In addition to the industries mentioned in Technology Summary 15.2, find two industries currently using 3D printing for either prototyping or manufacturing.

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Technology Application 15.2 3D PRINTING One area of CAD/CAE that has seen rapid innovation is additive-layer manufacturing, also called 3D printing. Additive-layer manufacturing has existed for decades, but its use had been limited due to its inability to make durable goods. Advances in printing CAD software, lasers, and robotics have improved the technology to the point where 3D printers can now make objects out of ceramics, titanium, and aluminum along with the more common acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic 3D printing builds up the part layer by layer by depositing ultrathin layers, sometimes only tens of micrometers high, to create a final product. One benefit is that 30 printers can manufacture pro- ducts in ways that can't be done by conventional techniques. For instance, by combining 3D printing technology with CAD, designers are able to analyze the critical areas in a product that need to bear load and only place materials in that area. The result are parts that. have weight half the amount of the similar part manufactured by conventional methods but are still just as strong. Figure 15.6 shows an example of this process. Reducing weight can have a sig nificant impact in the airline industry, where eliminating 1 kilogram from an airplane can result in $3,000 of fuel savings every year, or $100,000 over 30 years, the typical life span of an airplane. 3D printing has received more attention due to the creation of consumer models that sell for under $1,000 and primarily build goods out of plastic, Consumer models using inkjet heads mounted on gantries to deposit melted plastic are being used for rapid proto- typing of parts, architectural models, toys, and custom prosthetic limbs, among their many applications. Manufacturing level models. spread a thin layer of metallic powder onto a platform and then fuse the material together with a laser. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) Company is using 3D printing to build parts for its Airbus A380 airliner. Boeing has produced more than 20,000 military-grade parts through the process, while GE is explor ing the technology to build transducers that are used in ultrasound machines using a combination of ultraviolet light and slurry com- posed of ceramic embedded in a polymer precursor The ability to print parts on demand allows companies to test products quicker and move the products to market quicker. Another benefit is that since products are produced by a machine and require less handling, the products can be built closer to home to save on ship- ping costs and delays. Currently, 3D printing is limited to building smal- ler items, and fine temperature control is not available. But keep an eye on this technology-it definitely has a bright future in manufacturing. FIGURE 15.6 Top: Conventional Hinge; Bottom: Same Hinge, Half the Weight Using 3D Printing Technology Source: Kevin Bullis, "GE and EADS Laser Printing Process, www.technology review.com/photogallery/423953/ge-and-eads-laser-printing processideside (accessed February 18, 2013)