Marin,
I believe the usage will vary
significantly from industry to industry. Metal 3D printing( Additive Manufacturing, AM) is already cost-competitive for small parts (under 1 lb) made from high-alloy materials which are difficult to cast. For precision parts which require multiple pieces to be welded into a finished assembly, AM can build the part in a single pass, limiting the fixturing and machining required. This also enables multiple changes to allow testing and optimization on a single build plate. At the opposite end of the spectrum, for large parts (over 20 lbs) made out of traditional materials, it can often be less expensive to pay $15k for tooling and make a single part than to build that same part using AM. As of 2020, the primary driver for AM printing cost is the time on the machine. Alloy cost is only 5-10% of the total part cost.
Having said that, keep in mind that we are only a few years (5-20, depending on how you count it...) into the development of AM. Yes, there are many quality problems facing current AM parts (internal porosity, surface finish, build speed, residual stresses, etc.). However, as the industry grows and thinks of new ways to improve quality, there will be increased adoption of AM usage.
Specific to the Iron and Steel foundry business, the current best option is using sand printing with traditional melting processes. You can choose a line on your foundry which has a mold size comparable with the part size you would like to quote at small volumes, and then use a 3D sand printer to build either only the cores for the part, or both the cores and a smaller mold box (which can fit in a custom sized print in an existing mold). Another great option for foundries is to validate process changes using printed cores instead of actual tooling modifications. And keep in mind that sand printers are
only one tool at your disposal - you can run the cost numbers to compare purchasing a printed core from a company or university which has available sand-printer capacity, modifying your tooling, or purchasing your own sand printer (depending on what you would like to do with it).
Probably more answer than you wanted - my apologies ;) Best wishes!
-Zack
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Zachary Birky
Engineering Specialist
Caterpillar Incorporated
Washington IL
(309) 494-2368
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2020 09:41
From: Marin Manole
Subject: 3D metal printing
What do you feel is the future of 3D metal printing, and what is the real cost of parts made using this process?
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Marin Manole
Foundry Metallurgist
SP FOUNDRY
Coffeyville KS
(616) 227-1668
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