2017 manufacturing hot word analysis: 3D printing VS CNC machine tools

When it comes to the popular word for 2017 manufacturing, you will think of "3D printing." 3D printing (3DP) is a kind of rapid prototyping technology. It is a technology based on a digital model file and uses a powdery metal or plastic adhesive material to build an object by layer-by-layer printing. In recent years, 3D printing technology has been advancing by leaps and bounds. Various types of new technologies have seen endless research results. Many manufacturing companies have also begun to use 3D printers for production. Many of the products that were previously machined using machine tools can also be produced through 3D printing. On the machine tool industry has a certain impact, then what is the difference between 3D printing and CNC machine tools? Let Xiaobian make an analysis for everyone today.

Simply speaking, 3D printer is an additive manufacturing, which is achieved through the superposition of materials; while CNC machine tools are manufactured by subtracting materials and manufacturing objects by eliminating materials. CNC machine tools are a very mature manufacturing equipment that has been widely used in traditional manufacturing, while 3D printing is a new manufacturing theory, and technology is still in continuous development. Of course, in the pursuit of sustainable development in modern times, 3D printing has great advantages in terms of resource conservation and resource utilization, and it is more efficient in manufacturing complex objects.

Today, the technology of CNC machine tools is improving day by day. In general, CNC machine tools need to be pre-programmed to achieve the object through continuous cutting. The working principle of a 3D printer is similar to that of a CNC machine tool, but it is also based on computer instructions. The difference is that it manufactures products by stacking raw materials. So 3D printing is also called "additive manufacturing." The premise of the normal operation of the 3D printer is to input a designed electronic blueprint or design file. They are responsible for telling the 3D printer where to place raw materials. Then, under the guidance of the design document, the 3D printer first sprays a solid powder or a molten liquid material and cures it into a special planar thin layer. After the first layer is cured, the 3D printer print head returns, forming another thin layer outside the first layer. After the second layer is cured, the print head returns again and forms another thin layer outside the second layer. In this way, the final thin layer accumulates into a three-dimensional object. After the printing is completed, the printed model needs to be post-processed, such as curing, peeling, trimming of the model, etc., to finally complete the production of the required model.

Xiao Bian saw a very graphic metaphor on the Internet to describe the difference between CNC machine tools and 3D printing, saying that the difference between them is the same as the difference between solid wood furniture and MDF furniture. In terms of the metal cutting industry, I believe that at present, CNC machine tools must be “occupied by the world”. After all, current 3D printing still lacks the most important “accuracy” for many equipment manufacturing companies that require ultra-high precision. With the continuous development of technology, 3D printing will one day catch up with the gap between the two.

From a control point of view, the path generation of 3D printers is simpler than traditional CNC machines (CNC milling, CNC cars). Just need to generate the path for each layer. However, the advantage of 3D printing is that it can quickly mold a mold or an object. Once there was news that a company completed the construction of a villa in one day with 3D printing. For smaller molds, etc. Objects, the time required is even shorter.

3D printing is a technology field that is highly dependent on materials and equipment. The development of the entire industry depends largely on how to find lower-cost and easier-to-use materials. In the early stage of the development of the industry, 3D printing should be sub- tracted, focusing on a few areas in order to develop more. At the same time, we must use industrial means to solve the problem of personalization, so that the 3D printing industry will become a normal industry and a promising industry.

Xiao Bian believes that for the CNC machine tool industry, the development of 3D printing technology may cause some impact on CNC machine tools, but look to the future, the technical results created by the benign competition between the two must be worth the wait. Only by continuously emerging new technologies can society be developed. 3D printing and CNC machine tools will complement each other, and it will surely create new vitality for the manufacturing industry.