Innovation for Digital Fabrication
Grant agreement nr. 290559
theme NMP.2011.2.3-3
Martin Baumers, University of Nottingham
Key Technology Challenges & Business Drivers in DF
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Overview
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Work package 4
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In the Diginova project
Participants & Methodology
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Business drivers
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Key technology challenges
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Research recommendations
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Summary
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Objectives of work package 4
Key technology challenges & business drivers
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Determine a methodology to identify and catalogue the Key
Technology Challenges (KTCs) – both technological and business
orientated
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Identify the Business Drivers towards Digital Fabrication,
encompassing the full value chain.
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To inform the road mapping activity in work package 5
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The partners in work package 4
Expertise concentrated in two distinct fields:
2D Digital Fabrication:
Based on digital printing
technology
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3D Digital Fabrication:
Based on Additive
Manufacturing
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General apporach to the work
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Methodology based on
Technology Innovation Needs
Assessment (TINA)
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Successfully implemented for
Additive Manufacturing (2012)
Funded by the UK Technology
Strategy Board
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Sequence of steps to identify key technology
challenges and business dirvers
Four-step approach (based on TINA)
Recommendations for
research
Establishing baseline industry
position and business drivers
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Identify barriers and
technology challenges
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Current state of Digital Fabrication Technology
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All data provided by the Diginova consortium and the group of
stakeholders built through the project
Current state of 2D and 3D digital fabrication technology:
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2D: Identified 37 commercial systems and 14 developmental systems
3D: Identified 45 commercial systems and 11 developmental systems
Identified technology classes:
2D
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Piezoelectric inkjet
Electrostatic inkjet
Thermal inkjet
Laser inkjet
Indirect inkjet
Continuous inkjet
Electrophotography
Aerosoljet
Laser ablation technology
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Powder bed fusion
Directed energy deposition
Material jetting
Binder jetting
Material extrusion
Vat photopolymerisation
Sheet lamination
3D
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For which applications is Digital Fabrication
currently used?
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Collected a wealth of data on which technologies are used for
which applications
Most of the data was entered in large tables
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Example: 3D printing technologies vs. applications
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Current state of technology usage: main results
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Two main results
Data suggests that 2D digital fabrication is less widely
adopted across applications than 3D digital fabrication
1.
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“Horses for courses”
Possibly earlier stage on the technology diffusion curve for some
technologies
Note that these data are not a reflection of impact or economic value  it is a
reflection of diversity in applications
Some technologies span different application families/domains
2.
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Piezoelectric jetting
Aerosol jetting
Powder bed fusion systems
 3D technology variants appear to typically span more applications
than 2D technologies
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Which business drivers are behind current
technology usage?
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Various types of business drivers considered over the product life
cycle:
- Raw material
- Raw material waste
- Design freedom
- Accuracy
- Materials
- Prod. economics
- Energy & water
- Lead time
- IP protection
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- Short supply chains - Customisation
- Decentralisation
- (Multi)functionality
- High performance
- Graded materials
- Recyclability
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Data on business drivers
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Repeating methodology for technology usage, collected a wealth
of data on which business drivers relate to which applications
Entered in large tables, applications X-axis, drivers on Y-axis
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Example: 2D printing applications vs. drivers
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Business drivers of Digital Fabrication
- Main observations
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“Fragmented” business drivers for 2D digital fabrication
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More uniform relevance of business drivers in
application domains for 3D digital fabrication
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Independence of economies of scale is reported as a highly
relevant business driver for both 2D and 3D
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Interestingly, economies of scale have also been described as a
“stumbling block” in some industries (e.g. automotive) by a
stakeholder
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Main observations for the business drivers of
Digital Fabrication
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Other business drivers reported as important
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Supply chain consolidation and decentralisation (some 2D
and some 3D)
Design freedom and customisation (2D and 3D)
Light weighting and optimisation (mainly 3D)
Business drivers of smaller importance
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Raw material / substrate related
End-of-life and recyclability
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Identification of Key Technology Challenges
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Identified barriers to technology diffusion
2D
3D
• Relative process economics
• Core system compatibility (incl.
printhead-material)
• Reliability, quality, robustness
• Process architecture, openness
• Jetting-head characteristics
• Inter-system compatibility, modularity
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Relative process economics
Productivity, capacity
Reliability and quality
Machine concept, openness of
process architecture
Ownership, liability, I.P., and
standardisation
Finance & skills base
Design, tools and methods
Acceptance in industry and society
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Identification of Key Technology Challenges
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Identified Key technology challenges on the basis of
barriers
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By pairing up the causes and possible solutions to each
technology barrier
Analyzed the comparative urgency of these barriers
across 20 important application fields for Digital
Fabrication, looking at:
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Digital Printing
Additive Manufacturing
Printed Electronics
Human Applications
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Identified Key Technology Challenges and relative urgency
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Areas of technology challenges and technology convergence
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Making recommendations for research
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Addressing each Key Technology Challenge, a
comprehensive list of research recommendations
was created
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Separate recommendations for research for 2D
and 3D Digital Fabrication technologies
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Contained in Diginova deliverable D4.3 “Report
on sector based strategy for addressing
challenges facing manufacturing”
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Summary
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Identified recommendations for research will be used to inform the
European research agenda
 Also identifying gaps in EU industrial capability, i.e. technology
integration
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Analysis of KTCs enables a prioritisation of research activities
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According to Diginova areas of high priority include:
 Process reliability, repeatability, material waste
 Process fundamentals and core system components
 Data handling and quality control methods
 Commercialisation agenda, education and legal framework
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Summary
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Currently observing the convergence of 2D digital
printing and Additive Manufacturing
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Formation of a new field in manufacturing
Diginova outputs have real novelty
Numerous Key Technology Challenges must be
addressed across all Technology Readiness Levels
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Thank You!
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