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Industry Applications | Atometrics Enables 3D Printing: Redefining the Future of Manufacturing

2023-11-16

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3D printing, also known as "additive manufacturing", "three-dimensional printing" and "additive manufacturing", is one of the rapid prototyping technologies, and is an advanced technology for manufacturing objects by printing layer by layer. technology. With the continuous development and innovation of science and technology, 3D printing technology has become an important tool in modern manufacturing. So, what role does precision measurement technology play in the field of 3D printing?







一、Principles of 3D printing



The principle of 3D printing is very simple, it is based on a digital model file and uses bondable materials such as plastic, non-metallic or metal in powder form to create objects through a layer-by-layer printing method. This layer-by-layer printing method allows 3D printing technology to enable the fabrication of complex shapes and structures, whereas traditional manufacturing methods struggle to achieve the same results. With 3D printing, we can print a wide variety of product objects, including parts, models, prototypes, medical devices, aerospace structural components, and more. This technology has been widely used in automotive manufacturing, aerospace, biomedical, art and design, and other fields.




二、Opportunities for the development of 3D printing technology


1、Material innovation:：

With the continuous research and development and improvement of materials, there are more and more types of materials that can be used in 3D printing technology. In addition to the traditional plastic, metal and ceramic materials, there are also new materials such as biomaterials and composites, which provide more choices for various industries.

2、Industrial manufacturing:

With the continuous progress of technology and cost reduction, the application of 3D printing technology in industrial manufacturing will become more and more widespread. 3D printing technology can improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and can realize more complex product design and manufacturing.

3、Biomedical:

3D printing technology has a broad application prospect in the medical and health fields. Through 3D printing technology, doctors can make personalized medical devices, prostheses, and biomaterials for patients, etc., which can reduce the cost of treatment, improve the treatment effect and the quality of life of patients.

4、Military Aerospace:

3D printing technology in the military and aerospace fields have good application scenarios, such as the manufacture of some aerospace structural parts that require weight reduction, the manufacture of the adiabatic base plate of the Shenzhou spacecraft, and the 3D printing of vehicles for restoration work at the battlefield site, and so on.

5、Personalization:

Modern society focuses on personalization and differentiation, and 3D printing technology can well meet the demand for personalized customization. Whether it is personal consumer products or industrial products, 3D printing technology can be customized production according to individual needs, providing more personalized products and services.


三、Demand for precision testing in the field of 3D printing


Prior to 3D printing, the dimensions and 3D morphology of the original design model need to be measured in order to subsequently verify that the product meets the performance and quality requirements. This can be done by using an optical scanner, such as the 3D Line Laser Measuring Instrument AR series, to measure the 3D data of the model for subsequent 3D printing operations.

In the 3D printing process, sometimes real-time monitoring of product size changes and shape deviation, sometimes also need to monitor the height of the material and printing platform displacement distance, etc., at this time can be displacement sensors, such as spectral confocal displacement sensors AP series, etc., integrated into the 3D printing equipment, so as to obtain real-time information on the size of the printed product or raw materials and the displacement distance of the platform, to detect whether or not the deviation occurs. If deviation occurs, you can calibrate and adjust the printing parameters in a timely manner to ensure that the printed object size, shape and other parameters in line with the expected goals.
After the completion of 3D printing, it is necessary to detect whether the size, shape, surface roughness, flatness and other parameters of the printed product meet the design requirements and quality requirements, at this time, it is possible to use piezoelectric ceramic-driven white-light interferometer, surface roughness and microscopic three-dimensional morphology of the product to carry out precision measurements, to ensure that the quality of the product meets the requirements.
The following are examples of Atometrics precision measuring instruments and sensors used in the 3D printing field.

（1） Atometrics 3D Line Laser Measuring Instrument AR-7000 series inspecting 3D printed plastic cube samples:

        Because the 3D printing principle is to print layer by layer to build up the material to manufacture the object, it will produce a certain amount of line marks, and this product has a specific requirement for flatness, so it is necessary to carry out three-dimensional morphology analysis and flatness measurement of line marks on the plastic cube samples.



Flatness = 154.364μm


（2）Atometrics Spectral Confocal Displacement Sensor AP-5000 Series with Liquid 3D Printer (SLA process):

The SLA process, as an advanced additive manufacturing process, is mainly used in the prototyping stage to provide proof of principle for product development. The liquid 3D printing process involves laying down the material layer by layer, finishing one layer with a laser to de-cure the photosensitive layup, and then moving on to the next layer. After each layer is printed, the printing platform will move downward to make room for later printing.

       Since laser curing is extremely sensitive to the distance from the laser to the surface of the object, the height of each spread needs to be controlled during the printing process, and the spectral confocal displacement sensor AP series can be integrated into the 3D printing equipment to monitor the height of the liquid spread.




（3）Atometrics White Light Interferometer AM-7000 series detects 3D printed aspheric lenses:

    Compared to traditional lens manufacturing, 3D printing technology enables the design and manufacture of complex shapes, which means that aspheric lenses can better meet specific optical needs. It also allows for personalization and can be custom manufactured according to specific needs and requirements, whereas traditional lens manufacturing often requires mass production, so 3D printing for aspheric lenses offers greater flexibility and efficiency than traditional lens manufacturing.


Surface roughness and radius of curvature measurements of 3D printed aspheric lenses


（4）Atometrics White Light Interferometer AM-7000 series inspecting 3D printed metal samples:

Surface Roughness Measurement of 3D Printed Metal Prototypes

Atometrics White Light Interferometer AM-7000 series has sub-nanometer accuracy.
Maximum RMS repeatability up to 0.002nm with large range piezo-ceramic devices and maximum scanning speed of 400μm/sec.
3200Hz plus the industry's first SST+GAT algorithm can instantly complete up to 5 million points of cloud acquisition.
White light interferometer is based on the white light interference principle, through the optical interference phase measurement, any magnification can be obtained under the detection accuracy of less than 1nm.

Covering international standard measurement tools commonly used in the market, it analyzes 3D data with high efficiency and ease, and handles applications in a wide range of industries with ease.



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