Since the beginning of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, subtractive manufacturing techniques such as milling and turning have been used as a point of comparison. Additive manufacturing is also known as "additive fabrication. "The question of whether or not additive manufacturing can take the place of subtractive manufacturing is one of the most hotly debated topics. The current situation is that more and more businesses are accepting 3D printing, which shows a growing trend; subtractive manufacturing has maintained a very stable state, and it is currently the manufacturing process that is most widely used in process manufacturing. According to the pattern of development, the two processes are gradually becoming more complementary to one another, and the use of both together is becoming the norm rather than an alternative to the relationship between them. The comparison that follows uses computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining as a representative for the relationship between the two.
1. What does "CNC machining" stand for?
CNC machining is another name for the process that is commonly used.To put it another way, CNC machine tools are able to automatically carry out machining in accordance with the program that has been set.During the machining process, the 2D drawing of the tool is replicated indefinitely along the axis of rotation, which ultimately results in a 3D geometry.Additionally, there are a variety of materials that can be used, including plastic, metal, and various types of wood. Furthermore, the application fields for its processed parts are extremely diverse..
2. A discussion of the positive CNC lathing and negative aspects of subtractive manufacturing
There is a greater amount of material waste in subtractive manufacturing, some complex parts need to be disassembled for multiple processing, and some complex geometric shapes are difficult to process. Subtractive manufacturing's advantages include high precision parts and more compatible materials. Subtractive manufacturing's disadvantages include these factors.
3. The ways in which the two are complementary to one another
At the moment, the mode known as joint processing is the most common one. In this mode, a workpiece is initially 3D printed in the form of a rough blank.Because it is often necessary for 3D printing to heat the material, there is a situation known as thermal barrier cooling. As a result, the precision tolerance of the workpiece is greater than it is in subtractive manufacturing.In addition, workpieces will be manufactured through the process of 3D printing layer by layer, and layer patterns will be formed on the surface of the workpiece. Because of this, a rough embryo can be 3D printed first, and then it can be milled.
In addition, the development of 3D printing technology has allowed for the creation of new printing methods that can directly print new structures on original parts, as well as methods that can repair defective structures. As a result, in the not too distant future, it will be possible to first machine a component and then print on its basis. These two manufacturing processes are complementary to one another because of the distinct qualities that they each possess, allowing for the rapid production of parts of an unprecedented level of precision.
The number of valves used in the oil and gas industry is extremely high, and a significant portion of them are individualized valves. Individualized valves are characterized by a high degree of design differentiation, an extensive variety of valve types, and a limited quantity of valves of each type. Because of this, the cost of production for specialized valves is relatively high. At the same time, oil companies and valve companies are required to store a large quantity of spare valves, which results in a substantial amount of additional costs associated with inventory. Because of this, over the past few years, there has been an increase in the use of 3D printing in the field of valves. Metal and plastic valves that have been printed using 3D printing are also showing signs of improvement.
PEEK is the material that's used to make a lot of the plastic valves that are used in oil and gas systems. PEEK is a material that is not very friendly to the technology of 3D printing and can be difficult to print with. However, the material's advantages include a high level of CNC turning service firmness, resistance to chemical corrosion, low weight, and flame retardancy. If quality control measures are not strictly adhered to, the prints may not be as robust as they should be or may have other imperfections.
As a result of this, Valland began constructing a 3D printing department in the year 2020, and its official launch is scheduled for the beginning of the year 2022. After that, the department and 3ntr began working together to enhance and modernize the initial 3D CNC Machining Polycarbonate printer that was based on 3ntr so that it could print PEEK material without causing any problems. It has been reported that the temperature of the nozzle of the improved 3D printer is higher than 400 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the build plate and the build chamber is approximately 200 degrees Celsius, and the printer's thermal management system has also been optimized. They have shown very positive development thus far, achieving a satisfactory performance in terms of the quality, precision, and repeatability of the printing. PEEK valves that have been printed with a 3D printer can now be used as end products in oil and gas pipelines.
Users are especially sensitive to two key factors: the purchase price and the build size of the product. The price takes into account both the cost of equipment and the cost of materials. Because the current method of metal 3D printing is primarily based on laser powder bed fusion, which requires the use of metal powder, the cost of materials is one of the primary barriers that prevents many businesses from entering the market. Metal powders made through a variety of processes are currently available on the market; however, uniform metal powders are available for a relatively high price. Because of this, one of the most prominent tendencies in the industry right now is the persistent development of extrusion technology, which can make use of metal wire, metal rod, and metal particles as materials to bring down the cost of their application.
The ever-increasing build size is another trend that is becoming increasingly prevalent, which paves the way for the implementation of metal 3D printing in a wider variety of contexts. When the printed part is cooled, it is susceptible to deformation due to factors such as thermal stress, and the greater the volume, the greater the probability of deformation. Because hot-melt materials are required for mainstream metal 3D printing, the deformation risk increases when the part is cooled. The use of metal 3D printing has improved as a result of the development of new technologies, such as cold spray, which have overcome previous barriers and made it possible to print large metal parts.
Metal 3D printing will focus on solving the problems of printer surface finish and overall strength after it has solved the problems of price and build size. This will allow metal 3D printed parts to be applied in a wider variety of contexts once those problems have been resolved. In addition, the current metal 3D printing process requires a trade-off between speed and resolution. This means that the surface will be rougher and the surface will be smoother depending on the speed at which the printing is performed. In the not too distant future, this will also be a problem that will require the attention of those working on metal 3D printing to solve.
