When a manufacturer needed a guide for a nail gun it used to mean outsourcing to a specialized shop. “That is expensive,” 3D engineer Andrew Edman told a 2019 International Fastener Expo conference. But with 3D printing, it can be “a handful of dollars, overnight and in-house.”

Fastener prototypes, testing, shape and tightening tolerances are among current uses, Edman told IFE. 3D printing can be used for custom riveting, inspection and a system for feeding in parts alignment.

Edman, industry manager for product design, engineering and manufacturing at 3D printer company Formlabs, recalled using a 3D printed fixture at Ashley Home Furniture that weighs much less and is faster to change over compared to their traditional machined fixture.

He also cited use of a 3D printer for a mold to form a silicone part at Reynolds Advanced Materials.

In the 1980s, 3D printers “weren’t robust enough,” Edman acknowledged. As they grew they became “big $100,000 machines.”

Today 3D has become “low risk,” making entrepreneurs “free to experiment.”

For example, New Balance shoes uses 3D printers for a section of the midsole. But that is just a beginning, Edman predicted. In the shoe industry, Edman said 3D printing “will go further and make customized shoes. You will stand on a scale, which will generate a shoe built for you.”

Today 3D printing at the end of a product allows customizing without tooling costs – such as Gillette putting individual names on razors.

But the customization is more than cosmetic – such as at dental labs or in hospitals, Edman said.

With 3D customizations, “you don’t have to live with ‘good enough’,” he added.

Manufacturers can reduce costly slowdowns and control the supply chain with 3D printing.

Metal printers thus far are more expensive, “but will become more available,” Edman predicted. 3D is growing “parallel to robotics.” Web: Formlabs.com