3D printing all the buzz at AUSTECH

With all the buzz surrounding 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), you’d think it was created yesterday. The truth is, 3D printing has been around for quite a while, but what makes this technology so exciting right now is that it is actually affordable. AM can trim weeks, if not months off design, prototyping and manufacturing time.

Additive technology is a game-changer for many manufacturers — and walking through the crowded aisles at the recent AUSTECH Digital & Additive Manufacturing Pavilion reflected the ongoing trend towards AM; in fact, studies predict that AM sales are expected to more than quadruple in the next 10 years. And the 3D printing area has never been bigger or busier at any previous AUSTECH exhibition before. Nearly 30 companies were displaying the various AM technology’s capabilities — including companies involved in the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo — be it selective laser melting, direct metal laser sintering, fused deposition modelling or stereolithography.

3D printing and AM technology giant Stratasys presented a large array of 3D printers, from its Fortus production systems for end-use parts to MakerBot’s desktop printers. According to Sheji Dass from Stratasys in Singapore, the market conditions in Australia are good, especially in the die, mould and toolmaking markets, as well as in medical and the mining industry.

Across from the Stratasys stand, Renishaw showcased a 3D-printed bike frame, which has won a Guinness World Record. Designers are continually thinking up new and lighter designs for their bike frames, but the MX6 by Empire Cycles is using additive manufacturing technology to take two-wheeler design to new heights.

The frame on show at the Renishaw stand was made of titanium, layer by layer, in an AM250 laser melting machine. Why would someone consider making a 3D-printed bike frame out of titanium? Well, the design is light, it is very robust and can be easily optimised. According to Renishaw, the frame, built from fine titanium powders that are fully melted in a tightly controlled atmosphere layer by layer, took around 2 kg out of the original weight.