Direct and Indirect Additive Manufacturing

The following Tables summarize the existing and the innovative direct and indirect manufacturing/production processes where Additive Manufacturing with SLA,DLP, LCD, and Inkjet 3D printing technologies are used:

Direct Additive Manufacturing AM of 3D printed products

 3Dresin

Process

Product

Properties

Benefits

Limitations 

3D resins

Direct AM

3D resin objects, optionally filled with functional additives, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic  materials

Properties of cured resins/polymers with extra performance provided by additives, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic  materials 

Cost effective direct production for short runs of 3D printed materials

 Cost effective only for short run productions

Direct printing of sintering ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials

Resin printing, debinding & sintering of ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic  materials

Sintered ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic  materials

Properties of sintered technical ceramics, metals, polymers

 

Direct production of short runs of pure ceramic objects

 

 Expensive printers, difficult tuning, slower debinding, smaller feature sizes (max.1-3 mm), more microcracking during debinding than Indirect production

 

Indirect AM of 3D printed products

3D resin

Process

Product

Properties

Benefits

Limitations

Castable 3D resins

Direct investment Casting  DC

Metal cast objects

Typical properties of Cast Metals

Cost effective direct investment casting of metal objects

 Most castable competitor's 3D resins suffer from imperfections of fine detail finishes

Non Castable  3D resins

Indirect investment casting IC

Metal cast objects

Typical properties of Cast metals

 

 Less cost effective indirect investment casting production of metal objects  with very high resolution Slower process since there are several time consuming production steps
Durable injection molding 3D resins Direct plastic, and sintering ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide),  and exotic powder feedstock injection in 3D printed durable injection molds Plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials Properties of plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials Cost effective production of durable injection molds for simple shaped plastic, ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic material injection Not suitable for complex intertwined shapes
Easy breakable sacrificial 3D resins Direct plastic injection in 3D printed easy breakable sacrificial molds Soft plastic, rubber or silicone objects Properties of soft plastics, rubbers, and silicones

Cost effective production of easy breakable sacrificial molds* for complex shaped soft plastic, rubber and silicone injection molding

 Not needed for simple 3d printed shapes, mold is lost during production

Water soluble sacrificial 3D resins

 Direct plastic, and sintering ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide),  and exotic powder feedstock injection in 3D printed sacrificial injection molds Plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials Properties of plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials Cost effective production of sacrificial injection molds for complex shaped plastic, ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic material injection Not needed for simple 3D printed shapes, mold is lost during production

 

Alternative Technologies: Direct AM by SLS 3D printing with 3D binder powders

  • Selective Laser Sintering SLS where layers of plastic or metal binder powders are selectively sintered to create 3D printed objects
  • 3Dresyns has developed universal bio based non-photoreactive powders for easy physical mixing with any Ceramic, Metal, Polymer/Plastic, or exotic powder or fiber for plastic / polymer powder Selective Laser Printing SLS, also known as Cold Metal Fusion (CMF), Cold Ceramic Fusion (CCF), and Cold Exotic Powders Fusion CEPF: Powder Binders for Cold SLS printing of Ceramic, Metal & Polymer powders. This technology can also be considered Direct AM since SLS prints keep their original shape (mold free system), despite needing solvent, or water, or thermal debinding and sintering after printing and before final use

Benefits of 3Dresyns SLS bio-based binder powders for Direct AM of ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic powder materials