How Metal 3D Printing Is Now Delivering on Years of Hype [Q&A]

In 2016, 3DEO was founded with the goal of designing a prototype printer for mass production, and the company has steadily raised its profile in the metal 3D printing market. Most recently, 3DEO launched its newest stainless steel material for high-volume printing.

We recently sat down with Matt Sand, president of 3DEO, to discuss his company’s 316L launch, recent developments with metal 3D printing, and how manufacturers are continuing to embrace the technology.

Ben Munson (BM): How would you describe the current state of the high-volume metal 3D printing industry?

Matt Sand (MS): It is an exciting time in metal 3D printing right now. We are seeing a lot of new growth and activity in the industry, both in technology advancements and in core services offered to consumers, including printer sales as well as 3D printing as a service (3DPaaS). After a lot of hype over the years, printers are proving to be able to deliver end-use products that are competitive with and exceed those produced with traditional manufacturing methods.

3DEO, for example, is competing head-to-head on cost and quality with traditional manufacturing, but through its end-to-end service offerings, the company is able to unlock new design potential to mitigate risks and challenges that their customers face along the product development journey. 3DEO has design wins in the aerospace, medical, and industrial industries, and adoption of the technology is happening in a big way right now. 3D printing is one of the number one trends of manufacturing in 2023, with the ability to onshore production pushing it even higher on the priority list.

In the printer-sales space, Velo3D is a great example of a new metal 3D printing technology company that is breaking new ground with support-free prints. Now is the time to watch the industry, as I think we’re just seeing the beginning of what should be an exciting ramp for advanced technologies in the coming years.

BM: Last year, the Navy began installing metal 3D printers on some of its ships. Will we see more applications like this in the future?

MS: Applications in which 3D printing is a good fit are endless, especially as more materials become widely available in the advanced technology sector. In many instances, you run into fewer design limitations and tradeoffs to consider, depending on the part or the assembly.

For this example, in particular, marine applications are a great fit for metal 3D printing, especially in remote locations like in the middle of the ocean.

BM: 3DEO recently launched its new 316L austenitic stainless steel. Can you elaborate on the benefits, time-savings, and cost-efficiencies this new material could provide across various industries?

MS: 316L is commonly used in applications such as laboratory equipment, impellers and pumps, engine parts, food processing equipment, jewelry, kitchen appliances, surgical instruments, marine, chemical and petrochemical processing, and more.

Because of 316L’s biocompatibility, ductility, and high corrosion resistance, it is a preferred choice of material for applications that will endure harsh environments. By having this material available in a process like 3DEO’s Intelligent Layering, engineers are able to take advantage of the added benefits of producing components with 3D printing — design flexibility and geometric freedom, rapid prototyping and unlimited iterations, and prints that produce near-net to net-shape parts.

BM: Companies like 3DEO deal with machines that can handle both prototyping and longer-run productions. Is this something manufacturers are embracing as a means of avoiding design changes and requalifications?

MS: What’s unique about 3DEO is that the company does not sell printers. Instead, it helps with design and production needs as a service, using our proprietary technology. Regarding design, we have a crackerjack applications engineering team that can help with all aspects of early-stage product ideation as it relates to metal 3D printing. Regarding production parts, 3DEO supplies any quantity of parts, from initial prototype for new products through to high-volume production of thousands of parts per month.

One of the major challenges of product development teams moving to scale is their prototype falling apart once it moves to manufacturing. Our model accounts for this because we’re designing for AM — our process — at the earliest stages of product development and innovation, always with the outcome of high-volume production in mind.