1. Overview of 3D printing composites equipment
3D printing technology, as a revolutionary additive manufacturing method, is becoming increasingly important in the manufacturing industry. By stacking materials layer by layer, it is able to rapidly manufacture complex precision parts without the need for traditional molds, shorten the production cycle, improve material utilization, reduce costs, and break through the limitations of traditional manufacturing technology in the preparation of complex parts. Especially in the production of small quantities of complex parts and design optimization, 3D printing technology has demonstrated strong market competitiveness and become a key force in promoting manufacturing innovation.
Composite materials also play an important role in modern manufacturing, usually consisting of two or more materials with different properties, and through optimizing the ratio and structure, they achieve complementary performance and enhancement. They are characterized by high strength, low density, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, etc. They are widely used in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, medical devices and other fields, helping to reduce weight, improve efficiency, and enhance structural strength and performance.
With the growing demand for high-precision, high-performance parts, the combination of 3D printing technology and composite materials has become an inevitable trend. 3D printing composite equipment can quickly and accurately manufacture composite parts and promote the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. This technology not only meets the strict requirements for complex parts in high-end fields, but also brings innovative opportunities for other fields such as scientific research and education, consumer electronics and cultural creativity.
Currently, a variety of types of 3D printing technologies have been developed, such as stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and fused deposition molding (FDM).FDM technology has become one of the most widely used 3D printing technologies in the market due to its advantages of low cost, simple preparation procedures, and applicability to a wide range of materials. Polymer 3D printing process is moving towards low printing cost, low energy consumption, large size, and high printing rate, gradually realizing mass production and competing with traditional plastic production processes. Powder bed processes have been applied to mass production of plastic parts, while fast photopolymerization technologies such as DLP and CLIP are enabling photopolymerization 3D printing for small batch production, focusing on processes with low energy consumption and high part performance. Material extrusion 3D printing process is also moving towards maturity, high-speed, large-scale equipment has been applied to the development.
2. Overview of industry developments
2.1 3D printing composite material equipment development history
The development history of domestic 3D printing technology is like a magnificent epic of science and technology, which records the wisdom and courage of countless pioneers and witnesses the great leap of Chinese science and technology from following to surpassing. 1980, the world's first 3D printing patent was born in Japan, which, like a spark of science and technology, ignited a prairie fire for the development of global 3D printing technology. In China, Professor Yan Yongnian established the Laser Rapid Prototyping Center at Tsinghua University in 1988, which became the founder of China's rapid prototyping technology and laid a solid foundation for the development of China's 3D printing technology. Since then, the pace of development of 3D printing technology in China has gradually accelerated. 1993, China's first 3D printing company was established, marking the official launch of China's 3D printing industry. 1994, Prof. Lu Bingheng of Xi'an Jiaotong University began to devote himself to the research and development of 3D printers, whose scientific research results have injected a strong impetus for China's independent innovation of 3D printing technology.
In the 21st century, China's 3D printing technology ushered in a more rapid development. 2010, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Professor Shi Yusheng team successfully developed an industrial-grade 1.2mx1.2m additive manufacturing equipment, the working area of the world's largest at the time, highlighting China's outstanding strength in the field of large-scale 3D printing equipment manufacturing. 2011, Professor Shi Yusheng team, by virtue of its excellent In 2011, Prof. Shi Yusheng's team, by virtue of its exquisite technology, made casting wax molds of large and complex titanium alloy parts for airplanes, satellites and aero-engines for Airbus and the European Space Agency, applying China's 3D printing technology in international high-end aerospace field and winning international praise. 2013, China 3D Printing Alliance was formally established, marking that China's 3D printing industry has begun to move towards a new stage of joint development and collaborative innovation, and building a new platform for technological exchanges, resource integration and market expansion, resource integration and market expansion.In 2017, Xi'an Zhimong launched China's first e-beam metal 3D printing system, ZcompleX3, which filled the technological gaps in China's e-beam metal 3D printing field, enabling China to reach a new height in high-end metal 3D printing technology.In 2018, the Additive Manufacturing Center of Kunming University of Science and Technology successfully piloted the production of the largest single 3D printing machine at that time using the In 2018, the Additive Manufacturing Center of Kunming University of Technology successfully test-produced the largest single complex titanium alloy part formed by SLM process at that time, which fully demonstrated China's exquisite craftsmanship and strong innovation ability in titanium alloy 3D printing technology. 2020, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) successfully completed the first "3D printing in space" experiment, which is also the world's first 3D printing experiment of continuous fiber-reinforced composite materials, marking China's first 3D printing experiment in the field of aerospace technology. In 2020, China Academy of Space Technology successfully completed the first "3D printing in space" experiment, which is also the world's first 3D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced composite materials, marking a major breakthrough in the application of 3D printing technology in the field of aerospace, and providing a new technological means for the future exploration and development of space.
2.2 Development status of composite material equipment
The application of composite materials in today's science and technology field is said to be extensive and in-depth, and its unique performance advantages make it an indispensable key material in many industries. In the field of aerospace, composite materials have experienced a major transformation from early non-load-bearing structure to today's main load-bearing structure. In the manufacture of wings and fuselages, for example, the application of composites has not only dramatically reduced the weight of aircraft, but also significantly improved their structural strength and durability. In the field of defense industry, composites also play a vital role. Light armored vehicles, stealth aircraft, missiles and rockets and other equipment are widely used in composite materials, thanks to its high strength, low density, good stealth performance and other characteristics, can effectively enhance the combat effectiveness and survivability of equipment. In new energy vehicles, energy storage, photovoltaic and other emerging fields, composite materials have also shown great potential for application. In the manufacture of new energy vehicles, composite materials can be used in the body, battery shell and other parts of the manufacturing, helping to reduce vehicle weight, improve range, while enhancing the safety and comfort of the vehicle. With the rapid development of these fields, the market demand for composite materials will continue to grow, providing a broad space for the development of 3D printing composite equipment.
3. 3D Printing Composites Equipment Industry Chain Panorama
3.1 Market Scale
3.1.1 Global 3D printing market size analysis
According to the data of "Metal AM" report released by VoxelMatters, a British company focusing on the research of the global 3D printing industry, the global metal 3D printing market scale in 2022 was about $2.861 billion, of which the market scale of hardware, materials and services was $1.476 billion, $398 million and $987 million respectively, representing a year-on-year growth of 26%. The global metal 3D printing market is expected to exceed $40 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 30.3% from 2022-2032. The report also identifies ten leading companies in the global metal 3D printing space, namely EOS, SLM Solutions, 3D Systems, Desktop Metal, GE Additive, BLT, Velo3D, DMG Mori, TRUMPF, and HBD, which play an important role in driving the development and market expansion of global metal 3D printing technology. and market expansion.
3.1.2 China 3D Printing Market Scale Analysis
In China, the 3D printing market is showing vigorous vitality, and the five leading companies in terms of market share are Luen Thai, Stratasys, EOS, GE and 3D Systems in the order of market share, none of which exceeds 20%, which reflects the relatively low concentration in the industry and the fierce competition in the market, and at the same time signals the huge potential for the development of the industry. In recent years, China's manufacturing enterprises have been actively adopting 3D printing technology to replace or optimize their original production processes, thereby enhancing the intelligence of their production and meeting the government's urgent demand for the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing products. In terms of market scale, the scale of China's 3D printing industry has shown a trend of steady growth year by year, and its growth rate is slightly faster than the overall global growth rate, which makes China's 3D industry accounted for the proportion of the world continues to rise.
At present, the scale of China's 3D printer industry is increasing year by year, and the rate of increase is slightly faster than the overall global growth rate, so that the proportion of China's 3D industry in the world is increasing. Looking ahead, under the rapid development of aviation, automotive, medical equipment and other industries, the 3D printer market demand is huge, and the market size will show a trend of rapid expansion.
3.2 3D Printing Equipment
3.2.1 FDM/FFF
FDM (Fused Deposition Molding) technology, as a widely used 3D printing technology, is based on the principle that filamentary materials are heated and melted, and then extruded and stacked layer by layer by the nozzle according to a computer-controlled path. This technology has become one of the most widely used 3D printing technologies in the market at this stage with the advantages of low cost of equipment and printing materials, simple preparation process and suitability for printing on a wide range of materials, and has demonstrated its excellent application value in many fields.
The Stratasys F370®CR FDM® composite printer is an iconic high-performance 3D printer. It supports the printing of a wide range of high-strength composites and engineering-grade materials, such as ABS-CF10 and FDM Nylon-CF10, which are used to produce parts that excel in strength and durability. The printer has a variable part density function, which can flexibly adjust the structural density inside the part according to the different usage requirements of the part, so as to optimize the use of materials and reduce material wastage under the premise of guaranteeing the performance of the part. Its large build space (355 mm x 254 mm x 355 mm) makes it possible to print large parts for the production of high-strength fixtures, fixtures and manufacturing tools. Additionally, the machine has the ability to interface with manufacturing execution systems to digitally manage and monitor the production process, improving productivity and management accuracy.
Markforged's Mark Two and FX20 printers are designed for continuous carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, a design feature that gives them a significant advantage in areas where part strength and lightweighting are critical. The printers are capable of printing on a wide range of materials, including thermoplastics, nylon and continuous carbon fibers, and by printing on a combination of these materials, it is possible to take full advantage of the properties of the different materials to optimize the performance of the part. For example, in the aerospace field of some parts manufacturing, the use of the printer can ensure the structural strength of the parts at the same time, significantly reduce their weight, improve the fuel efficiency and performance of the aircraft. In the field of service robots, these printers also have a wide range of applications, and can manufacture lightweight, high-strength structural components for robots, reduce the overall weight of the robot, improve its motion performance and energy efficiency, so as to achieve the dual goals of cost reduction and performance enhancement.Markforged series: including Mark2 and X7 models, using a short-cut carbon fiber blended with nylon powder doped laser sintering process, suitable for aerospace industry. Laser sintering process, suitable for aerospace, automotive, medical and other fields.
Robotic systems from Arevo Labs and 9T Labs represent innovative applications of FDM technology for the manufacturing of complex geometries. These systems utilize six-axis robotics to efficiently print short-fiber composites and CF/PA12 composites and manufacture complex geometries on curved surfaces. For example, the robotic system developed by Arevo Labs for printing PEEK/CF composites leverages the agility and high-precision motion control of a six-axis robot to accurately lay down print material in complex three-dimensional spaces to enable the fabrication of parts with complex curved surfaces and internal structures. This technology breaks through the limitations of traditional 3D printing equipment in the manufacture of geometric shapes, providing a brand new solution for the manufacture of some special parts in aerospace, automotive manufacturing and other fields. 9T Labs demonstrated the ability to place CF/PA12 composite materials on curved surfaces, and also provides technical support for the manufacture of curved structural parts with high-performance requirements, such as in the manufacture of aero-engine blades, Automotive wheel hubs and other components.
Continuous Composites' CF3D™ process is a revolutionary continuous fiber 3D printing technology. This unique process eliminates the need for expensive molds or ovens, greatly reducing production costs and equipment complexity by using industrial robots to print on dry fibers and impregnating them with resin in-situ. The technology is applicable to the manufacture of high-performance continuous fibers such as aerospace-grade carbon fibers, glass fibers or aromatic polyamide fibers, which can give full play to the mechanical performance advantages of these high-performance fibers, and manufacture composite parts with high strength and high stiffness. For example, in the manufacturing of structural components in the aerospace industry, the CF3D™ process can be used to produce lightweight, high-strength components such as wings and fuselage frames, which can meet the stringent requirements for high performance and lightweight components in the aerospace industry.
In addition to the above equipment, there are many other FDM technology equipment that play an important role in their respective fields. For example, the Ultimaker+ 3D printer can print with composite materials containing silicon nitride particles, which have high hardness and wear resistance and can be used to manufacture parts with high wear resistance requirements, such as wear-resistant parts in industrial machinery, molds, etc. The Zmorph 2.0 3D printer prints with ceramic pastes, which can manufacture parts with special ceramic properties, such as heat-resistant parts. Zmorph 2.0 3D printers, on the other hand, use ceramic pastes to print parts with special ceramic properties, such as high-temperature and corrosion-resistant ceramic parts, which have potential applications in the chemical and electronics industries. These devices are often combined with open-source software (such as Blender and Ultimaker Cura) to design and print models. The application of open-source software allows users to be more flexible in printing parameter settings and model design, which lowers the threshold of use and promotes the widespread application and innovative development of FDM technology.
3.2.2 SLA
Light-curing molding (SLA) technology is a high-precision 3D printing technology, the principle of which is to mix photosensitive polymer monomers with reinforcing particles or fibers, and under the irradiation of specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light, the photoinitiator triggers the polymer monomers to undergo a rapid photo-polymerization reaction, which rapidly transforms them from a liquid state into a solid state, and then they are stacked one on top of another layer by layer in accordance with the planned path, ultimately forming the desired three-dimensional products.
SLA technology has a very high precision, and can produce parts with extremely high dimensional accuracy and smooth surface quality, and has a wide range of applications in fields that require very high precision, such as jewelry, precision molds, medical equipment and other industries. In jewelry manufacturing, SLA technology can accurately print out complex and exquisite jewelry models for subsequent casting or processing to provide accurate samples, which can greatly shorten the jewelry design and production cycle, while improving product quality and design freedom. In terms of precision mold manufacturing, SLA technology can produce high-precision mold cores and cavities to ensure the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the mold, thus improving the quality and consistency of injection molded products. For the manufacture of medical devices, such as dental prostheses, hearing aid shells and other small medical devices, SLA technology can produce products that fit the human physiological structure with high precision, improving the use of medical devices and comfort.
However, SLA technology also has some limitations. At present, the types of polymer resin matrix suitable for light curing are relatively limited, which to some extent limits the application of this technology in the field of different material performance requirements. Due to the limitation of the type of resin matrix, it may not be able to meet the requirements of some special parts on the mechanical properties of the material, heat resistance, chemical stability and other aspects. In addition, when short fiber reinforcement is added during the printing process, fiber settling problems are likely to occur, which can lead to an uneven internal structure of the composite material, affecting the consistency of performance and quality stability of the printed parts. In order to overcome these limitations, researchers are constantly exploring new photosensitive resin materials and fiber reinforcement technologies to expand the application scope of SLA technology and improve its print quality.
3.2.3 LDM/DIW
Direct Ink Writing (DIW) Technology: This is an extrusion technology used to fabricate 3D printed parts from ceramics, metals, and other fine materials.DIW equipment is affordable and suitable for rapid prototyping by designers. Direct Ink Writing (DIW) technology, also known as Liquid Deposition Molding (LDM), is a unique extrusion technology for 3D printing.
The raw materials used in LDM/DIW technology are composites in the form of solutions, pastes, or hydrogels with a certain degree of fluidity, which are cured and molded by post-heating, ultraviolet light (UV) curing, or the addition of active ingredients.
A significant advantage of this process is the ability to produce parts with functional and compositional gradients. In some special application scenarios, such as the manufacturing of artificial joints in the biomedical field and the manufacturing of functional gradient material devices in the electronic field, parts with different material compositions or performance gradients are required to meet the functional requirements of different parts.LDM/DIW technology can precisely control the extrusion amount and mixing ratio of different material inks during the printing process. However, fibers with large aspect ratios and high content should not be added to avoid clogging the print head during the printing process.
3.2.4 SLS/SLM
Selective laser sintering (SLS), is a 3D printing method that utilizes heat generated by a laser to selectively fuse powders. Using a mixture of polymer matrix and reinforcement fibers of the powder, so that the laser according to the 3D model of the cross-sectional shape of the powder in a specific region of the heating, the melting point of the relatively low polymer powder melting, the matrix and reinforcement bonding to achieve the components of the composite. Higher surface accuracy, easy removal of support structures and recycling of materials are the advantages of SLS molding. However, the problem of this method is that the density of the two materials in the mixed powder is usually different, which is prone to precipitation phenomenon and make the product composition is not uniform. In addition, SLS has strict requirements on the particle size of the raw material, so the general use of short fibers with a length of 20-250 μm, and the mechanical properties of the composite material have limited improvement.
4 Future development
Technological development is driving the composites industry to usher in new opportunities in the air transportation market. Inter-city air cab services (AAM market) using all-electric eVTOL aircraft with a range of around 150km require high-performance composite parts, in which 3D printing technology will play a key role. Although only a handful of companies are currently well-funded, the market potential is huge, with thousands of air cabs expected to be in operation by 2030, creating market space for 3D printed composite gear.
Composites also play an important role in the manufacture of large aircraft, for example, the C919 aircraft makes extensive use of a variety of composite materials, including toughened epoxy resin-based T800-grade high-strength carbon fiber composites, fiberglass composites, aramid honeycomb materials, carbon-fiber composite fan blades, and ceramic-based composite turbine components. These applications have improved aircraft performance and demonstrated the importance of composites in the manufacture of large aircraft. As technology develops and the requirements for performance, precision and reliability of composite parts increase, 3D printing technology provides an efficient, high-quality solution.
The progress of 3D printing technology has promoted its application in the field of composite materials. The research and development of new materials has enriched the types of 3D printed composites and enhanced their performance; the improvement of printing processes, such as microwave heating printing and ultrasonic-assisted 3D printing, has improved the printing speed and quality of the products; and the innovation of nozzle technology, such as multi-nozzle and high-precision nozzle, has improved the precision and complexity of the products. The maturity of technology and the expansion of market scale have reduced the cost of 3D printing equipment, and more enterprises and research institutions can afford the cost of 3D printing composite equipment, which promotes its wide application.
3D printing composites equipment is showing its unique and powerful charm and value in the context of rapid technological development. The industry chain covers from the careful selection and supply of raw materials in the upstream, to the manufacturing and optimization of core hardware, auxiliary operation equipment and various types of 3D printing equipment in the midstream, to the wide application in many fields such as aerospace, automotive, medical and consumer electronics in the downstream, which has formed a complete and close industrial ecosystem.
In the application field, 3D printing composite equipment has played an irreplaceable role in many high-end manufacturing fields. In the field of aerospace, it helps the aircraft to realize lightweight and high performance; in the field of automobile manufacturing, it promotes the development of automobiles in the direction of personalization and intelligence; in the field of medical treatment, it provides strong support for personalized and precise medical treatment.
Nevertheless, 3D printing composites equipment in the technical level is still facing challenges such as material performance improvement, printing efficiency and quality standard improvement. The high cost also limits its popularization. In addition, the shortage of interdisciplinary professionals also restricts the development of the industry. In the future, material innovation, technology integration and application expansion will be the main development direction. The research and development of new composite materials will expand application areas, and 3D printing technology will integrate with artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things and other technologies to improve printing quality and efficiency. At the same time, 3D printing will expand its application in the fields of construction, energy, culture and creativity, and promote the innovation and development of related industries.
Source: "China Composites Industry Association"