• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.494-507
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• 2017

A three-dimensional physical part can be fabricated from a three-dimensional digital model in a layer-wise manner via additive manufacturing (AM) technology, which is different from the conventional subtractive manufacturing technology. Numerous studies have been conducted to take advantage of the AM opportunities to penetrate bespoke custom product markets, functional engineering part markets, volatile low-volume markets, and spare part markets. Nevertheless, materials issues, machines issues, product issues, and qualification/certification issues still prevent the AM technology from being extensively adopted in industries. The present study briefly reviews the standard classification, technological structures, industrial applications, technological advances, and qualification/certification activities of the AM technology. The economics, productivity, quality, and reliability of the AM technology should be further improved to pass through the technology adoption lifecycle of innovation technology. The AM technology is continuously evolving through the introduction of PM materials, hybridization of AM and conventional manufacturing technologies, adoption of process diagnostics and control systems, and enhanced standardization of the whole lifecycle qualification and certification methodology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.47-53
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• 2018

Nowadays, additive manufacturing (AM) technology is a promising process to fabricate complex shaped devices applied in medical and dental services. Among the AM processes, a DLP (digital light processing) type 3D printing process has some advantages, such as high precision, relatively low cost, etc. In this work, we propose a simple method to fabricate precise dental models using a DLP 3D printer. After 3D printing, a part is commonly post-cured using secondary UV-curing equipment for complete polymerization. However, some shrinkage occurs during the post-curing process, so we adaptively control the UV-exposure time on each layer for over- or under-curing to change the local shape-size of a part in the DLP process. From the results, the shrinkage amounts in the post-curing process vary due to the UV-dose in 3D printing. We believe that the proposed method can be utilized to fabricate dental models precisely, even with a change of the 3D CAD model.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.44-56
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• 2023

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals has been drawing significant attention due to its reliability, usefulness, and low cost with rapid prototyping. Among the various AM technologies, fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication is receiving much interest because of its simple manufacturing processing, low material waste, and cost-effective equipment. FDM technology uses metal-filled polymer filaments for 3D printing, followed by debinding and sintering to fabricate complex metal parts. An efficient binder is essential for producing polymer filaments and the thermal post-processing of printed objects. This study involved an in-depth investigation of and a fabrication route for a novel multi-component binder system with steel alloy powder (45 vol.%) ranging from filament fabrication and 3D printing to debinding and sintering. The binder system consisted of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a binder and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polylactic acid (PLA) as a carrier. The PVP binder held the metal components tightly by maintaining their stoichiometry, and the TPU and PLA in the ratio of 9:1 provided flexibility, stiffness, and strength to the filament for 3D printing. The efficacy of the binder system was examined by fabricating 3D-printed cubic structures. The results revealed that the thermal debinding and sintering processes effectively removed the binder/carrier from the cubic structures, resulting in isotropic shrinkage of approximately 15.8% in all directions. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) patterns displayed the microstructure behavior, phase transition, and elemental composition of the 3D cubic structure.