Throughout the year, 3D Technology advanced tremendously in 2020, with many developments defining the industry. The sector continues to expand and evolve with a multitude of new technologies, collaborations, and applications.
It’s only natural to ask what the future holds for 3D Technology as we move towards a New Year.
In this article, we examine the 3 Top trends in 3D printing until 2021.
The 3D printing landscape will be further diversified
As the number of players in this sector grows, 3D Technology is increasing in size.
The 2020 Formnext edition, an event that attracts nearly the whole industry, shows this trend. It was the largest exhibitor ever in 2020: 852 shows accounted for 35 percent of the previous year ‘s growth.
The increasing number of exhibitors encourages the industry to be on a steady course of growth. But at the same time, this increase reflects the increasing amount of joining the industry with innovative 3D Technology or emerging 3D visualization platforms, such as CGTrader.
Expect more options for 3D printers and materials with a high-temperature polymer.
We saw a surge in 2020 of high-temperature 3D polymer printers from Roboze, Zortrax, and Essentium entering the market. The market for high-performance thermostats such as PEEK was mainly driving this growth.
Such thermoplastics hold other essential qualities, including heat tolerance and additives, as well as muscular strength and longevity. But they can be challenging to print due to such properties. 3D printer manufacturers are overcome with a hotbed and a high-temperature bucket to equip their printers.
That said, there are only a limited number of solutions for high-performance printing polymers. In 2021 there will be further high-temperature 3D printer launch, with the growing demand for high-performance plastics, which will further the adoption of 3D polymers across industries.
The development of 3D technology software will significantly accelerate.
3D Printing Software for ANSYS Additive Printing
ANSYS Additive Application modeling applications
Unlike the hardware and material sections, the focus on 3-D printing software was until recently lacking. Designers had to contend with 3D Printing through a rigorous development method to build an active and dynamic workflow across various design methods.
Also, software for simulation needs to evolve to enable accurate results for simulation. Finally, additive design tools must also be more intuitive and easier to use.
In 2021, we expect that all the tech problems should be fixed. Software innovations, especially in the area of design, will be more focused, and the process of 3D printing will be quicker and easier to open.
Finally, software solutions will be developed to meet AM requirements as a key enabled Technology to be integrated into a production environment.
For scalability, the MES program is vital.
Many companies want to set up a serial production line for AM. However, they encounter other obstacles in the workflow.
Many AM operators and technicians, for example, still must manage working orders, monitor building status manually, and spend a lot of money on identifying components after printing. This contributes to a great many organizational problems, which render it challenging to scale and efficiently control AM output.
In 2020, we see more businesses realizing that it is nearly difficult to accomplish sustainable 3D output without a full management structure.
This will make workflow management solutions more necessary – also called the software Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
MES development applications built about AM’s needs will lead to creating an environment that brings together various phases of the AM workflow to enable efficient and digitalized control of AM processes.
The integration of MES in the 3D printing plant or department is a decisive step in a 3D printing journey and will become increasingly important in the industrialization of Technology.
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