An Introduction to the World of Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

AbstractScience and engineering have been instrumental in advancing the progress of humanity and are the key enablers that are shaping our very present and the future, improving our health and living standards, allowing humanity to leave the planet, walk on the moon, and explore distant stars and galaxies. Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is the latest technological marvel in manufacturing that is compelling us to think differently about how we design and manufacture parts and components, the location where the parts are being manufactured, the supply chains, environmental impact of manufacturing and sovereign capability. AM is now being perceived as a disruptive technology because of the benefits and opportunities it offers over the long-established traditional manufacturing technologies. It is a relatively young technology, some 30 years since the invention of the first 3D printer, compared to conventional subtractive technologies that have been around for centuries. Mainstream AM has in fact only been around the last 5 to 10 years as both the 3D printing technology and feedstock materials have evolved and become more robust, cheaper, and reliable giving manufacturers the necessary level of confidence to adopt them in serial production. The level of activity in AM is at an all-time high as various stake holders, company executives, investors, researchers, and government agencies try to predict its trajectory. Global organizations of all types are attempting to understand the role they can play in the AM space. This chapter presents an overview of AM and its enormous potential in the advancement of chemical sciences and engineering. In-depth discussion of fundamental and applied aspects of each individual AM technology and how they relate to chemical sciences and engineering are presented in subsequent chapters. To date AM has seen greater adoption by the aerospace, defense, and biomedical industries and to somewhat lesser degree in the chemical manufacturing and processing industries. Introduction of AM practices in this sector can improve the efficiencies of existing chemical processing technologies, allow sophistication of existing processes for manufacturing of new products, improve process economics, and address complex challenges and demands of our modern society such as environmental compatibility, reduction in wastes and emissions and localized production. AM in chemical sciences has enormous potential in process intensification which enables efficient heat and mass transfer, large reduction in the footprint of chemical manufacturing and processing and reduce environmental pollution.KeywordsAdditive manufacturing3D printingRapid prototypingCustomizationChemical manufacturingProcess intensificationEnergy storageReactors