3D printing ushered in the first "national plan"

The 3D printing industry ushered in the first national-level development promotion policy.

On February 28, the “National Additives Manufacturing Industry Development Promotion Plan (2015-2016)” (the “Plan”) developed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Finance was published. The "plan" proposes to initially establish a relatively complete additive manufacturing (also called "3D printing") industrial system in 2016. The industry sales revenue will grow rapidly, with an average annual growth rate of more than 30%. The overall level of technology will be synchronized with that of the international community.

3D printing is a kind of rapid prototyping technology. It is based on a digital model file and uses a powdery metal or plastic adhesive material to build an object by layer-by-layer printing. 3D printing is currently used in many industries. Automotive and parts manufacturing is a key area of ​​3D printing technology. “The 3D printing technology is mainly used in the auto parts industry for mold manufacturing and product R&D design stages. European and American countries have applied these technologies earlier and China is still in its infancy. This technology has a very good development prospect and is a traditional component manufacturing industry. The subversion.” Hua Chen Hi-Tech deputy general manager Wu Chentao said in an interview with reporters.

 

3D printing automotive parts

Accelerate the development of 3D printing technology

In the process of auto parts manufacturing and vehicle development, it is necessary to design, review, and determine the shape of the car and the interior and exterior trim parts. The 3D printing technology can be used to formulate rapid prototyping parts for parts such as lights, seats, steering wheels, and tires. In addition, for the verification of product design reliability in the vehicle development process, 3D printing technology can produce prototype verification during the design phase to reduce design risks and reduce R&D costs. This is the advantage of the application of 3D printing technology in the field of automotive parts, and the release of the "Plan" is expected to accelerate the cross-border integration of 3D printing technology and component development to make the technology more widely used.

It is understood that the advantage of 3D printing technology is that it can eliminate the need for developing open mold links for complex structural metal parts, shorten the new product development cycle, and save more manpower, financial resources and time. In addition, the 3D printing technology can make the mechanical properties and precision of metal parts reach the specifications of forged parts, and ensure the accuracy and strength of automotive parts.

Wu Chentao stated that at this stage, China is a big manufacturing country rather than a big country. Manufacturing should actively promote scientific and effective ways to reverse the current situation. 3D printing is one of the reliable methods. The "plan" was released very promptly, which solved the difficult development problem of how 3D printing can be effectively combined with all walks of life. At the same time, stimulating parts companies to use 3D printing technology to actively innovate, but also for the 3D printing applications in the parts industry to bring a broad market.

In 2012, 3D printing began to be industrialized in China. However, at the initial stage of the promotion of the auto parts industry, almost no OEMs and parts manufacturers were willing to adopt this technology. Wu Chentao introduced that in 2014, relevant government departments started to conduct research in the industry, and by 2015, the "plan" was formally issued. The industry's manufacturers gradually raise their awareness of 3D printing, and some companies realize the transition from 3D technology perception to application. "3D printing has brought about technological innovation in the auto parts industry and brought business opportunities. The "plan" will stimulate this emerging industry to develop rapidly in the next 5 to 10 years," Wu Chentao said with confidence.

Lack of material is the bottleneck of development

Although domestic auto parts companies have used 3D printing technology to make brake connecting rods, brake pads, lights, wiring harnesses and other complex structural parts for research and development. However, compared with European and American countries, the application of 3D printing in China's auto parts industry has just started, and the bottleneck restricting its development is the lack of materials and low industry awareness.

Materials have been regarded as a barrier to the development of the 3D printing industry. To this end, the "plan" proposes to cross-industry joint 3D printing with important segments such as automotive, aerospace, and biomedical, and to break through a batch of additive manufacturing materials. By 2016, we will realize the independent production of special materials such as titanium alloys, high-strength steels, and some high-temperature-resistant high-strength engineering plastics to meet the development needs of the industry.

Wu Chentao said: “There are more than 10,000 kinds of chemical materials on the market today, but only 50 kinds can be applied to 3D printing technology. There is still a lot of room for breakthrough in material applications, and many companies are actively developing new materials. For example, the BASF Group is developing new materials for automotive interior parts and soon more automotive interior parts can be applied to 3D printing technology."

It is reported that at present, the materials that meet the 3D printing requirements of the auto parts industry include pure nylon materials, mineral fiber composite materials, carbon fiber materials, and glass microbead composite materials. More nylon powder material is used, which has the advantages of stable color, good oxidation resistance, dimensional stability, etc. The finished product has a good post-painting effect.

Wang Nong, the 3D printing manager of the company's automotive division, believes that the industry segmentation and breakthroughs in printing materials will help 3D printing technology to develop faster and better in the auto parts industry. The significant increase in the number of types of 3D printed parts and components means that the manufacturing costs of parts and components have dropped significantly in three to five years. In the future, the demand for 3D printing technology in the area of ​​complete vehicles and components will be very large, and there may be more industrialization of 3D printed components.

Low industry awareness

The awareness of 3D printing technology in the industry is still low.

In an era when the entire vehicle and component manufacturer crazyly squeezes costs, increases profit, and wins by quantity, whether a new technology can make the company see benefits and profits immediately becomes an important measure for the promotion of this technology. In response, Wu Chentao was slightly disappointed: “The cost of R&D for 3D printing reduction and the development cycle are invisible, and it is not immediately possible to bring about actual production benefits. Therefore, the promotion of 3D printing in the parts and components industry is still very difficult.”

Wang Nongzhuo said: "We have found that many companies do not know much about 3D printing. There are no departments in the company that can interface with 3D printing technology. This has increased the difficulty of promoting 3D printing technology for parts and vehicle companies. A 3D printing device is worth Millions of dollars, if there is no timely and predictable benefit, it is very difficult for general companies to accept this investment."

However, the good news is that with the deepening of 3D printing technology, there are currently SAIC, Volkswagen and other parts of the automotive companies in conjunction with parts and components companies to produce automotive interior and exterior trim 3D products. This shows that manufacturers have begun to accept 3D printing technology. The issuance of the "plan" will urge auto manufacturers to abandon the traditional processing and production ideas, apply technological innovation ideas, link 3D printing with the automotive industry, and complete system innovation. “If the government can assist the industry in establishing an effective platform to integrate the universities, enterprises and the zero-sector industries, it can quickly and effectively promote the application and development of 3D printing technology in the parts and components industry,” said Wu Chentao.

Food Tin Can Making

Food Tin Can Making,Food Tin Can Machines,Tomato Paste Canning Machine,Food Tin Can Production Line

Zhoushan Golden Wing Machinery Co., Ltd. , https://www.goldenwingmachine.com