Additive Manufacturing with Plastics

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing in the plastics industry involves the creation of components without dies or tooling—or the fabrication of tooling itself—for use in prototyping, bridge production, or short-run production. Common types include stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), and digital light process (DLP). Learn more at What Is Additive Manufacturing?

Ultimaker S6 3D Printer for Engineers, Manufacturing Teams and Maintenance Crews
Packaging

Ultimaker S6 3D Printer for Engineers, Manufacturing Teams and Maintenance Crews

New generation delivers faster print speeds. 

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ESSENTIAL READING

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5 Big Themes in Additive Manufacturing at Formnext Forum: Austin
Additive Manufacturing

5 Big Themes in Additive Manufacturing at Formnext Forum: Austin

As manufacturing advances with additive, the advance increasingly emphasizes these five themes.

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What You Should Know About Miniature Extrusion Screws
screws

What You Should Know About Miniature Extrusion Screws

Very small screws have become more common with the growth of additive manufacturing. Designing such screws requires balancing their output requirements with their torque strength.

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Latest Additive Manufacturing News And Updates

Xenia 3DF Materials for FFF Printing
Engineering Resins

Xenia 3DF Materials for FFF Printing

Xenia is introducing new filament materials for fused filament fabrication.

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Juggerbot P3-44 Astra Enables Large Format Printing With PVC
PVC

Juggerbot P3-44 Astra Enables Large Format Printing With PVC

Process controls and safety systems specifically tailored for industrial printing with PVC.

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3Devo Filament Maker Two Enhances Extrusion Control
Additive Manufacturing

3Devo Filament Maker Two Enhances Extrusion Control

The machine includes an upgraded screw drive, monitoring and user interface for enhanced filament production.

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Formlabs Form 4L and Form 4BL Print Expand 3D Print Volumes
Additive Manufacturing

Formlabs Form 4L and Form 4BL Print Expand 3D Print Volumes

Formlabs 4L and 4BL offer high sprint speeds and nearly 5 times the volume.

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Insight Polymers & Compounding Unveils New Conductive Products Line
Extrusion

Insight Polymers & Compounding Unveils New Conductive Products Line

The new conductive products line will also be produced for injection molding and extrusion.

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Xact Metal Partners with PanOptimization to Incorporate Simulation and Optimization in Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing

Xact Metal Partners with PanOptimization to Incorporate Simulation and Optimization in Additive Manufacturing

Thermomechanical simulations will enable identification and correction of build issues prior to 3D printing.

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Featured Posts

BMW Group Vehicle to Adopt 3D Printed Center Console
Additive Manufacturing

BMW Group Vehicle to Adopt 3D Printed Center Console

A vehicle coming to market in 2027 will include a center console carrier manufactured through polymer robot-based large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM).

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3D Printed Spine Implants Made From PEEK Now in Production
Medical

3D Printed Spine Implants Made From PEEK Now in Production

Medical device manufacturer Curiteva is producing two families of spinal implants using a proprietary process for 3D printing porous polyether ether ketone (PEEK).

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The Connector Conundrum: 3D Printed Mold Tooling’s Role in Innovation
Injection Molding

The Connector Conundrum: 3D Printed Mold Tooling’s Role in Innovation

ReelView Fishing faced an electronics obstacle in the development of its new technology for underwater video. Additive manufacturing for moldmaking allowed for the speed necessary to iterate to a solution. How inventors and invention will benefit from new ways of obtaining production-ready tooling.

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7 Takeaways on 3D Printing As a Pathway to Polymer’s Future
Additive Manufacturing

7 Takeaways on 3D Printing As a Pathway to Polymer’s Future

The Cleveland section of SPE hosted “Additive Manufacturing: Printing the Path for the Future” on October 17, 2024. Speakers signaled where AM is and where it is headed with session topics ranging from pellet-based 3D printing to qualification and commercialization of additively manufactured products.

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Additive Technologies for Injection Mold Tooling Ride Tailwinds
Additive Manufacturing

Additive Technologies for Injection Mold Tooling Ride Tailwinds

NPE2024: Lowering barriers to additive manufacturing adoption in toolmaking.

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NPE 2024: Additive Manufacturing Assisting, Advancing Plastics Processing
NPE

NPE 2024: Additive Manufacturing Assisting, Advancing Plastics Processing

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

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FAQ: Additive Manufacturing

Do I Need Additive Manufacturing Skills in My Business?

Essentium announced the third in a series of findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. The survey found an increasing need for more education, skills, and training across manufacturers’ organizations. Even as the industry moves towards large-scale AM, 28% of manufacturers reported their personnel lacked AM skills.

How is Additive Manufacturing Applied in Tooling?

In recent years, it has become apparent that additive manufacturing—aka 3D printing—is destined to have a role in plastics mold making, owing to cost and lead-time advantages over conventional subtractive manufacturing—CNC machining—and unique abilities to produce complex internal tooling geometries such as conformal cooling channels.

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