The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is preparing to release a strategy to promote 3D printing on a large scale, given the growing market for it.
The United States currently holds the largest market share of over 35%, while China has cornered about 50% of the Asian market, with Japan at 30% and South Korea at 10%.
The policy aims to create a favorable environment for the design, development, and deployment of 3D printing and additive manufacturing and to assist domestic enterprises in creating facilities for global technology giants. The policy also focuses on key areas such as luxury vehicle components, landing gear, and printed circuit boards. MeitY predicts that the global market for additive manufacturing will increase to USD 34.8 billion by 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 23.2 percent.
3D printing is a layering approach that uses computer-aided design (CAD) to build three-dimensional objects, and additive manufacturing technologies are used to create them. Complex shapes can be made with less material using 3D printing than with standard manufacturing processes.
A 3D printer operates in a similar way to an inkjet printer, but instead of liquid ink, it uses a method called fused depositional modelling to build a 3D model layer by layer using molten plastic or powder.
The printer converts a 3D CAD drawing into a series of two-dimensional, cross-sectional layers that are fused together using adhesive or ultraviolet radiation. The most commonly used thermoplastic polymers for 3D printing are Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polylactic acid (PLA), and Polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG).
These materials are readily available and inexpensive, and are produced by the global chemical and plastics industries. Certain metals such as aluminium, bronze, stainless steel, and titanium alloys can also be used in 3D printing, and research institutions and private industries are investing in R&D to expand the range of available metallic raw materials.
The benefits of 3D printing include reducing construction costs, decreasing the carbon footprint, increasing productivity, and allowing for flexibility in raw material usage and the use of environmentally friendly resources.
3D printing is a versatile technology with applications in various industries. Some exciting examples of 3D-printed objects include prosthetic limbs and body parts, homes and buildings, food, medicine, firearms, liquid structures, glass products, acrylic objects, movie props, musical instruments, clothing, and medical models and devices.
3D printing software typically uses file formats like STL, VRML, AMF, and GCode. The advantages of 3D printing include faster prototyping, better product quality, cost-effectiveness, flexibility in design, and minimizing waste.
3D printing also has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry by printing organs such as livers, kidneys, and hearts. With a wide range of printers and software packages available, anyone can learn how to 3D print and unleash their creativity.
Despite its benefits, 3D printing also has some disadvantages. It may lead to a reduction in manufacturing jobs, particularly in third-world countries, where low-wage labor is essential to their economies.
Moreover, the variety of available printing materials is limited, and not all metals or polymers can be thermally regulated for 3D printing. Additionally, 3D printers currently have limited print chambers, increasing the cost and time for larger parts. The final product may also differ from the original design, and parts created using 3D printing can be brittle and prone to delamination. The proliferation of counterfeit products and copyright issues is another challenge.
However, 3D printing technology is advancing rapidly, and its market is expected to grow significantly in the next ten years. The development of raw materials and processing procedures will become more user-friendly, and 3D printing has the potential to democratize the manufacturing of commodities, from food to medical supplies to massive coral reefs.
It may also provide crucial supplies to disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities in the future. Overall, 3D printing has the potential to reshape our communities and the development sector, and better awareness and investment will aid in its acceptance in India.