What are the application areas of 3D printing technology?

With the needs of market development and the continuous development of 3D printing technology, the application fields of 3D printing technology have been very wide, ranging from aerospace to automobiles, medical care, education, and according to the different 3D printing materials used, its The specific scope of application is also different. Next, I will introduce several fields that are currently widely used, so as to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of the application of 3D printing technology in different industries.

1. Automotive field

3D printing technology can be used in the automotive field for rapid prototyping, tools, fixtures, production parts, and more. For the automotive field, compared with other development processes, 3D printing technology can transfer ideas from the design studio to the production workshop in a very short time, and quickly print various tools, fixtures and jigs through 3D printing technology and prototypes of available parts, making it easier for companies to test and produce. Especially for the production of some small batch customized tools, 3D printing technology can greatly save the cost of enterprises. Companies such as Solaxis have used Stratasys 3D printers to shorten the overall design and manufacturing cycle of 16-20 weeks required by traditional manufacturing processes by three to five weeks.

2. Medical field

3D printing technology can be used in the medical field for surgical planning models, teaching and training, and prototyping of medical devices. Since traditional patient-based training methods cannot accurately know the patient‘s pathology, medical students learn from it. Content is limited, and teachers often fail to exercise proper control over the learning process. Using 3D printing technology, it is now possible to better advance the medical field by printing 3D models based on real patient imaging data, mimicking various tissue properties in a single print.

3. Education

In the field of education, 3D printing technology can be used for technical support of educational research, college and university teaching, and can also be used as a learning tool for professional skills in vocational schools. It can allow students to gain important academic experience, build interdisciplinary collaboration, and even cultivate students‘ entrepreneurial spirit. At present, 3D printing technology has been used in the mold design and manufacturing major of Hubei Vocational College of Science and Technology in China. This major uses the Stratasys F370 3D printer. Its water-soluble support can greatly improve the printing quality of complex molds, and it can be used for teaching more efficiently. , Directly enhance students‘ learning ability and competitiveness.

4. Aerospace

3D printing technology can be used in the aerospace field for jigs and fixtures, part production, and composite material processing. Using 3D printing technology can solve design challenges in the aerospace field and avoid expensive and time-consuming machining and production. Enable faster iteration, decision making, and reaction to market changes.

5. Dentistry

3D printing technology is mainly used in the production of orthodontic models in the field of dentistry. Due to its small size and powerful functions, even a small laboratory can directly scan from the mouth to the internal production through a seamless digital workflow. Save time, material and storage space while producing more accurate and comfortable aligners. Stratasys‘ J5 DentaJet is a dedicated tool for dental technicians. Produce dental parts with high levels of precision, accuracy and fidelity.

In addition, in fact, 3D printing technology is also widely used in the fields of consumer goods, art and fashion. With the continuous development of 3D printing technology, its industrial scale has grown rapidly, and the application fields of 3D printing technology are also continuously expanding and even deepening. In our daily life, it is foreseeable that the application of 3D printing technology will become an important factor in measuring the competitiveness of many industries in the future.