Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing

A Bird’s Eye View

Presented By

Jagadish Sury
Sydney, Australia
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
 3-D printing (3DP) is the process of making physical objects from a digital model
using a printer. Although still in the developmental stages, the technology has
advanced swiftly since its introduction in the 1980s, and is already presenting
opportunities in new areas, such as in the custom manufacture of prosthetics,
dental products and other medical devices or high strength lightweight precision
automotive and aerospace parts that would have been unimaginable just a few
years ago.
 3DP offers a digital approach to manufacturing by building solid objects on a layer-
by-layer basis from a digital model. It is sometimes referred to as additive
manufacturing, rapid prototyping or rapid manufacturing.
 3DP has the potential to revolutionise consumer and industrial markets, increasing
the opportunity to tailor products to individual needs in hours, not days. it will
revolutionise supply chains—changing the point of manufacture, shrinking
transport costs and introducing potentially limitless product variants.
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
 Today, 3-D printing is a very small part of the metals
industry, but it is growing rapidly
 Market is expected to be worth as much as USD 10 billion by

2030 to 2035
 Already, a number of healthcare and aerospace companies

have adopted the technology.

 Some are running pilots to see how 3-D metal printing can

contribute to their operations while others are using 3-D

printers to produce metal prototypes in-house.
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing

There are four core benefits of 3-D printers over traditional metal
production:
• Shorter value chain
• Low waste.
• Greater design freedom
• Cost effectiveness at small scale
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
The main benefits of 3-D printing are a shorter value chain, cost and time reductions
 through elimination of assembly steps, greater customization and design freedom, and minimal waste. But the

technology still has significant challenges to overcome. These include the high costs of metal powder and 3-D
printers for large-scale production, as well as significant constraints on the dimensions of printed parts.
Additionally, most printers cannot mix materials within one item. However, R&D activities by corporations and
academics are rapidly addressing these limitations.
 Industry players can enter this promising market in several ways: powder production, 3-D printing end
products, servicing 3-D printer operations, and manufacturing 3-D printers. For the metals value chain,
perhaps the biggest opportunity lies in producing high-performing metal powders or innovative products with
enhanced properties. As the technology increasingly takes hold, we expect powder producers and creators of
the product designs to hold the greatest power in the value chain, with those in the middle increasingly
squeezed.
 The technology, which works by layering rather than eliminating material to create a shape (hence it is also
known as additive manufacturing), has several important selling points. First, it requires only three major steps:
metal production, powder production, and product printing (with some finishing). Additionally, 3-D printing
largely eliminates waste and expands the available design options, allowing manufacturers to adapt products to
use less material, incorporate improved mechanical properties, avoid assembly steps, and create new
geometries.
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
3-D metal printing today – A Technology Overview

Two methods currently dominate metal printing

 Powder bed fusion. A thermal-energy system employing a laser. The laser melts the
outline of the part into a thin powder layer. Another powder layer is then spread onto
the first layer and the laser melts the part’s outline again. This process is repeated layer
by layer until the part is complete and can be lifted out of the (now filled) powder bed.
 Direct energy deposition. A thermal-energy process that fuses material by melting it.
Unlike in powder bed fusion, here the powder flows through a nozzle and is melted by
the beam as the printer deposits it on the surface of the part being built. This process
is also known as laser cladding, laser metal deposition, or electron-beam-directed
energy deposition (when an electron beam is used instead of a laser).
DMG Mori Lasertec 3D Printer
DMG Mori Lasertec 65 3D Printer
Fusion of Laser Metal Deposition and 5-axis Milling
The LASERTEC 65 3D hybrid is a hybrid solution that incorporates the additive
manufacturing function into a 5-axis machining centre. Combining laser metal
deposition and milling processes on one machine, the LASERTEC
65 3D demonstrates outstanding performance in various applications, such as
machining of complex-shaped parts for aircraft and medical components, and
repair or coating on Mining parts for corrosive wear protection.
ROMAR ENGINEERING
TARGET MARKETS
• Mining
• Industrial markets for Rubber /

Silicone / Plastics
• Defence & Aerospace
• Medical Devices & Components

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Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
The impact on mining
 3DP has the potential to challenge the concept of economies of scale, and drive value in an

era of scarcer resources, increased volatility and higher demand for flexibility and
customisation.
So how would a mining operation look with an advanced 3DP capability?
 There are a number of features of 3DP that are relevant to mining companies and their supply

chain and operations:

 On-demand and on-site
 Customisable and replicable
 Leaner and greener
These 3DP features could assist in reshaping mining supply chains and operations by
significantly shrinking delivery lead times, removing excessive stock and complexity across the
supply chain, impacting manufacturing, transportation, and service and location strategies. 
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
 3D Printers
AM – Market Potential