Cutting-Edge Manufacturing: Exploring Advanced Techniques Shaping the Future

In this article we will look at some of the more advanced manufacturing processes which are widely used in today’s manufacturing industry:

Additive Manufacture

Additive manufacture (also known as additive layer manufacturing)  is a manufacturing technique where parts are created by depositing or adding layers of material on top of each other to produce the final part. This is different from machining where material is removed.
No doubt you will have heard of the term 3D printing. When we talk about 3D printing we are actually referring to a specific type of additive manufacturing, which starts with a 3D CAD model from which a physical part is produced by depositing, or printing, ‘layers’ of the material on top of each other.

7 Categories of Additive Manufacturing

VAT Photopolymerisation

Vat polymerisation uses a vat of liquid photopolymer resin, out of which the model is constructed layer by layer.

Material jetting

Material jetting creates objects in a similar method to a two dimensional ink jet printer. Material is jetted onto a build platform using either a continuous or Drop on Demand (DOD) approach

Binder Jetting

The binder jetting process uses two materials; a powder based material and a binder. The binder is usually in liquid form and the build material in powder form. A print head moves horizontally along the x and y axes of the machine and deposits alternating layers of the build material and the binding material.

Material Extrusion

Fuse deposition modelling  is a common material extrusion process and is trademarked by the company Stratasys.  Material is drawn through a nozzle, where it is heated and is then deposited layer by layer. The nozzle can move horizontally and a platform moves up and down vertically after each new layer is deposited.

Powder Bed Fusion

The Powder Bed Fusion process includes the following commonly used printing techniques: Direct metal laser sintering, Electron beam melting, Selective heat sintering, Selective laser melting and Selective laser sintering.

Sheet Lamination

Sheet lamination processes include ultrasonic additive manufacturing and laminated object manufacturing. The Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing process uses sheets or ribbons of metal, which are bound together using ultrasonic welding.

Directed Energy Deposition

Directed Energy Deposition covers a range of terminology: ‘Laser engineered net shaping, directed light fabrication, direct metal deposition, 3D laser cladding’ It is a more complex printing process commonly used to repair or add additional material to existing components.

Powder Metallurgy Process

Powder metallurgy is a metal-forming process performed by heating compacted metal powders to just below their melting points. 

The process has been improved to such standards that it is now recognized as a superior way of producing high-quality parts for a variety of important applications. 

The process offers many advantages over other metal forming technologies such as forging and metal casting, advantages in material utilization, shape complexity, near-net-shape dimensional control, among others. These, in turn, contribute to sustainability, making powder metallurgy a recognized green technology.

The below image is a selection of parts produced by Powder Metallurgy process including helical gear, stainless steel scissor blades, steel connecting rod for a V8 engine.

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