Continuous 3D-printing for additive manufacturing

Purpose – This paper aims to present the results that can be achieved using continuous three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Design/methodology/approach – In the first section, conventional additive manufacturing and continuous 3D-printing are described and compared against each other. Essential is the new approach to coat the particulate material and to print it on a tilted surface. For this special setup, theoretical considerations for sources of distortions are given. These considerations define the design of the test parts. For the evaluation of a tilted setup a prototype using large dimensions is shown. Of special interest is the exact transportation using a large mass of particulate material. Findings – The 3D-printing principle is suitable for tilted surfaces, making production without any downtime possible. The parts produced using the prototype continuous 3D-printer have sufficient accuracy for foundry use, although various considerations and the setup show that angular deflections can be caused by inaccuracies in the feeding system. Research limitations/implications – The parts’ accuracy is additionally affected by the thickness of unbound particle material under the building area. The amount of unbound particle material is of a constructive nature. Thus, the setup is limiting the investigations. Using the current material system, the printing should take place as near to the conveyor belt as possible. Practical implications – This paper outlines which kind of parts can be manufactured using continuous 3D-printing. Originality/value – This article shows a first evaluation of parts printed using continuous 3D-printing. It gives a perspective on future designs from rapid prototyping machines based on these principles and shows the possible benefits. The change over from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing will be strongly accelerated by said machine design.