Subtractive? Additive? Cosine.
Hybrid manufacturing is a manufacturing process that combines traditional CNC machining with 3D printing techniques to create a single production process. In hybrid manufacturing, a 3D printer is used to create a rough version of a part, which is then machined to its final form using CNC equipment. This allows for the production of parts with both high dimensional accuracy and high surface finish quality, as well as the ability to create complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. It offers a cost-effective solution for the production of customized parts in small quantities, as it does not require the use of expensive tooling.
When trying to make large objects, a hybrid manufacturing industrial 3D printer that uses both a pellet extruder and a milling spindle offers several benefits:
Increased Speed and Efficiency: By combining additive and subtractive manufacturing, it enables to manufacture large objects faster and more efficiently. The 3D printer can create the overall shape and structure of the object, while the milling spindle can be used to quickly remove material and create precise details.
Reduced Costs: With the ability to 3D print and then subtract material, this process can reduce the overall cost of manufacturing large objects by minimizing material waste and reducing the need for multiple machines.
Greater Precision and Detail: By using the precise control of the milling spindle, it can create features that are difficult or impossible to achieve through 3D printing alone such as threads or precise dimensional tolerances, that are required for the object.
Versatility: With a combination of both additive and subtractive manufacturing capabilities, this type of industrial 3D printer offers a wide range of possibilities for creating complex and highly detailed parts and products. It allows for a greater range of material options, and production of parts that are both functional and aesthetic.
It allows for a more flexible design process, where it is possible to print and test certain sections of the object, then use the milling spindle to adjust and make changes as necessary, before continuing with the 3D printing process, it allows to make iteration faster, and make adjustments more easily
Overall, the use of a hybrid manufacturing industrial 3D printer that uses both a pellet extruder and a milling spindle offers a more efficient, cost-effective, precise, and versatile manufacturing process for creating large objects
Some of the unexpected elements of successfully creating a hybrid manufacturing produced parts is not only designing the final parts, but also creating the shape of the parts that need to be machine. Some of the current limitations of this specialized program is that it will not automatically recognize hole features and will print the part with the holes. So the solution was to design the parts without the hole features and create “pins” that fit the dimensions of the hole and use those “pins” to generate the tool pathing for the milling spindle.
