Strategic Report: Implementing 3D Printing in XYZ Pvt. Ltd. Business

This report provides a strategic plan for implementing 3D printing at XYZ Pvt. Ltd., a manufacturing company based in Australia. The report details the components and working principles of 3D printers, highlighting benefits, limitations, and various applications across industries like manufacturing, medical, automotive, and space. It includes a company overview, objectives, and recommendations for integrating 3D printing, focusing on CAD and CAM applications. The report analyzes the potential for business expansion using this technology, addressing associated risks and drawing on past research to inform decision-making. The executive summary, table of contents, and references are included, offering a comprehensive guide for management to assess and adopt 3D printing within their operations.

3D Printing

Executive summary
The main objective of this report is to plan the strategic report to implement 3D printing in XYZ
Pvt. Ltd. 3D printing is today’s the most innovative and demanding technology and it is
recommended in various fields like manufacturing, medical, architect etc. The term 3D printing
is used to represent the common technology, related with different fields to achieve the target
of prototyping modelling. It is used to create 3D objects. In current context we will use this
term for XYZ Pvt. Ltd. to develop the computer systems and its peripheral devices like printer,
scanner etc. XYZ Pvt. Ltd. Is a well establish and popular manufacturing company which is
providing its services in computer system manufacturing since 2008. The company is situated in
Australia and planning to expansion its business in other parts of Australia. The company has
received consecutive awards for the most dedicated and business of the year award. In this
report we will cover all the related aspects of 3D printing such as: the components of 3D printer
and its working process. What will be the benefits and limitations of 3D printing and various
applications will be clearly defined to the management team by using this report. This
technology is gaining popularity since 1980 in Australia. Additive manufacturing is now become
the very common way to modify the patterns of production lines, and it is expected that in long
run it will surely beneficial for a major shift from bulky production to bulky customization.
As per the current situation of confusion in adopting the 3D technology in their business, the
proper analysis and implementation plan will be the outcome of this report so that
management can take decision regarding the same. The case study is analyzed as per the in
depth requirements, solution and possible risks which might be associated with it. Report is
based on the past research and journal articles.
1

Table of Contents
Executive summary.....................................................................................................................................1
Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Company Overview.................................................................................................................................2
Objective and Purpose.............................................................................................................................3
Components of 3D printer...........................................................................................................................4
Principal of 3D printing................................................................................................................................6
Applications of 3D printing..........................................................................................................................7
Industrial applications.............................................................................................................................7
Manufacturing Applications-...................................................................................................................7
Medical Applications-..............................................................................................................................8
Automotive Industry................................................................................................................................8
Space products Industry..........................................................................................................................8
Recommended 3D applications for XYZ Pvt. Ltd..........................................................................................8
CAD (Computer added designing)...........................................................................................................9
CAM (Computer added manufacturing)..................................................................................................9
Manufacturing application......................................................................................................................9
Advantages of 3D printing...........................................................................................................................9
Issues in 3D printing..................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12
Introduction
Company Overview
XYZ Pvt. Ltd. Is a manufacturing company. It was established in 2008 in suburb of Melbourne in
Victoria. The Company is dealing with computer and peripheral devices for both retail and
corporate clients. XYZ Pvt. Ltd is looking forward to expand its business in coming 5 years in
2

other states of Australia. The executive management team is planning to implement 3D printing
technology for this expansion. The management team has decided to prepare the strategic
report for the same and also want some innovative ideas to overcome the issues related with
3D printing technology. This report is based on this objective.
Objective and Purpose
3-D printing is a process which is used to join material under the control of computer system to
manufacture three dimensional objects. The material is joined with the help of powder granules
or liquid molecules. It is useful in context of rapid prototyping prior initiating manufacturing
phase. The objects which can be created using this technique can be of any shape. Some of the
important terms which are related to 3-D printing technology are: 3D model and Additive
manufacturing file (AMF) and computer aided design (CAD). This process uses binder material
on a powder bed with the help of head of inkjet printer in sequence of layers. It is an innovative
and revolutionary concept which is beneficial to every type of industry including Medical,
automobile, information technology and many more. The main advantage of 3D printing
technology is that objects can be tested as per the given design and expected functionality
before starting its manufacturing on real material. It saves cost and efforts in production of
costly products. As the output is prototype, it is fully functional and can be visualize for
completeness, as per specifications of engineering for its correctness and design integrity (hubs,
2016). The main concept behind it is deconstruct the geometry of expected object into distinct
layers, and then start building it layer wise (Kuhn, 2016). It slowly builds the object in 3D form.
The process can be said distinctively additive in nature. The primary principle of 3D printing is
stereo-lithography which was patented by Charles Hull in year 1984 as “A system for generating
three-dimensional objects by making a cross-sectional pattern of the object to be formed”.
Components of 3D printer
In the 3D printing technology, special type pf printer is used which is called as 3D printer, which
produces the output in form of a digital file (Smith, 2017). The main components of 3D printer
are explained as (Rai, 2016):
3

Component Use
Tray (Print Bed) This area is a flat surface which is used to
develop layers in 3D printing. It must keep
hot during the process of layering to avoid
warping. PEI 3M tape is the best option as it
can work on all common material, no need of
any type of solvent or glue and has a better
lifespan compared to other options but it is
expensive.
Extruder This part is used to feed the filament. It can
found in two varieties:
Direct
Bowden
Hot end It is the source of heat which contains a
temperature sensor and tip of extrusion.
Filament It is the main input material which can be
1.75 to 3 mm in diameter. 1.75mm is more
common. It works like nozzle of inkjet printer
and emits the melted material.
Nozzle The tip of the Hot end which emits the
melted plastic. It can be replaceable. The size
of the nozzle may vary in between the range
of 0.25 mm to 0.75mm. The smaller size of
nozzle can be used for more accurate and
minute printing. It gives smoother finishing.
Heated bed It is used for varied temperature extrusion
filaments. It can be used for almost type of
printing. The main function of heated bed is
to keep plastic heated at the time of printing
and provides better adhesive in between the
4

layers.
Cooling fan It is used to improve the controlling power of
printers. As per the position of cooling fan, it
can be used near the hot end area or at the
top of the nozzle.
LCD display It is used to display the output without
requiring the computer system. For the
memory slot it needed SD card. It stores
various instructions and the computer’s
memory can be used for other operations.
Material The selection of accurate material is very
important. It can be high detail Resin, SLS
Nylon, plastic, Simulated ABS and many
more.
Components of 3D printer
5

Principal of 3D printing
3D printing works on the main principle of “stereo lithography”, and it was invented by Charles
Hull in 1984 as a system for generating three-dimensional objects that create a 3D view with
the help of a cross-sectional pattern of the object that is to be formed (Mkhemer, 2015). This
clearly states that any object that needs to be converted in a 3D image is first divided into
layers and then each of the layer is accordingly printed layer by layer with respect to the
coordinates on top of one another.
Process of 3D printing begins with the 3D printing model. This model is being generated
using any machine with the help of Computer Aided Design software or via any of the 3D
scanner. A real object that is to be represented in a 3D design with the help of any software to
get a 3D model can only be within the bounds of the printer’s capabilities (WALKER, 2013).
Many of these aspects can be customized by the user like, layer thickness, outer finishing, edge
ratios, temperature etc. Once a STL file is being made by the software, then only it can be
printed for further display. The printer then convert the file into layer by layer proportion as we
have obtained while designing it in the software. The machine then converts it into plastic
layout. It is not necessary that the material is always plastic, but it depends on the proportions
of the real object. If the proportions are not that complicated then it could be made of paper,
liquid or even with powder (CRAWFORD, 2011). The layers are made up of internal fusion and
once they are connected they take the final shape.
Applications of 3D printing
In today’s modern world 3D printing has become a very significant way to do a research or a
study over any object or over any working system, as it helps the user to build up an exact
prototype, with same dimension ratios and it works and behaves in the same way as the real
object does (Council, 2018). This ensures that the model that is being made can be
implemented in the real scenarios or not.
Use of 3D printing has gone to a whole new level now, some examples can be stated as-
6

Industrial applications
It is one of the most popular application of 3D printing. In this category this technology is being
used for clothing and fashion designing. Nike is using this technique for developing the
prototypes for its products like shoes, dresses and other sports products. In manufacturing of
art and jewelry products, it is also being used. It is also used for customizing the gift products
and also in manufacturing of toys and dolls.
Manufacturing Applications-
3D printing makes it cheaper and reliable to create individual objects, as it would be
produced in bulk after a point of time if the design is passed or assured to be reliable.
Thus the study has to be accurate at its best, because after the batch production any
misconduct or mismatch with the requirements will lead to a great loss of money and
time as well (Siddharth Bhandari, 2014). That’s why 3D printing provides the best way to
predict the requirements before the objects are manufactured as it gives a much more
accurate study in every situation.
Medical Applications-
Many complicated surgeries are being conducted only after the 3D study of the whole
situation that how things will be managed and operated at a certain point of time, as
there won’t be any second chance. This also helps in manufacturing the unique devices
that only matches with rare illness or disability of a particular patient. It helps in
generating replicas of organs that can be attached to the nervous system, so that the
patient can attain the functionality of that organ up to a certain extent (LORIA, 2014).
Scientists have tried to create replica of ears, kidney and even for blood vessels. 3D
printers can also be used to create the printing of limbs for the disabled people. The
only challenge that the scientists are looking for is to create a replica of a proper beating
human heart that works the same as the natural one works, no matter what changes in
the surroundings are made.
7

Automotive Industry
In automobile industry first of all this technology was used by Swedish company
Koenigsegg in manufacturing One:1 supercar in 2014. Many of the parts of this car were
manufactured on the basis of this technology in very limited time. Urbee is also
mounted on 3D technology. Its windows and bodywork were printed using this
technology.
Space products Industry
In September 2014 by joint efforts of NASA and Made in Space Inc. the 3D printer was
designed which was able operate in zero gravity. SpaceX also delivered the 3D printer to
ISS in December 2014. In Space product’s manufacturing applications this technology is
able to print the tools in limited time period.
Recommended 3D applications for XYZ Pvt. Ltd.
On the basis of above section of 3D printing applications, we can assure that it will proved a very useful
technology for XYZ Pvt. Ltd. As per the requirements of company we can recommend following
applications to improve the business quality and efficiency of organizations. These applications can be
used to boost the speed of manufacturing of its product to satisfy the increasing demand of its retail and
corporate customers.
CAD (Computer added designing)
It involves developing models of computer parts in 3D form. It can be altered by adjusting parameters.
CAM (Computer added manufacturing)
It uses the design prepared by CAD and manufactured in controlled fashion. These systems are related
with CNC or DNC systems. Both CAD and CAM use computerized methods for design and manufacturing
computer parts using geometrical data.
Manufacturing application
Using this application the computer peripherals can be developed in bulk in limited period of time. Once
the design of parts are approved it can be saved for future use. In these applications sample prototypes
can be created simply and can be approved from client.
8

Advantages of 3D printing
There are a number of advantages of 3D printing, as it has made it very easy and simple for
many of the industries, either they are manufacturing industries or medical Hospitals (Pirjan,
2015). Some of its advantages are listed below-
 Even the complex or difficult designs are generated easily, as compared to other
traditional ways. Though the 3D printers require the same efforts but it helps in
attaining best accuracy among all the techniques (Yakos, 2014).
 A single 3D printer can go for many shapes that are more versatile and multi-
dimensional, where as other traditional manufacturing machines are not that adaptable
when it comes to functionality.
 The objects produced by 3D printers are interlocked and no assemblies are needed after
the manufacturing (Pearson, 2018). This gives better joints and has better strength to
the object and is very cost effective. But the other traditional methods produce
individual parts and then they are assembled later.
 The 3D printers are more efficient and helps in producing the object with the best use of
resources as it leaves the least residual waste while generating a product in comparison
with other traditional techniques.
 The printers are easy to operate and no specialized operating skills are required while its
usage, as it creates everything automatically once the codes and dimensions are being
entered (Long, 2018). Where as in traditional methods, skilled workers are required to
execute the functions and for operations as well because they are more complicated.
 It is much more cost effective as it doesn’t involve so many steps as other traditional
methods has, according to the study it has been proved that the minimum number of
steps while generating an individual product leads to lowering the cost in the whole
manufacturing.
9

Issues in 3D printing
Though the 3D printers have provided a number of ways to make the industrialization easier
and simple, but on the other hand it has also made some adverse effects as well (KOWALSKI,
2015). Some of these cons are-
 Limited manufacturing job leads to a fast rate of unemployment, as the people who
were earning a good amount being a labor have lost their jobs. Because the 3D printers
don’t require so much of labor strength and only a single person can take care of the
batch allotment. Every step is done with the help of machines (Associates, 2017).
 Limitations with respect to materials that are being used. As a 3D printer uses a single
material throughout the whole manufacturing, it restricts the exact replica of those
objects in which different materials are to be used (Li, 2017). In such cases either the
modifications are required or multi printers are required, that leads to high cost while
manufacturing.
 In many cases there are certain copyright issues, as the 3D printing allows the exact
replicas of already printed items as well. These issues are almost impossible to stop or
to be prevented.
 It is also initiating crime and violence up to some extent, as anyone can easily make a
prototype of a gun or a knife for some criminal activity, as 3D designs of guns are no
more a secret now (Rejeski, 2018).
 The cost of manufacturing majorly depends on the size of printer that is required to
print the object. If the object is large in size though it is not that complicated but it will
require a larger printer and this is will lead to higher cost as we have to switch for
specialized appliances as well (Bray, 2007).
10

Conclusion
In this report we have analyzed the important concepts of 3D printing, its impact on various
fields of science and technology. We have also discussed about the main components of 3D
printer and the working process of 3D printing (susan, 2013). 3D printing is beneficial in
prototyping which saves a huge amount of money of organizations. Some major impacts of this
technology can be seen in medical science field. In recent years, we came to know about
various scary type of diseases which are almost non curable or very expensive for normal
citizen, such as body organ’s transplantation, bone cancer, tissue replacement etc. These all
diseases can be easily cure with the help of 3D printing. This report has shaded some very
interesting points of 3D printing technique. Although initially the prices were very predictive but
in today’s era it became very simple, the company can start with the average price below $300
and after gaining the benefits it can be expanded on vast level.
Recommendations
The use of 3D printing to develop the printers and computers in XYZ Pvt. Ltd. is preferred. As
the main concern of this report is to analyze the impact of 3D printing in the field of
manufacturing of computer devices and to cope up with the increasing demand of products in
the market. The company is looking forward for future expansion also, so it is recommended
that 3D printing can be used for prototyping in manufacturing to save time and money. To
develop the desired design of printer or any other computer peripheral device, a mold is
required to shape the product. The molds are very specific and sometimes very costly. Making
the prototype before the development of any product is a good approach to reduce the
chances of any discrepancy in the designing. It eliminates the step of testing, as it directly prints
the output on a surface in order to develop a product. The requirement of XYZ Pvt. Ltd. decides
whether to use this technology or not, it depends on some other factors such as:
 The frequency of using 3D printing technology
 The application which will use it and make it more specific.
 The organization is ready for flexible investments
 The space for setup
11

So, it is also recommended that all the above factors must be properly planned before
the adoption of new technology in manufacturing.
References
Associates, W. (2017, January 13). 5 of the Biggest Challenges Facing Manufacturers in 3D
Printing. Retrieved from http://www.applerubber.com:
http://www.applerubber.com/blog/5-of-the-biggest-challenges-facing-manufacturers-
in-3d-printing/
Bray, B. (2007, july 12). Recommendations for 3D printing companies. Retrieved from
www.chiefdelphi.com: https://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?
t=137707
Council, F. T. (2018, February 6). 11 Tech Pros Share Their Favorite Applications Of 3D Printing
Technology. Retrieved from www.forbes.com:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/02/06/11-tech-pros-share-their-
favorite-applications-of-3d-printing-technology/
CRAWFORD, S. (2011, March 1). How 3-D Printing Works. Retrieved from
computer.howstuffworks.com: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/3-d-printing4.htm
hubs, 3. (2016, January 5). what-is-3d-printing. Retrieved from www.3dhubs.com:
https://www.3dhubs.com/what-is-3d-printing
KOWALSKI, J. (2015, March 12). 5-problems-with-3d-printing-and-how-to-fix-them. Retrieved
from www.autodesk.com: https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/5-problems-with-3d-
printing-and-how-to-fix-them/
Kuhn, H. A. (2016, September 19). Computer Science & 3D Printing. Retrieved from
www.computerscienceonline.org: https://www.computerscienceonline.org/cutting-
edge/3d-printing/
12

Li, J. (2017, july 19). print-not-print-innovation-ip-issues-3d-printing. Retrieved from www.ip-
watch.org: http://www.ip-watch.org/2017/07/19/print-not-print-innovation-ip-issues-
3d-printing/
Long, L. (2018, March 1). How 3D Printing Can Benefit Your Business. Retrieved from
www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizlong/2018/03/01/how-3d-printing-
can-benefit-your-business/#39d58d5c636c
LORIA, K. (2014, August 28). Beijing Scientists Replace A Boy's Vertebra With A 3D-Printed Bone
- The First Surgery Of Its Kind. Retrieved from www.businessinsider.in:
https://www.businessinsider.in/Beijing-Scientists-Replace-A-Boys-Vertebra-With-A-3D-
Printed-Bone-The-First-Surgery-Of-Its-Kind/articleshow/41111183.cms
Mkhemer, S. (2015, May 16). 3D printing. Retrieved from www.researchgate.net:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272789911_3D_printing
Pearson, A. (2018, January 22). 3d-printing-advantages. Retrieved from 3dinsider.com:
http://3dinsider.com/3d-printing-advantages/
Pirjan, A. (2015, May 5). THE IMPACT OF 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY ON THE SOCIETY AND
ECONOMY. THE IMPACT OF 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY ON THE SOCIETY AND
ECONOMY, p. 11.
Rai, S. (2016). 3D printing. Ambala: Ambala College of Engineering and Applied Research.
Rejeski, D. (2018, january 19). Additive Manufacturing. Retrieved from www.sciencedirect.com:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221486041730177X
Siddharth Bhandari, 2. R. (2014). 3D Printing and Its Applications. International Journal of
Computer Science and Information Technology Research, 3.
Smith, p. (2017, september 20). How 3D printers work? Anatomy of a 3D Printer. Retrieved
from www.makeshaper.com: http://www.makeshaper.com/anatomy-of-a-3d-printer/
susan, K. (2013, july 2). 3d-printing-will-change-the-world. Retrieved from fabricegrinda.com:
https://fabricegrinda.com/3d-printing-will-change-the-world/
13

WALKER, A. (2013, june 21). 3D printing for dummies. Retrieved from www.independent.co.uk:
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/3d-printing-for-
dummies-how-do-3d-printers-work-8668937.html
Yakos, D. (2014, December 30). Top 10 Benefits of 3D Printing | Salient Technologies. DRAGON
INNOVATION BLOG, p. 5. Retrieved from
https://blog.dragoninnovation.com/2014/12/30/top-10-benefits-3d-printing-salient-
technologies/
14