3D revolution under way in Bay industries

Andrew Palmer with a 3D printed surfboard fin. Photo / George Novak

3D printing is beginning to move into the manufacturing mainstream.

And Tauranga companies are at the cutting edge of a digital revolution that could see traditional production lines eventually facing the same disruptive challenges as the music, publishing and media industries, says Locus Research managing director Tim Allan.

"All the industries that have tried to fight digital have been pounded," said Mr Allan, whose company specialises in industrial design and research.

3D technology uses various processes to lay down successive, additive layers of materials based on computer-aided designs, and allows for an almost infinite variety of shapes and geometries.

Mr Allan said the technology allowed designers and manufacturers to continue evolving an industrial product without the traditional costs and restraints involved in injection moulded production, which involves an expensive tool-making process to set up production of a new part or product.

"The other thing is that it opens up the design envelope - you can design parts that for arguments sake could not be tooled," he said. "And philosophically, the idea that you can design something that can be printed in another country and shipped directly to the customer there is pretty attractive. It removes all of the geographic constraints."

At this stage the technology was economic for production runs of up to 20,000 units, he said.

Andrew Palmer runs one of the local companies that is increasingly moving into small 3D production runs. In 2012, he set up Palmer Design and Manufacture, which has six high-end 3D printers that can utilise materials including ABS plastic and polycarbonates. Mr Palmer's core business is redesigning and printing parts for mass manufacture for the agricultural, horticultural and electrical industries.

"We do a lot of prototyping, but most of our business is production work," said Mr Palmer.

"The advantage of 3D is the flexibility. Companies can be selling a product as they're still developing it.

"I've had situations where the design has changed 11 times in two weeks. Whereas if it was the old toolmaking process, it would have cost an arm and a leg."

Warwick Downing, managing director of the Titanium Industry Development Association and its commercial arm Rapid Advanced Manufacturing, which has pioneered cutting-edge metals 3D printing in New Zealand, said 75 per cent of the operation's output was now production as opposed to prototyping.

The company produces firearm suppressors for Oceania Defence and has now ramped up production of its Team NZ titanium boat knives and produces a range of orthopaedic tools amongst other products.

"We're doing more and more production and it's growing quite quickly," he said.

"But 3D printing is a lot more complex than standard manufacturing technologies, and needs a lot of understanding of materials science and engineering design."

Said Locus Research's Tim Allan: "It's just a matter of time. I think 3D's a real opportunity, but it's going to be pretty disruptive, as digital has been for books, and music and general media."