Vastly different industry types have all trusted Fathom with their 3D printing and additive manufacturing needs. Fathom offers award-winning expertise, speed, and quality over a range of accelerated product development and design processes. Your team can go from design to 3D printed prototype faster than ever before. Work with Fathom and discover how 3D printing can benefit your business.
What is 3D Printing?
Additive Manufacturing (AM), additive layer manufacturing, or 3D printing uses Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) or a 3D model to direct machinery to build an object layer-by-layer. The CAD drawing acts as a set of instructions or blueprints, illustrating all the intricacies of the product being made. These blueprints instruct the machine where and when to place the material. Complex objects can be produced in this manner without the need to join together separate parts. This type of design freedom allows a user to improve functionality through increased complexity. The result is an intricate, unique and lightweight product with greater strength.
In this process, there are fewer errors since any issues can easily be resolved prior to printing. To achieve a similar result using a traditional method, additional steps would be required such as carving, milling, machining or shaping. In other words, 3D technologies enable the ability to fabricate geometries that were previously not manufacturable.
Additive technologies have mostly been used for prototyping. Materials have steadily matured to produce production-quality end-use parts—a process termed Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM). This is driven by engineers and designers engaged in both day-to-day and big-picture design vision. Those with more knowledge and comfort with Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) will be better able to leverage the value of it.
More than ever before, development can be front-loaded with a faster iteration of high-quality physical prototypes. Additive manufacturing can be applied to products from vastly different industries including medical, dental, biotech, aerospace, automotive, construction, industrial design, education, fashion, food and more. Subsets of AM include 3D printing, rapid prototyping, direct digital manufacturing, layered manufacturing and additive fabrication.
What is 3D Printing in Manufacturing?
3D manufacturing allows industries to completely change the way they design, produce, plan and distribute. There is an increase in brands using 3D printing to remain competitive in their industries and to continuously innovate their products. Companies can now wait until there is consumer demand and quickly fill the need by 3D printing a product as needed in as small or large amount as required. Mass customization, faster times to market, rapid prototyping and making adjustments early in the development cycle, are just a few of the ways 3D printing is benefiting companies. Now, more than ever, 3D printing is being used to grow businesses and foster innovation.
Aerospace & 3D Printing
Since the late 1980s, the aerospace industry has been using 3D printing for lightweight components, tooling, functional prototypes and more. There are many advantages to using additive manufacturing in aerospace. These include / /
- Maintenance & Repair / / Metal 3D printed parts can be produced quickly to create replacement parts.
- Part Consolidation / / 3D printing reduces the number of parts needed and eliminates the need for assembly which saves time.
- Material Efficiency / / There is less waste than in subtractive manufacturing methods as material is only used where needed.
- Lightweight / / The lighter the aircraft, the lower the fuel consumption, and, therefore, less carbon dioxide emissions.
- Low Volume Production / / Small batches of parts can be produced cost-effectively without the need to invest in expensive tooling or molds.
Metal 3D Parts In As Soon As 3 Days / / Get A Quote
Automotive
Additive manufacturing is used by the automotive industry for prototypes, tooling and parts. There are many benefits of using 3D printing in the automotive industry, including / /
- Complex Geometries / / Additive manufacturing facilitates the build of complex car and truck parts which results in a product that is both lightweight and durable.
- Customization / / Unique parts for both the interior and exterior of a vehicle can easily be made using 3D printing.
- Flexibility of Design / / Being able to quickly produce parts allows designers to test a concept and make adjustments as needed.
- Rapid Product Development / / Parts can be produced quickly and tested before they are made at a larger volume without the need for expensive tooling or molds.
- Prototypes / / Companies can produce multiple versions of one design within a short time frame.
Medical 3D Printing
Additive manufacturing has allowed the medical industry to provide patients with personalized care. 3D printing allows the medical industry to work rapidly across different applications including some listed below / /
- Implants & Implant Replicas / / Additive Manufacturing is paving the way for improved, patient-specific medical care.
- Surgical Tools / / Specialized surgical instruments and medical devices can be quickly and cost-effectively produced with additive manufacturing.
- Custom-Sized Screws / / Small production runs where material and manufacturing standards must meet stringent quality requirements.
- Dental Prototypes / / Unlike conventional manufacturing methods, prototypes and custom tools can be manufactured quickly and profitably.
- Prosthetics / / Lightweight and high strength parts can be easily manufactured out of titanium for custom prosthetic applications.
- Medical Equipment / / Custom enclosures can be manufactured out of both metal and plastic for your next medical device project.
Mechanical Assembly of a Robotic Finger / / Read More
Consumer Goods
To keep up with trends, consumer demand and more, retailers and manufacturers are able to adapt to a changing marketplace by incorporating additive manufacturing. Whether they are making electronics or toys, there are many benefits to additive manufacturing. Advantages of using 3D manufacturing for consumer goods include / /
- Faster to Market / / 3D printing allows companies to produce and test products faster than ever, which means products can hit the market much quicker.
- Rapid Prototypes / / Multiple versions of the same design can be produced quickly and repetitive testing can be performed in a shorter timeframe.
- Potential for Mass Customization / / In traditional manufacturing, the same product is made for all customers. 3D printing presents the possibility to provide each customer with their own unique product.
Industrial Goods
Industrial goods may include tooling, equipment and machinery used in the production of other goods. 3D printing allows the industrial goods industry to innovate. Some of the benefits of using 3D printing for industrial goods include / /
- Complex Design / / 3D printing is excellent for creating goods that are both complex and durable.
- Shortened Lead Times / / 3D printing requires less labor and no tooling, which can reduce lead time for parts significantly while also being cost-effective.
- Rapid Prototyping / / Rapid prototypes for a part can be made quickly and tested within a shorter time frame to bring products to market faster than ever before.
- On-demand Parts / / 3D printing allows brands to produce goods within hours or days instead of months.
What Additive Manufacturing Technologies are Offered by Fathom?
- Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) / / Blend of function and aesthetics—great for high-complexity with medium accuracy but can be used for higher quantities (many dye color options to choose from). Learn more Selective Laser Sintering.
- PolyJet (PJ) / / High accuracy, great surface finish and wide selection of rigid and soft materials to choose from—ability to build multiple materials and colors in a single part or assembly of parts, including rubber-like. Learn more about PolyJet.
- Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) / / Wide range of engineering-grade thermoplastics—ideal for low-volume production, prototyping, tooling and manufacturing aides (lower resolution but very high functionality). Learn more about Fused Deposition Modeling.
- Stereolithography (SLA) / / Good accuracy, great surface finish—often used for medium to large prototypes. Learn more about Stereolithography.
- Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) / / Durable, medium-quality surface finish—great for high-complexity with medium accuracy and can be used for short production runs (limited to grey but can be dyed black). Learn more Multi Jet Fusion.
- Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) / / Practical option to create rapid tools for injection molding or highly-complex organic geometries not possible using traditional methods. Learn more about Direct Metal Laser Sintering.
Parts In As Soon As Same Day / / Get A Quote
Why Should You Work with Fathom on Your 3D Manufacturing Project?
Using Fathom for your AM project is easy. Fathom utilizes, SmartQuote, a state-of-the-art on-demand online platform that provides our clients with unlimited access to quotes and orders for prototyping and production parts. Our production team is ready to meet your needs with a wide range of rigid and flexible material options. Fathom also offers advanced and expedited services. Companies of all sizes trust us from medical to consumer products, electronics, automotive, aerospace, and mor.
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