Additive Manufacturing: Transforming the Competitive

Arena?Louis Turner, Chief Executive, Asia-Pacific Technology Network

In Collaboration with

Lawrence Lau, IP Broker at Gemwise Invests

Presentation to Science and Technology Options Asessment Unit. European Parliament, Brussels, 27 Jan 2015

The Underlying questions

• What does Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) mean for• the manufacturing process?• mass customisation?• The distribution of manufacturing?

• A few caveats – don’t get too swayed by the hype• Statistically, not yet a massive industry – though growing decently• Big corporate players (HP etc) are only just starting to enter• Consumer printing perhaps 5 years away (Gartner)• ~90% of market is with corporate world

• Industry seems akin to PCs in the early 1980s• Lots of potential • …. But some parallels with Desk Top Publishing (subtly complex)

Some Mainstream printers

The Core operations

• Digital 3D design • Possibly scanned

• Layer-by-Layer printing• Diameter silk thread

• Consumer level – diameter human hair

Printers (ii)

Technologies and Materials

• Key technologies• Plastic Jet Printing• SLS (selective laser sintering)• SLA (stereolithography etc)• Electron Beams

• And Materials• Thermoplastics (e.g. PLA, ABS), HDPE, • Metals – Aluminium, Titanium, stainless steel etc• edible materials, • Rubber (Sugru), • Modelling clay, • Plasticine, • RTV silicone, • Porcelain, • Metal clay (including Precious Metal Clay)

• Allows the printing of “Digital Materials”• composite materials with predetermined visual and mechanical properties

Houses and Cars

Applications

• Very Broad range of Applications

Aeroengines-Aerospace

Automotive - Strati

Fashion, Food

Kids and Museums

The Military and Medicine

Lessons from Aerospace

Aero Engine Case

• Prototyping• Sometimes used to take over a year (machine tools needed to be created)• Today: Concept, Design, Fabrication, Testing in matter of days• 8 turbine blades can be produced in 7 hours• 80% reduction in lead time re high-tech parts?

• Fusing of components• 20 components into one product (Fuel Nozzle)• Weight reduction + 5 times life extension

• Design flexibility• No longer constrained by what subtractive machine tools can manage• Topological optimisation possible• Honeycomb structures etc

• Current state of play• 85,000 fuel nozzles to be printed 2016-2021 (re LEAP Engines)• ….but only start of the design re-think of aero engine manufacture

GE’s Fuel nozzle

The Impact on Classic Manufacturing

• Aerospace case has lessons

• An industry which is far from mature• Big Corporate players not yet involved

• Asian competition relatively muted .. But for how long?

• Consumer Market yet to take off• Entry level machines, but still searching for role

• Will feed into industries needing rapid prototyping• Pilot line to low-rate production

• Will allow disruptive re-design of some products

Impact(ii) - Customisation

• Customisation• The Strati points the way• Though totally printed cars likely to be an exception• Buy show-rooms might have facilities to customise the finish

• Fascia, hub caps, bonnets et al?

• Ability to customise will impact• Retailers• Many consumer goods

• iPhone cases already a lively market

• Impact on location?• Time delays on logistic chains to Asia get punished?• Need to bring responsive manufacturing closer to end-markets?

Distributed Manufacturing?

• Where can products be made?

The international dimension

• US White House-led policy initiatives

• Do we need to worry about Asia?• Japan

• China et al

• Implications of the loss of patent protection

Policy issues

• Should be seen as key part of any manufacturing policy

• Should R&D be specifically stimulated?

• Need to drive into Education• A third of US Engineering and ICT job ads now ask for 3D Printing skills

• What need for a drive to produce industry standards?

• What issues to do with Intellectual Property?

The Way Ahead?

• 3D Printing has the 'potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything’• President Obama

..

• Louis Turner• Chief Executive

• Asia-Pacific Technology Network

• www.aptn.org

• +44 790 5204 677

• LinkedIn Groups• Asia-Pacific Technology Network

• 3D Kernow