Other Applications in Industry

One example of a complex part made by RM is described in Corning Inc.'s patent for the use of 3DP to fabricate light-weight glass semiconductor lithography stages for extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

The University of California's patent for a method of making wire from powder materials using a laser powder forming process similar to LENS (TM) is an interesting example of RM doing away with tools. The method is said to offer single step fabrication with low contamination and with no wear elements such as dies. Multiple or graded materials can also be used, offering further possible improvement over more conventional technology.

The manufacture of ceramic parts is being pursued by a number of routes, although the work is still mostly at the research stage. In some cases additive fabrication is being used to avoid the use of production tooling and in others it's being used to create it, including stereolithography masters for low pressure injection molding. Ceramic-polymer composite microparts made by microstereolithography offer interesting properties for microrobotic or microfluidic applications, and direct laser sintering techniques offer low shrinkage. MIT has done work in conjunction with TDK (Japan) to adapt the Three Dimensional Printing process to the high-volume fabrication of small, fine-featured ceramic parts. The status of the project is not publicly known, however.

A substantial number of applications in industry are for specialized tools and fixtures. The Boeing Company has been especially active in applying additive fabrication to the factory floor. The company has made drilling jigs for accurate hole placement in wings, fixtures for composite lay-up and ultrasonic inspection and nozzles for accurate placement of adhesives to name a few. Many other companies have also discovered the advantages of using additive fabrication in these applications, ranging from temporary holding fixtures for tiny medical devices to active gloves to inspect automotive finishes.