The need for scientific gear is increasing all through the world. According to one estimate, the global scientific instrument market size is set to grow from a little more than US$28 billion in 2022 to more than US$34 billion in 2028, at a CAGR of 3.2%.
Scientific gears of different types help expedite scientific development by reducing the risk of human error and automating iterative processes. It helps free up time for scientists to ideate on concepts and solutions.
According to Mikael Hagstroem, the Chief Executive Officer of Technology Networks, as much as 70% of a lab worker’s time can go to waste in carrying out administrative tasks, preparation work, finding and cleaning data, or reporting.
Since scientific instruments save a lot of time and ease up a process effectively, it could be frustrating if one does not get access to a specific scientific gear at the right time. But there is hardly any reason to complain these days about such availability.
Additive manufacturing, popularly known as 3D printing, has come to the rescue. How additive manufacturing helps access specific scientific gears is something that we will have an in-depth look at in the coming segments. But, before delving deeper, let us have a quick overview of what additive manufacturing or 3D printing is!
What is Additive Manufacturing?
A relevant explainer on additive manufacturing, published by the MIT Sloan School of Management, defines it as ‘the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing, in which an object is created by cutting away at a solid block of material until the final product is complete.’
Broadly, the additive manufacturing process follows a three-step sequence, which is as follows:
- First, a design is created in the lab. It can be done by using Computer-Aided Design or CAD and similar software. Or one can directly scan an object one wants to print.
- The second step involves the software converting the design, step by step, into a layered framework, which the additive manufacturing or 3D printing machine will follow.
- The final step, which is also the reason why the process is called 3D printing, involves sending the layered framework to a 3-D printer, which then starts creating the object immediately.
Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is compatible with a host of different material types, including polymers, metals, ceramics, foams, gels, biomaterials, and more.
According to Arvind Kalidindi, a materials science and engineering PhD candidate at MIT:
“As long as you find a way to locally join two parts, you can 3-D print it.”
This versatility and almost universal compatibility make 3D printing or additive manufacturing suitable for manufacturing specific scientific gears. We will now look at some such examples below:
3D Printed Portable Mass Spectrometer Components and More
A Mass Spectrometer is a device that can identify chemical substances. Mass spectrometers find their use in diverse application areas, from crime scenes to geological surveys; they serve many purposes.
A group of researchers from MIT has come up with a 3D-printed mass filter that works as the core component of a mass spectrometer. Known as quadrupole, this miniaturized filter is substantially lighter and cheaper than its traditional counterparts. While commercial-grade mass filters, built from heat-resistant glass-ceramic, resin, cost more than US$100,000, these additive manufacturing-derived mass filters cost a few dollars and can be produced in hours.
According to Velasquez-Garcia, principal research scientist in MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories, “There are other miniaturized quadrupole filters, but they are not comparable with professional-grade mass filters. There are a lot of possibilities for this hardware if the size and cost could be smaller without adversely affecting the performance.”
While the example cited above is one of the latest achievements in the field, examples like this have been registered in the field of science and technology R&D before. For instance, McGill University researchers have developed a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic technology that replaces the use of many laboratory instruments and functions as miniature technologies. The chip can be produced in 30 minutes by using 3D printing. Reports suggest that the solution can empower healthcare professionals with the ability to create “tailored solutions for specific needs right at the point of care.”
Another team of MIT researchers used multi-material 3D printing to create self-heating fluidic devices that come with inbuilt heating elements. These are miniature machines that can manipulate fluids and facilitate chemical reactions. Instead of several high-end big machines working simultaneously, this technology is capable of detecting diseases in tiny samples of blood or fluids.
Accessing Scientific Gears from a Remote Location
3D printing scientific and laboratory gears have also helped remove the constraints that come in the form of physical/geographic distance. Earlier, 3D printers required a trained 3D printing operative to be present at the site. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, solutions came up that made remote working possible in the domain of additive manufacturing.
For instance, the MakerBot CloudPrint came up with a solution for engineering teams to work effectively remotely or from disparate locations. Its cloud-based 3D printing platform offers a seamless workflow to teams that have a presence in multiple locations. Engineers working in multiple locations can collaborate effectively with these 3D printers by slicing and preparing their 3D prints directly from a browser.
The device comes with built-in queueing and monitoring capabilities and allows users to add, monitor, and control access to connected MakerBot printers from anywhere. It has a dashboard as well for centralized tracking and monitoring of print progress. The live camera feeds help obtain the latest status updates on print jobs.
Solutions like these and more have made the workflow smooth, seamless, and cost-effective for many scientific equipment manufacturers.
Types of Scientific Gear Manufacturers Who Benefit From Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing
Space research equipment manufacturers are one segment that will benefit significantly from additive manufacturing or 3D printing. Scientific research has shown a way to build 3D-printed laboratory equipment to measure bulk materials in extreme conditions that space exploration projects present researchers with.
In 2022, the Nature Journal mentioned a study where a 3D-printed device was developed to measure the surface tension of nanofluids. The result of measurement was comparable with commercial devices.
The study also investigated the possibilities of using measuring instruments through the material extrusion 3D printing method to measure selected mechanical-physical properties of bulk materials in extreme conditions.
Another type of scientific gear manufacturer that benefits from additive manufacturing or 3D printing belongs to the field of electronics. The precision of laser-based additive manufacturing processes helps create microelectromechanical systems. One can develop intricate components such as accelerometers and gyroscopes in this process.
Education instrument manufacturing is again another field that can leverage additive manufacturing efficiently. There are 3D printers that help students experiment with precision-engineered hardware and industrial-grade materials.
Some common features of these facilities include their ability to work with a variety of source materials in a single platform. They are safe to use and require no or very little personal protective equipment. The additive manufacturing instruments come with in-built software for easy and seamless control and monitoring.
Many companies are making additive manufacturing or 3D Printing easy for a range of industries. We will now look into some such companies.
#1. Markforged
Markforged offers a complete spectrum of additive manufacturing solutions, including industrial 3D printer machines, performance materials like metals, continuous fiber, and composites, and enterprise software that helps make the workflow better.
Markforged has three types of 3D printers, including metal 3D printers, industrial composite 3D printers, and desktop composite 3D printers. The industries that these solutions find use include aerospace, automotive, consumer packaged goods, education and research, electronics manufacturing, energy, federal and defense, industrial equipment, medical, etc.
One of the most popular products to come from Markforged is FX10, the company’s next-generation industrial composite 3D printer. The device comes packed with a vision module and laser micrometer, an advanced material chamber for fast loading and reduced user intervention, a 7” touchscreen, and a heated build chamber that heats up to 60-degree centigrades.
Markforged announced its fourth quarter and full-year 2022 results in March 2023. The company witnessed an increase in revenue by 11% to $29.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from $26.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. The full-year revenue increased 11% to US$101.0 million in 2022 as compared to $91.2 million in 2021. However, the gross profit decreased 4%, to $50.7 million, in 2022 from $52.9 million in 2021.
#2. Hewlett Packard
Another large-scale tech company that is heavily invested in making 3D printing available to all is Hewlett-Packard or HP. HP’s 3D printing solutions find use in a range of industries, including aerospace, consumer goods and electronics, education, healthcare and medical, industrial, manufacturing services, molded fiber, orthotics and prosthetics, transportation and automotive, and more. One among these application areas that require access to specific scientific gear is Education. HP’s multi-jet fusion technology helps build parts and functional prototypes across multiple disciplines within an education/research institution, from engineering to architecture.
HP’s Jet Fusion, 3D printing solutions help both basic and advanced 3D lab research, including those carried out in development labs, additive manufacturing labs, university service bureaus, and hospital/medical 3D labs.
HP reported its Fiscal 2023 full-year and fourth-quarter results on November 21st, 2023. HP Inc. and its subsidiaries (“HP”) registered a net revenue of $53.7 billion, down 15% (down 12% in constant currency) from the prior-year period. The fourth quarter’s net revenue was $13.8 billion, down 6% (down 5% in constant currency) from the prior year.
#3. Formlabs
Formlabs was started by three MIT graduate students in 2011 who started with the mission of building the first 3D printer that could achieve industrial, professional part quality at an affordable price. Since then, the company has emerged to become one of the largest suppliers of professional stereolithography and selective laser sintering 3D printers in the world.
The Formlabs portfolio has a mix of go-to affordable, industrial-quality desktop 3D printers, large format 3D printers, and advanced desktop 3D printers for healthcare. Its printers can work with more than 20 functional resins for prototyping and producing end-use parts. They are also compatible with at least six high-performance industrial-grade materials, including nylon 11, nylon 12, TPU, polypropylene, glass, and carbon-filled nylon composites. The printers are suited to work in ambient conditions, with only PU resins requiring a dry cabinet for humidity control. It also works well in air environments and a nitrogen atmosphere for enhanced material properties and lower refresh rates.
According to reports published in 2021, the company had doubled its valuation to US$2 billion, following a US$150 million funding round led by SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund 2. Before this, the company was valued at over $1 billion when it raised $15 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in August 2018.
Additive Manufacturing: A Game Changer in the Field of Scientific Research
Scientific research requires cutting-edge machines, yet these are high-cost devices that can often go beyond the reach of research institutions and independent researchers. In light of this, 3D printing or additive manufacturing work is a blessing in these cases, as they are easy to develop and low-cost. Moreover, they offer results comparable with commercial devices in their precision, which are much more expensive and typically only afforded by large-scale companies and institutions.
Furthermore, additive manufacturing also solves the challenges posed by logistics. This is crucial because bringing the exact scientific gear at the specific time of requirement can be a costly and time-consuming affair. In this regard, 3D printing helps solve that challenge as well.
Additionally, when considering the physical aspects of scientific equipment, which is often heavy and intricate and not conducive for transportation to difficult places, the benefits become even clearer. As we have already seen in space exploration and geological survey scenarios, carrying portable 3D printers and raw materials to these places is useful in developing the equipment on-site.
Altogether, these factors demonstrate that additive manufacturing opens up a new horizon where accessing scientific gear becomes not only more affordable but also a hassle-free exercise.
Click here for the list of best 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks.
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