3D printing or additive manufacturing: a case study

Case Study

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1 3D printing more appropriately called additive manufacturing..........................................1
2 3D printing better suited for high or low volumes of production........................................2
3 situations in which 3D printing is most valuable................................................................3
4 The leading research and investment firms forecast for 3D printing..................................3
5 3D printing make some types of traditional manufacturing obsolete and its affects..........4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the process of manufacturing or creating three
dimensional objects in which layers of materials are formed under computer control to create an
object (Bowyer, 2014). In accordance with this context, this report will assist in explaining that
why 3D printing more appropriately called additive manufacturing. Further, the uses of 3D
printing will be identify in order to acquired knowledge about 3D printing. The circumstances in
which 3D printing can be most valuable will be discover in this assignment. Rationale will be
provided that justifies that why leading research and investment firms forecast for 3D printing in
this report. Moreover, methods through which 3D printing make multiple types of traditional
manufacturing obsolete will be identifies in this report.
1 3D printing more appropriately called additive manufacturing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid
objects from a digital file. The development of 3D printing objects is achieved through additive
processes, thus 3D printing more suitably known as additive manufacturing (Chua and Leong,
2014). In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material
until the object is created. The process of additive manufacturing was researched by Campbell,
Williams, Ivanova and Garrett in their research report on “Could 3D printing Change the
World”. They explained that additive manufacturing develops products layer by layer, additively
instead of subtracting material from a larger piece of computer file. Additive manufacturing is
the most advance process of creating and developing projects effectively and efficiently. In
today's world, technologies advancing rapidly and efficiently.
The 3D printer helps to print the two dimensional objects into three dimensional. These
three dimensional model helps in demonstrating the complex products in effective and efficient
ways. Thus, it implies that three dimensional printer is an additive manufacturing process which
convert two dimensional objects into three dimensional (Klein and et.al., 2015). 3D printing
enables you to produce complex (functional) shapes using less material than traditional
manufacturing methods. Additive Manufacturing File (AMF) read and coded by the computer
programs, that guide the printer to build the particular object effectively. There are other files
also been used by computer programs in order to convert the two dimensional objects into three
dimensional objects effectively and efficiently. Thus, that is why 3D printing more appropriately
called additive manufacturing
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