Towards the Industry of the Future

The different industrial sectors are increasingly approaching Additive Manufacturing, because it has become evident that its processes are revolutionating the product life cycle in some way. It is, in fact, considered the basis of Industry 4.0 and the wide range of competitive advantages it offers has captivated sectors such as aeronautics, automotive, construction, health and decoration.

Aerospace: The aerospace sector has become one of the first to include Additive Manufacturing as a strategic tool in its production process. In recent years, printing projects in this field have multiplied, with special emphasis on the development of aircraft parts. However, the applicability in this sense covers a very wide range.

Automotive: Additive Manufacturing likewise welcomes special presence in the automotive sector, where body prototypes or internal parts developed by 3D printing are increasingly eye-catching. At the same time, the possibilities for the production of customised parts are being exploited by the industry for the development and production of components for short-run vehicles. However, the sector’s interest in AF is clear and they are promoting developments to increase efficiency in order to tackle mass production projects in the future.

Health: in the health sector, personalisation (understood as the adaptation of geometry to the patient) is key, so additive manufacturing is a great tool already implemented in many companies, but still has a long way to go. Examples include dental prostheses, surgical test models to enable the feasibility of interventions and reduce the time of these processes, guides and implants (plastic and metal) for reconstructive surgery and bioactive implants for the regeneration of non-viable living tissues.

Production: in the mass production sector of parts, additive manufacturing is being implemented mainly in production tools (polymeric moulds, metal mould inserts…), in production support tools (jigs and fixtures, grippers and manipulators, gauges, etc.) and in tools to support operators (customised accessories to assist their tasks – ergonomics, effort, fatigue, etc.).

Construction: Additive Manufacturing has an increasing presence in buildings and constructions, with special emphasis on the framework of new materials, such as new binders and binders from industrial waste from renewable natural materials and recycled materials. In the framework of READI, IDONIAL has developed a tailor-made system for 3D printing of large parts (originally intended for the construction sector) using an industrial robot/Cartesian gantry.

Creative sector: The freedom in design and the possibilities of manufacturing unique parts is one of the triggers for the use of AF in this sector. Works of art are being realised by integrating creativity and technology.