There is a trend I think I’m noticing in additive manufacturing recently. Where there used to be an expectation that parts ready to use right off the printer should be the goal, there seems to be a growing acceptance that the 3D printer can’t and shouldn’t do everything.
There are very good reasons to electroplate or coat a polymer 3D printed part after the fact, for example, versus making it fully out of metal, including weight savings as well as cost. There are also good reasons to produce components in pieces and join them together after printing. (In an example I shared in our Formnext 2023 podcast episode, a company CEO showed me an assembly consisting of several 3D printed parts welded together with off-the-shelf flanges. “We’re ambitious, but we’re not stupid,” he said by way of explanation — the implication being that the pursuit of a fully consolidated 3D printed part would have been foolish in terms of cost, time or perhaps both.)
Reinforce 3D exemplifies this trend toward post-print enhancement. The startup is offering a technology not for 3D printing parts but for reinforcing them afterward with continuous fibers. The method not only offers the chance for stronger polymer parts and lighter metal ones but also the opportunity to join disparate parts and materials together — as shown in the brake pedal above. Learn how the Continuous Fiber Injection Process works in today’s article, which also includes a video for those of you who might prefer watching.
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After a three-year project time line, the Polyline project was finally completed with a fully automated operation installed at BMW’s additive manufacturing campus in Munich, Germany. Read about it here.
I recently put out calls on LinkedIn and X to help answer a reader’s question (paraphrasing here): Do you know of any examples where assembly is also taking place during the 3D printing process? Here are some of the most compelling answers — thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!
1.
A drone that can fly itself off the build plate. Students at Virginia Tech used a robot arm for both printing and assembly of quadcopter drones that were able to launch right after a gentle nudge from a scraper arm. Even better, the first drone produced in this video is equipped with a camera — which it then uses to help document the making of the second. (H/T Christopher Williams on LinkedIn)
2.
Placing magnets for TET coils. Rick Beddoe described proof-of-concept work he was involved in to place magnets inside of transcutaneous energy transfer (TET) coils for charging implanted devices. The idea didn’t get past manual magnet placement, but the task could have been automated with a pick-and-place robot, he shared on LinkedIn.
3.
Installing LEDs for light fixtures.Consumer product company Shapelamp demonstrates how a combination of vacuum suction and a dedicated “pushing” tool make it possible to install LEDs into a light as it is printed in this video from the 3D Printing Nerd. The E3D toolchanger used has unfortunately been discontinued. (H/T @themitch22 on X)
4.
Nanosatellites built inside the 3D printer. Sciperio, a sister company of nScrypt, has used the latter’s Factory in a Tool (FiT) system to print and assemble CubeSats for the U.S. Space Force fully inside this machine. The FiT made it possible to extrude and mill deposited material as well as pick-and-place electronics. (H/T to Michael Farrell on LinkedIn)
5.
Bonus tip: Looking to embed sensors or something that involves wiring? It’s not the automation that’s necessarily difficult, says Mark Norfolk of Fabrisonic. It’s routing those wires in just the right way to avoid fatigue. He shared tips and additional info here.
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