F rom racing cars to life-changing medical operations, 3D printing is opening up opportunities for businesses to be more creative – and saving them time and money in the process.

Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, has been in existence since the 1980s, but modern technological advancements in printers and materials have recently created a boom in the number of businesses using it. The 3D printing industry is expected to be worth $21bn by 2020, but how are businesses using it and why? We spoke to SMEs from a variety of sectors for their experiences.

Realising possibilities

For Strakka Racing, a British sportscar racing team, using 3D printing has been nothing but a positive experience. The company used it to ensure that its self-built race car was ready for its 2015 debut at Silverstone. The car, 15pc of which was 3D printed, scored a class podium in the World Endurance Championship.

“We were short on time, so our engineers looked at using 3D printing to speed up the introduction of new parts and minimise budgets spent on tooling,” says Dan Walmsley, team principal. “There was scepticism because some remembered the first 3D-printed parts from a decade ago, and how they turned to powder.” The technology has come a long way since then.

“We started making a few small parts, which were impressively durable, then moved onto bigger, more complex metal and plastic pieces and parts to improve performance,” he says. “In the end, even the dashboard was 3D-printed. We were making pieces trackside.”

The technology is literally shaping the way cars are imagined, designed and developed. “It’s revolutionary. It’s cheaper and faster than traditional manufacturing methods, plus it gives our engineers the chance to be more creative,” says Mr Walmsley. “With cost and time pressures alleviated, they can have an idea for a part, print it, and within a day, try it on the car.”

Lighting up the way

The efficiency-enhancing benefits of 3D printing are also recognised by much smaller businesses in other sectors. Astro Lighting, a global designer and producer of contemporary lighting, uses 3D printers to create models of lighting designs and get an idea of how their products will look and function.

Recently, it invested £1,500 in a new 3D printer so it could make design decisions quicker and improve speed to market. “Previously, we used a very old 3D printer,” says co-founder James Bassant. “It was extremely expensive to run and the results were poor. Before that, we manually created prototypes from scratch.

“Our new printer is very effective and inexpensive. It’s easy to use, has improved flexibility and has added value to the business. It is also very efficient at creating things that would otherwise be quite tricky to make.”

There are downsides to the hands-off approach, however. “The quality isn’t always fantastic, so things can look rough. But as the technology, finishes, speed and raw materials improve, it will be used more widely in the business,” he adds.

A Strakka Racing 3D-printed brake duct Credit: Strakka Racing

New developments

For nearly 40 years, Harvey Water Softeners has designed, manufactured and installed domestic water softeners. Only in the past year has its development process significantly changed, all because of 3D printing. So far, it has invested £60,000 in the technology.

“Before, we used external prototyping bureaus to produce prototypes, which added cost and time to developments,” says managing director Martin Hurworth. “We’re now able to produce parts with more complexity and speed. We can turn concepts into prototype parts overnight and test the ideas the next day, or replace broken parts with ease by reprinting them.”

The printer also has financial and safety benefits. “With a durable printer in-house now, the only additional cost is the small amount of extra material. It gives us a secure supply chain, as one of the biggest challenges to manufacturers is the possibility of sensitive research and development data being leaked when outsourcing 3D printing.”

Martin recognises the technology’s potential. It’s still in its infancy, he says, but it’s already developed to a level where it can give businesses that use it a competitive advantage. “We wanted to be among the first in our industry to use it. Within a decade, we could be 3D-printing finished parts on our production line, especially if the costs keeps falling as they have done to date.”

Precision is key

The most life-changing use of 3D printing has been within the medical industry. One healthcare business adopting the technology is Nuada Medical, which develops 3D-printed models of the prostate gland for cancer patients and surgeons preparing for prostatectomies.

“We needed highly precise models to help us engage with prostate cancer patients when discussing their diagnosis and treatment options,” says marketing and brand director, Clare Delmar. “Robot-assisted surgeons also needed more precise models for planning surgery.”

The company solved both issues by creating 3D models based on 2D imaging from MRI scans, which reveal a highly accurate picture of the size, location and density of cancerous lesions in the prostate.

Unlike in the other sectors discussed here, 3D printing for medical purposes is very costly. “Our biggest challenge has been sourcing cost-effective materials,” says Ms Delmar. “We need transparent and opaque materials to reveal cancerous lesions and glandular vessels, but there aren’t many 3D printers that allow for this combination in a single print. As a result, it’s an expensive form of plastic printing. In time, though, we hope the cost will decrease because 3D printing for medical purposes will be huge.”

Money aside, there are plenty of parallels across the sectors. One important aspect is the position of 3D printing within overall processes. Ms Delmar explains: “3D printing in medicine and healthcare is meaningful, but only in the context of the disease and treatment pathway. Our 3D-printed prostate glands did not occur in isolation, but as an integral part of the focal therapy diagnosis and treatment pathway.”

Similar things can be said for other businesses; 3D printing is not in itself replacing entire systems. Instead, it’s opening up opportunities to be more creative and experimental; to save money; and to develop better end results faster – be that for a person fighting an illness or a car that needs extra propulsion.