Direct and Indirect Additive Manufacturing
The following Tables summarize the existing and the innovative direct and indirect manufacturing/production processes where Additive Manufacturing with SLA,DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printing technologies are used:
Direct Additive Manufacturing AM of 3D printed products
3Dresin |
Process |
Product |
Properties |
Benefits |
Limitations |
Direct AM |
3D resin objects, optionally filled with functional additives, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials |
Properties of cured resins/polymers with extra performance provided by additives, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials |
Cost effective direct production for short runs of 3D printed materials |
Cost effective only for short run productions | |
Direct printing of sintering ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials |
Resin printing, debinding & sintering of ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials |
Sintered ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials |
Properties of sintered technical ceramics, metals, polymers
|
Direct production of short runs of pure ceramic objects
|
Expensive printers, difficult tuning, slower debinding, smaller feature sizes (max.1-3 mm), more microcracking during debinding than Indirect production |
Indirect manufacturing of 3D printed products
3D resin |
Process |
Product |
Properties |
Benefits |
Limitations |
Direct investment Casting DC |
Metal cast objects |
Typical properties of Cast Metals |
Cost effective direct investment casting of metal objects |
Most castable competitor's 3D resins suffer from imperfections of fine detail finishes | |
Indirect investment casting IC |
Metal cast objects |
Typical properties of Cast metals
|
Less cost effective indirect investment casting production of metal objects with very high resolution | Slower process since there are several time consuming production steps | |
Durable injection molding 3D resins | Direct plastic, and sintering ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide), and exotic powder feedstock injection in 3D printed durable injection molds | Plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials | Properties of plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials | Cost effective production of durable injection molds for simple shaped plastic, ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic material injection | Not suitable for complex intertwined shapes |
Easy breakable sacrificial 3D resins | Direct plastic injection in 3D printed easy breakable sacrificial molds | Soft plastic, rubber or silicone objects | Properties of soft plastics, rubbers, and silicones |
Cost effective production of easy breakable sacrificial molds* for complex shaped soft plastic, rubber and silicone injection molding |
Not needed for simple 3d printed shapes, mold is lost during production |
Direct plastic, and sintering ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide), and exotic powder feedstock injection in 3D printed sacrificial injection molds | Plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials | Properties of plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials | Cost effective production of sacrificial injection molds for complex shaped plastic, ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic material injection | Not needed for simple 3D printed shapes, mold is lost during production |