investment Casting Process

Applications - Patterns for Investment and Vacuum Casting

Vaccum Casting Process

Fig:3 Vaccum Casting Process

Applications - Patterns for Investment and Vacuum Casting

• RP technologies are widely used for building patterns for investment and
vacuum casting
• SLA, SLS and FDM employed models can be used as patterns for both casting
process.
• Casting patterns are made using two major materials – CastForm and TrueForm
Applications - Patterns for Investment and Vacuum Casting
Case Study: SLS pattern
• TrueForm – Acrylic based powder of
Spherical Powder of 30um.
• Processed at low temperature compared to
Nylon based materials
• Good Accuracy but moderate Strength
• Dense parts for vacuum casting
• Porous parts for investment casting

Fig: TrueForm housing pattern (right)

and aluminum investment casting (left)
 Applications - Patterns for Investment and Vacuum Casting
• As like injection moulded plastic, thick
sections were subjected to sinking or
sagging when using TrueForm.
• To prevent sagging, part orientation has
to be carried out
• If not shelling can be done to prevent the
sagging as shown Fig:4 Cross section of a hollow TrueForm part

• TrueForm patterns become cost effective

when a small number of parts, say up to
50, of complex design are required and
the cost of a mould for wax patterns is
prohibitive.
Fig: 5 Sagging due to non-constant wall thickness (Left), Improvement
of the accuracy on a hollow part (Right)
Medical Models
Applications - Medical Models
Steps involved in developing the medical models
CT Data (Bony Tissue)
MRI Data (Soft Tissue)

Generation of STL files

from scan data

Manufacturing using
Fig: 6 Brief schematic diagram of product development cycle AM Machine
for 3D printing of Bioimplant
Applications - Medical Models
• Various fields the medical models are used:
• Surgical and Diagnostic Model
• Operation Planning
• Surgery rehearsal
• Training
• Prosthetic Development
• Maxillofacial Surgery
• Hip joint Replacement
• Tissue Engineering
Applications - Medical Models
• Surgical and Diagnostic Model
• The use of AM for diagnostic purpose was probably the first medical application
of AM.
• Surgeons work in teams with support from doctors and nurses during
operations and from medical technicians prior to those operations.
• They use models in order to understand the complex surgical procedures for
themselves as well as to communicate with others in the team.
• Complex surgical procedures also require patient understanding and compliance
and so the surgeon can use these models to assist in this process too.
• AM models have been known to help reduce time in surgery for complex cases,
both by allowing the surgeons to better plan ahead of time and for them to
understand the situation better during the procedure (by having the model on
hand to refer to within the operating theater).
 Applications - Medical Models
• Operation Planning
• Surgery rehearsal
• Training

Fig:9 Objet Connex process

Fig:8 A bone tumour
Fig:7 AM used to make skull with showing vascularity inside a
highlighted using ABS
vascular tracks in a darker color human organ
Applications - Medical Models
Prosthetic Development

• Prosthetic implant is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part,

which may be lost through trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth.
• Maxillofacial surgery and Hip Joint Replacement are the most used AM
applications in the prosthetic development.
• Both the applications require CT Data to develop CAD models which in turn
is used for various requirements
Applications - Medical Models
• Maxillofacial Surgery

• Flexible titanium meshes are used as a bone replacement in cancer cases or as a

method for joining pieces of broken bone together.
• Since the material is denoted as flexible, that requires a tools in order to bend the
material, Fixtures for orientation, tooling guidance for screwing into bones can be
used as an template for these meshes
• These template models and tools are developed with the help of CAD software
using the CT data.
Applications - Medical Models

Fig:10 Titanium Mesh used in Medical

Prosthesis
Applications - Medical Models

Fig:11 Titanium Mesh formed around a

maxillofacial Model Fig:12 Surgical guide for Surgery in a bone
Applications - Medical Models
Hip Joint Replacement:

Fig:13 Location of the analyzed implant. Fig:14 Additively manufactured customized

implant
Applications - Medical Models
Tissue Engineering
living cells, proteins and other materials that assist in the generation of integrated tissue structures are
being deposited to develop replacement body parts.

Fig: 15 A typical process for bioprinting 3D tissues. Imaging of the damaged tissue and its environment can be used to guide the
design of bioprinted tissues. Biomimicry, tissue self-assembly and mini-tissue building blocks are design approaches used singly
and in combination. The choice of materials and cell source is essential and specific to the tissue form and function. Common
materials include synthetic or natural polymers and decellularized ECM. Cell sources may be allogeneic or autologous. These
components have to integrate with bioprinting systems such as inkjet, microextrusion or laser-assisted printers. Some tissues may
require a period of maturation in a bioreactor before transplantation. Alternatively the 3D tissue may be used for in vitro
applications
Applications - Medical Models
Tissue Engineering

Fig :16 3D printed tissue and organ using Additive Manufacturing

Art Models
Applications - Art Models

Art models developed using AM cannot be built using any conventional

manufacturing methods.

Case Study : CALM Project (Creating Art with Layer Manufacture),

1998
Funded by : Higher Education Funding Council for England
For : Promote the use of IT within the Art and Design
community in UK higher education
 Applications - Art Models
Case study 1: Water Splash by M. Harris
This is an artwork of a water splash developed using
a CAD software and it is manufactured using SLS.

Fig:18 Cross-sections of the 3D model

Fig:17 SLS model representing a water splash of a water splash (Courtesy of the
(Courtesy of the CALM project) CALM project)
Applications - Art Models
Case Study 2: Cybersculpture by K. Brown
This artefact is mainly developed to make it unique, so that this should not be
manufactured using any conventional methods. The model is developed using SLS
technique.

Fig:19 SLS model of a cybersculpture (Courtesy of the CALM project) Fig:20 3D shaded image and a cross-section of the cybersculpture
(Courtesy of the CALM project)
Applications - Art Models
Case study 3: Bracelet by M. Woolner and T. Cook
The bracelet is designed in such a way that it can be produced only by using RP
technologies. The artefact is a complex trajectory extrusion starting at one end as an ellipse
with a star-shaped internal form and finishing at the other end with a star-shaped section
having an ellipse as an internal form. The RP model was built using a SLA system.

Fig:21 3D CAD model and the SLA art prototype(Courtesy of the CALM project)
Engineering Analysis
Models
Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Apart from developing physical model for visualization or proofing purposes, designers
are also interested in the engineering aspects of their designs. Additive Manufacturing
technologies become important as they are able to provide the information necessary to
ensure sound engineering and function of the product. What makes it more attractive is
that it also save development time and reduce costs.

• Visualization of Flow patterns

• Thermo Elastic Tension Analysis
• Photoelastic Stress Analysis
• Flow Analysis Models
• Stress Analysis Models
Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Visualization of Flow patterns
• SLA models were used to optimise the cross-flow
jacket of a V6 high-performance racing engine.
• 60 sensors were installed in the model to monitor
local flow temperature and pressure conditions.
• The coolant flow patterns were visualised by
accurately injecting very small air bubbles
• The flow patterns were recorded by high-speed
video.
• The analysis conducted provided valuable data
about stagnation zones and insufficiently cooled
sections.
• This data allowed the critical sections to be
Fig:22 Assembly of the cross-flow water jacket of a V6
redesigned and SLA models of the modified high-performance racing engine
components were produced.
 Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Thermo Elastic Tension Analysis
• RP models of real parts can be used on test rigs for structural analysis.
• This method allows temperature changes in the test parts to be directly correlated to the
load.
• The effect of a particular load on the temperature patterns is analysed using thermal
imaging.
• Thermographic plots of an aluminum rim and a SLS rim are shown in Figure

Fig:23 Thermographic plots of aluminium rim (left) and SLS glass-filled nylon rim (right)
 Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Photoelastic Stress Analysis
• Photoelastic testing can be used to determine the
stresses and strains within physical parts under
specific conditions.
• This analysis is based on the temporary birefringence
of a transparent material subjected to a specific load
• SLA models fabricated as shown in the figure, exhibit
the required birefringence that can be illustrated by
irradiating the test samples with polarised white and
monochromatic light.
• Results from photoelastic analysis of SLA models can
be transferred to functional metal parts by
employing fundamental similarity laws.
• This allows predictions to be made rapidly at low Fig:24 The frozen stress distribution for a
cost regarding the actual stress distributions model of an aeroengine turbine rotor
anticipated in functional parts.
Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Flow Analysis Models
• Components manufactured by
traditional manufacturing process
which gets affected by air or fluid flow
cannot be easily modified.
• Various design changes can be carried
out using CAD software and those
designs can also be analysed using
various CFD software.
• Even after conducting analysis using
computer simulations, frequent
experimental analysis needs to be
carried out to study the performance
Fig:25 The additive manufactured topology optimized
of the component.
device.
Applications – Engineering Analysis Models

Fig:26 Schematic of the experimental system.

Applications – Engineering Analysis Models
Stress Analysis Models

Fig:27 Pictures of EBM-built wishbones. (a) Placements and locations on the steel start plate
and (b) side view of the individual wishbone.
Applications – Engineering Analysis Models

Fig:28 (a) Fixture designed for tensile test and (b) the
setting in the Instron 5892 machine. Fig:29 The macroscopic deformation responses of the
EBM-built Ti-6Al-4V conventional and optimized
wishbones
Rapid Tooling
Applications – Rapid tooling
Rapid tooling
Case Study 1: ABS Portable Electronic Tour Guide
• An initial batch of 60 sets of front and back covers of a portable electronic tour
guide used in places such as museums, had to be manufactured in four weeks.
• Because of this short lead-time, it was decided to build mould inserts using the
RapidTool process.
• The mould inserts were designed in a 3D CAD package and two pairs of inserts were
built, one for the front cover and one for the back cover.
• Each pair of inserts took five days to produce using RapidSteel 1.0.
• Due to time pressure, the mould design was simplified and the mould was produced
without sliding inserts and cooling lines for the initial batch
• Polishing of the inserts took slightly longer than for conventional steel inserts
because of the stair stepping on some surfaces.
• A local company integrated the inserts into the mould base and moulded the parts.
• The accuracy of injection moulded parts depends greatly on the quality of finishing
and polishing.
Applications – Rapid tooling

Fig:30 3D CAD representation of the tourguide front cover Fig:31 Design of the tourguide front cover injection
moulding inserts
Applications – Rapid tooling

Fig:32 Finished Inserts and Parts

 Applications – Rapid tooling
Case Study 2: Aluminium Windscreen Wiper Arm
• To evaluate the suitability of RapidTool for aluminium gravity die-casting, RapidTool inserts for a
windscreen wiper arm were built using RapidSteel 1.0
• The integration of the inserts into a casting rig and the trial castings were carried out by a local
company.
• One of the bosses at the end of the wiper was used as a reference feature to achieve good matching
of the two halves of the tool.
• The aluminium alloy used was LM6
• The original part was designed for pressure die-casting and this accounted for initial problems with
metal flow to the thin sections of the die.
• This problem was exacerbated by the high thermal conductivity of RapidSteel 1.0 which exceeds that
of cast iron: the castings solidified very quickly so that the metal had to be introduced rapidly.
• To evaluate the variations of temperature in the die-casting tool a thermocouple was positioned 5mm
from the surface of the core and the cavity.
• In the present case, the runner system was repositioned, putting the thinnest casting section at the
lowest possible point.
• This increased the head above that section to facilitate the flow of metal to it.
Applications – Rapid tooling

Fig:33 Windscreen wiper arm die-casting inserts and parts

New Materials
Development
Applications – New Materials Development
New materials development
The range of materials used today is quite restricted while there is a real demand
for manufacturing lighter functional parts or parts with improved functional
properties.

Complex Metal Alloys (CMA)

New composite materials containing complex metal alloys, these alloys are mainly
Al based quasicrystalline alloys whose properties differ from those of conventional
alloys. The use of these materials allows us to produce light-weight parts consisting
of either metal–matrix composites or of polymer–matrix composites with improved
properties. Functional parts using these alloys are now commercialized.

In the case of indirect SLS, it is possible to obtain fully functional metal parts made
of different light alloys (Al-based).
Applications – New Materials Development

Fig:34 Left: picture of a porous preform made by SLS containing Al–Cu–Fe–B QC particles and a
polymer binder. The lateral dimension of the preform is 5 cm. Right: SEM image of the mixed powder
after selective sintering showing the formation of polymer bridges connecting the QC particles.
Applications – New Materials Development
In the case of direct SLS, CMA particles are used as reinforcement particles in a
polymer matrix to improve the properties of composite parts.

Fig: 35 Picture of an intake manifold made of a polyamide composite reinforced by QC particles. This
part is used in automotive industry and is produced by SLS in a single processing step. The size of the
component is about 20 × 30 × 40 cm.
Applications – New Materials Development
CMA particles can also be used as reinforcement particles in resin composites made by
stereolithography (SLA).

Fig:36 Picture of QC–resin composite parts produced by stereolithography.

Applications – New Materials Development

Ceramic Based Materials in various technologies

In AM, the geometrical design of a desired ceramic-based component is combined with

the materials design.
In this way, the fabrication times and the product costs of ceramic-based parts with
required properties can be substantially reduced.
However, dimensional accuracy and surface finish still remain crucial features in today’s
AM due to the layer-by-layer formation of the parts.
In spite of the fact that significant progress has been made in the development of
feedstock materials, the most difficult limitations for AM technologies are the
restrictions set by material selection for each AM method and aspects considering the
inner architectural design of the manufactured parts.
Applications – New Materials Development

Fig:37 Exemplary ceramic structures, fabricated with direct (a–c) and indirect (d–e) printing
techniques: (a) dental restoration,[22] (b) impeller,[21] (c) micro-pillar array,[37]
(d) bone implant,[82] (e) macrocellular structures with variable ligament lengths
Applications – New Materials Development

Fig.39 6. Variety of transducers made by FDC: (a) 10_10

Fig:38 YSZ parts from direct SLS.[90] (a) CAD model,(b)
tube array; (b) bellows; (c) spiral; (d) curved transducer; (e)
sintered part, (c) YSZ cubic from SLS process
telescoping; (f) radial actuators made by FDC
Bi-Metallic Parts
Applications – New Materials Development

Bi-metallic parts

• NASA and industry partners are working towards fabrication process

development to reduce costs and schedules associated with
manufacturing liquid rocket engine components with the goal of reducing
overall mission costs.
• Case Study: NASA’s Liquid Rocket Engine
• Technology Used: Selective laser melting (SLM)
• Material Used: Inconel 625 jacket bonded to the GRCop-84
Applications – New Materials Development

Fig: Thrust Chamber Assembly. Fig: 3D Printed Thrust Chamber Sections

Applications – New Materials Development

Fig: Methane Cooled SLM GRCop-84 Chamber Mounted & Hot-

fire Tested at MSFC TS115
Re-manufacturing
Applications – Re-Manufacturing
Re-manufacturing
Repair, refurbishment and Remanufacturing processes are procedures aiming at returning
the value of the product during the lifecycle.

Fig:40 Process flow of remanufacturing

Applications – Re-Manufacturing

Fig:41 (a)AM technology for repair and restoration and (b) Object of restoration using
AM.
Applications – Re-Manufacturing
Case Study: Turbine Blade Remanufacturing
Technology used : Laser Cladding (DED )

Fig:42 Extracting prominent cross section from the non-

defective region of an airfoil
Applications – Re-Manufacturing

Fig:43 Process for generating a parameterized geometric model required for Laser Direct Deposition
based defect repair: (a) acquire point clouds and generate mesh, (b) extract Prominent Cross Section
from non-defective region and extrapolate missing section, (c) reconstruct repaired model in CATIA™,
and (d) extract Boolean difference between (a) and (c) to obtain the repair volume.
Applications – Re-Manufacturing

Fig:44 (a) Damaged tip and (b) reconstructed tip

reproduced
Applications
Aerospace
 Applications of Metal AM – Aerospace

Fig:45 Fuel nozzle foe GE leap Fig:46 GE LEAP Engine

engine – 30,000 components
produced through Additive
Manufacturing
 Applications of Metal AM – Aerospace

EOS M400-4
Fig:47 Gas Turbine Engine form
Siemens

The swirler is responsible for mixing air

and fuel prior to combustion by the
burner
 Applications of Metal AM – Wipro 3D
GSAT 19
• Communication Satellite By ISRO
• Communication Devices By SAC Ahmedabad
• In the orbit since 2017
• India’s first additive manufactured component in
space
• Currently leased by Tata Sky

Fig:49 GSAT 19 Satellite

Fig:48 Northwest Feed Cluster for GSAT 19
fabricated through SLM on EOS M400 Sensitivity: Internal & Restricted
Part consolidation

Fig:50 Northwest Feed Cluster for GSAT 19 fabricated through SLM on EOS M400
Automobile
Real World AM Users – Applications of Metal AM

Power
Steerin
g
Motor
Mountin
g
Bracket

Mounting
points - Fig:52 Mounting Bracket Manufactured
Chassis Fig:51 Power Steering Motor Assembly through SLM with 20 % weight
Sensitivity: Internal
for Heavy Automotive & reduction
Applications of Metal AM - Formula Student/Automotive

Fig:54 Add upright , antiroll bar, super nodes and brake

calliper Heat Exchanger through SLM to enhance heat
transfer

Fig:53 Formula Student Team of IIT

Bombay & VIT
Sensitivity: Internal &
Design forAM

• Opportunistic DfAM
• Restrictive DfAM
• Redesign using DfAM
 Vat Polymerisation Technology
BUILD TIME ON SLA5000 SYSTEM = 2 Days
per
one part
PART ENVELOPE = 430 mm X 330 mm X 190 mm
CAD MODELLING TIME = 2 months
TIME TAKEN TO BUILD ACTUAL METALLIC
ENGINE PART = 16 months

Fig:55 GEAR BOX CASING MODEL

Design Visualisation Model
Bio-Medical
 Vat Photopolymerization Process

Vat Removed the Cleaning

Photopolymerization object

Post Curing Support Removal

Application in Dental Industry

Fig:56 Intraoral Scanning Fig:57 Part building using the DMX File

Fig:58 A data mining extensions (DMX) file is Fig:59 Creating a STL File using Dental CAD
created software (Model Builder, Dental Systems; 3Shape)
Build preparation for Dentures

Fig:61Slicing of Part
Fig:60 Generating Supports Part: Dental Aligners
Material: NextDent
5100 Viscosity:
400cps @ 25°C
Hardness: 80 Shore D
Print Time: 4.5 Hours
Post Processing: 1hr curing under 50W
405nm UV Layer Resolution: 50 microns
Fig:62 2D cross section of layer
 • Define the print speed, layer height and
support material positioning in the slicer.
• Slicer virtually slices the 3D model into
hundreds
of layers.
• If a part is 100mm tall, there is
100mm/50um = 2000 layers
Fig:62 Printing of Dental Aligners

Fig:63 Cleaning the part with IPA Fig:64 Post curing in UV oven
Vat polymerization - Medical Applications

Material: BioMed Amber Resin (ISO 10993-

1:2018)
Viscosity: 400cps @ 25°C
Fig:65 Mass Customized Hearing Aid Hardness: 67 Shore D Print
Time: 6 Hours
Post Processing: Autoclave at 134 °C for 20
minutes
Layer Resolution: 70 micros
Photopolymers

Fig:66 multi-scope as a multi-purpose device that

combines the functionality of an otoscope, an
endoscope and a nasal scope.
Material Jetting

The medical industry often utilizes full color printing

to produce educational medical models
Applications of Metal AM – Medical

Fig: 68 Pedicle srew : Axes of

Fig:67 Pedicle screw assembly fabricated in SLM as a motion
monolithic structure
General Engineering Industries

Flow optimization
Part consolidation
Shape complexity to reduce assembly issues

Courtesy: Renishaw and Empire cycles

Application of FDM-ABS part for fixed wing drone testing

17
 FDM gears for an ornithopter (MAV)

Industry-grade stereolithography system

Creative solution
inspired from
Mechanical Drums
used in Temple
An array of flapping
mechanisms to achieve
flapping characteristics
without weight penalty
Function integration Functional
complexity