3D Printing Technology Will Transform Instrument Manufacturing Mode

Recently, major media have been discussing “3D printing technology” and the first 3D printing experience hall in Beijing has also been officially completed. This technology, born in the 1980s, is now experiencing a turning point from its infancy to growth. Many people believe that 3D printing technology will subvert the traditional manufacturing model and trigger the third industrial revolution.

The 3D printing technology is a collective name for a series of rapid prototyping technologies such as photocuring and paper lamination. The basic principle is stacking manufacturing. The principle of operation is basically the same as that of ordinary printers. Printers contain "printing materials" such as liquids or powders. After being connected to a computer, the "printed materials" are superimposed on top of each other through computer control, and finally the blueprint on the computer is converted into a physical object.

It is reported that the application of 3D printing technology has infiltrated into many industries such as biomedical, aerospace, automotive, and industrial design. What benefits will the 3D printing technology bring to instrument manufacturing? Will it "subvert" the current instrument manufacturing model? At present, whether domestic equipment manufacturers have used this technology?

Professor Yafeng Guan of the Dalian Institute of Chemicals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has been engaged in the research and development of instruments for many years, told the author that his research team purchased a 3D printer from the United States in 2011, mainly for the production of spare parts and instrument housings. Talking about the benefits of 3D printers, Guan Yafeng said, “With 3D printers, I can now quickly turn ideas into reality. A spare parts module can be produced in as few as 24 hours, and the development cycle is greatly accelerated. In addition, instrument research and development, some parts because of the small amount of difficulty to find a processing plant, the use of 3D printer can solve this problem."

However, Guan Yafeng also said, "At present, 3D printers are not yet practical for mass production. The cost is too high. The price of the printer itself is relatively high. The mid-end is about $100,000 and the high-end is $200,000. The raw materials also need to be imported. Taking an ordinary spare part of an instrument as an example, if the traditional mold processing cost is 100 yuan, and the cost of the 3D printer is 3,000 yuan, the 3D printer is mainly used in instrument development and prototype production.

Guan Yafeng also told the author, "At present, his group of 3D printers can only produce plastic modules. Wuhan Huazhong University of Technology has developed a 3D printer that can produce metal parts. What he most wants to have is a printer that can make ceramic parts."

At the same time, the author also interviewed a number of domestic equipment manufacturers and learned that the current manufacturers do not use 3D printing technology. Chen Jiangang, general manager of Shanghai Spectral Instrument Co., Ltd., said: “With regard to 3D printing technology, the company plans to purchase a 3D printer in a major instrument development project approved by Shanghai Spectroscopy, but it is still in the early stage of understanding and research.” For the popularity of this technology, he believes that 3D printing technology can only be used for early research and development, and the current instrument manufacturers for the price of 3D printers and raw materials is still not acceptable.