3D printing is the use of powdery metals or plastics and other adhesive materials to construct zero-objects through layer-by-layer multi-layer printing. The mold manufacturing industry is designed to build models and is now being developed into a product. Manufacturing, forming a direct digital manufacturing. In theory, as long as the computer can design the shape, 3D printers can print out.

The Origin and Development of 3D Printing

"3D" printing is not a new concept. In 1995, MIT created the term "3D printing," and 3D printing began to sprout in the lab. Gradually, 3D technology has begun to be used in medical models, architectural models and other industries, and has been applied in a wider range of fields.

The true 3D printing originates from the military's "rapid prototyping" technology, which is a technique that the CAD models are made into a physical model by accumulating materials through molding equipment.

"Rapid prototyping is first to layer the 3D data of an actual object along a certain coordinate axis, that is, to virtualize 3D objects to obtain numerous 2D interfaces, thereby forming 2D cross-section data for each section. "Guo Yu introduced," After that, according to a specific forming method and technology only one cross-section at a time, this process is repeated until all the cross-section processing entity prototype."

3D printing can reduce the cost of goods

From a short-term perspective, in recent years, 3D printed desktop devices have matured and have been practically applied in three-dimensional models, children's toys, and architectural design industries. Printing equipment of such low-precision products is low in price, and even ordinary entrepreneurs can purchase it. The price of raw materials has also fallen sharply from a few years ago, so the market demand is growing at a rapid rate. Enterprises producing such low-end printing equipment are expected to benefit directly.

From a medium-term perspective, high-precision parts manufacturing through 3D printing equipment will be a very promising market. For example, certain parts and components on a launch vehicle require less demand and require high precision. The traditional mold manufacturing method has a high production cost, while 3D printing technology can greatly save costs. In addition, if the price of high-precision 3D printing equipment drops as much as low-end equipment, the quantitative production used in industrial equipment will be more attractive. It does not require mold manufacturing, manual management, or semi-finished products, which will greatly reduce the cost of goods.

From a more distant perspective, 3D printing devices will usher in wider applications in many industries such as medical and cultural arts. The future may indeed trigger an “industrial revolution,” and the influence may even exceed, to a certain extent, "Internet of things" concept.

3D printing helps the instrument industry's early research and development

At present, the application of 3D printing technology has penetrated into many industries such as biomedicine, aviation, automotive, and industrial design. Researcher of a research group of Dalian Institute of Chemical Technology, who has been engaged in the research and development of instruments for many years, said that his research team purchased a 3D printer from the United States in 2011, mainly for the production of spare parts and instrument housings. With 3D printers, the research team can quickly turn ideas into reality. A spare parts module can be produced in as few as 24 hours and the development cycle is greatly accelerated. In addition, as an instrument R&D, it is difficult to find a processing plant because of the small quantity of some spare parts. Using a 3D printer can solve this problem.

However, at present, 3D printers are not yet practical for mass production. The cost is too high. The price of the printer itself is relatively high. The mid-end is about 100,000 US dollars and the high-end is 200,000 US dollars. The raw materials are also all imported, with one instrument spare parts. For example, if the cost of traditional die processing is 100 yuan, the cost of a 3D printer is 3,000 yuan. In the instrument industry, 3D printers are mainly used for instrument development and prototyping.

However, among the many domestic instrument manufacturers visited, it has been found that all manufacturers have not used 3D printing technology so far. Chen Jiangang, general manager of Shanghai Spectral Instrument Co., Ltd., said that with regard to 3D printing technology, the company plans to purchase a 3D printer in a major instrument special project approved by Shanghai Spectroscopy, but it is still in the early stage of understanding and research. For the popularization of the technology, the person in charge of the instrument and meter company stated that the only applicable areas of the current 3D printing technology are the previous research and development. Currently, the instrument manufacturers in China are still uncomfortable with the prices of 3D printers and raw materials.