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With the development and widespread use of 3D Printing technology, it means overcoming a major barrier in the manufacture of products related to different areas of expertise and needs and moving to a new dimension in the business world due to operational changes. This technology offers significant benefits such as obtaining a three-dimensional model of the patient's organ before an operation for a surgery or 3D modelling of a design can be printed. Likewise, the ease of producing a part that is difficult to supply in the supply chain in a practical way can be provided by 3D printing technology. The development and widespread use of this technology will bring about various operational changes in the supply chain that will eliminate many problems in product supply and related issues.
What is 3D Printing, How is it Prepared?
3D modelling is to create a three-dimensional and digital copy of a living or inanimate object. 3D printers work on the principle of injecting the material specially produced for the device in successive patterns by thermal and chemical processes in order to transform a three-dimensional model prepared in a digital environment into an object. In this way, a 3D model is prototyped.
In Which Areas Is 3D Technology Used?
Although the practical applications of 3D printing is a technology that has been studied for almost 30 years, it is only in recent years that it has become widespread and started to be used by businesses for industrial purposes. Especially during the Covid epidemic process, the lights were turned to this technology with the shortage of product supply. In today's world, where the traditional business approach has been replaced by modern management shaped by technology, especially in the supply chains of the aviation and defense, automotive, electronics, energy, machinery, medical, pharmaceutical and plastics sectors, the opportunities of this technology are being used.
Benefits of 3D Printing and Features Open to Development
In 3D printing, the benefits of obtaining products that are much more difficult to obtain and the qualities that are being developed can be listed as follows:
- Triggering developments in different sectors and many fields such as space studies, engineering, health
- Requires less than traditional production processes
- Enabling the creation of complex designs and customizable products
- Ensuring production and fast repair in a short time
- Reducing inventory and storage problems
- Providing need-orientated production opportunities
- Facilitation of logistics and distribution at less cost
- Reduced operational carbon emissions and less waste generation
- Increasing value of innovation and design in business understanding
Expectations for the Future of 3D Printing
The first three-dimensional primitive printer was produced by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems in 1984. After years of various developments over time, the form developed by NASA for use in space was developed in 2014 for the needs of astronauts. The most critical aspect of this exciting development is that, according to NASA, it is "the first step towards realising a machine shop in space". NASA's Development Programme Manager Drew Hope says that this technology is a fast, cost-effective and easier way to produce rocket components that are difficult and expensive to manufacture. These open-ended technological developments, which can be used in rocket or spacecraft development, mean that 3D printing can take space-related activities much further than can be imagined in the future.
This technology is also being utilized in constructional additive house projects. Forbes announced that the United Arab Emirates' goal in its 2030 Vision is to 3D print 25 per cent of Dubai's buildings by 2030. On the other hand, Rachel Doherty, Daniela Kraft, etc. from Leiden University in the Netherlands expanded previous research and developed floating micro-drugs that can be carried in the human body as a 3D design. In this way, it will be possible to carry the required medicines in the body in the form of micro bodies. When we look at the automotive sector, it was announced last year that the German car manufacturer Volkswagen started to utilize this technology in the automotive production process. Groundbreaking developments can be listed in almost every sector related to 3D printing technology. In light of all these, it can be said that global investments in this technology in various sectors will increase exponentially in the near future.
Three-dimensional printers, which trigger major developments in every sector, are expected to be able to fully print themselves in the future. This can be interpreted as the footsteps of a new era in all sectors of the economy, rather than a change in the dimension of space and engineering activities.
Impact of 3D Printing on Supply Chain in the Near Future
It is predicted that in the near future for all sectors, the transformation of 3D technology into custom business solutions will become widespread, so that uber-personalized products can be quickly produced and shipped to the end user. While industrial-grade 3D printers are priced in millions of dollars, costs will decrease due to the development momentum in technology. In this way, faster, cheaper, and more mass production will be possible. Offering different raw materials as materials will bring product diversity and thus more quality and more types of products can be produced. As the accessibility of elements such as hardware, software and raw materials increases, the cost of consumables required for the use of 3D printers and these devices will decrease, and a new dimension will be introduced in production.
Considering the impact on the logistics industry, the fact that production processes will become extremely simple due to the development of 3D printing technology will mean shortening supply chains and changing transport demand. It is predicted that partnerships of logistics companies with 3D printing companies will become widespread. In particular, the volume of imports from Asia to Europe is expected to decline in the near future due to all these developments.
To summarize, near future developments in 3D printing will be a game changer in the supply chain by creating solutions to improve customer experience, facilitate operation tracking and increase efficiency in production and service delivery. It can be said that producing ideas, not objects, will gain more value, all sectors will need to re-establish their operational processes in a chain, and even labor requirements may change.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelmolitch-hou/2022/06/09/has-house-3d-printing-finally-made it/?sh=15cf65d5f86a *Dae of access: 20. 06. 2022 * https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelmolitch-hou/2022/06/09/has-house-3d-printing-finally-made-it/ Dae of access: 20. 06. 2022
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2020/10/3d-printed-microboat Dae of access: 20. 06. 2022
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/vw-starts-testing-3d-printed-structural-parts Dae of access: 20. 06. 2022
