TAINAN, Taiwan — Ever since the birth of 3D printing, it has been viewed as the third industrial revolution. Horng Ji-bin, Center Director at the Additive Manufacturing and Laser Application Center of ITRI Southern Region Campus pointed out that digital manufacturing, mass customization, short product lifecycle, cyber-physical system are hardware megatrends of 3D printing.
Whereas maker space, FabLab, open source, and social manufacturing are software megatrends of it.
Horng Ji-bin illustrated the definition of 3D printing in the first place. “Rapid prototype, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing were definitions of 3D printing. As time goes by, it’s been entered in the era of additive manufacturing (AM). What’s next? Cultural and creative of 3D printing is an unmistakable trend.”
Horng Ji-bin took jewelry printing into account, saying that the more complicated the jewelry, the easier the 3D printing. “Hollowed-out pendant with a very sophisticated decorative pattern on the surface will be an extreme time-consuming artificial work, but it’s much more easier for 3D printer.” In other words, mass customization is the strong point of 3D printing.
Meanwhile, Horng Ji-bin introduced the seven 3D printing technologies that ITRI possessed as follow: Vat Photopolymerization (VP), Material Jetting (MJ), Binder Jetting (BJ), Material Extrusion (ME), Sheet Lamination (SL), Powder Bed Fusion (PBF), and Directed Energy Deposition (DED).
Additionally, Horng Ji-bin said that the service of new product and AM human resource development, new or certified material, and multi-integration of AM process and equipment are major chances for Taiwanese firms.
