Plastics In Manufacturing – Recent Trends

Research and innovation is driving the plastics industry, finding new applications, replacing conventional materials in a win-win situation.

The use of plastics is growing exponentially in all spheres of life, not just in consumer products but also in the field of energy and transportation as the quest of better, cheaper and lighter materials continues unabated. Plastics play an important role in many forms of additive manufacturing (AM), now more commonly known generative manufacturing or 3D printing. Hardly any technology is currently attracting so much attention as additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing processes are causing a stir among users in the design and packaging, aerospace and automotive industries as well as in the fields of dental and medical technology and machines and plant engineering. The processes promise great freedom of design and allow individual components to be manufactured with highly complex geometries and internal structures. While there is a growing awareness of the opportunities presented by the direct additive manufacturing of plastic parts with thermoplastics, these technologies have matured to such an extent that they are now sometimes being used to complement or even replace conventional production processes, particularly in view of increasingly fast-changing consumer tastes and trends as well as in view of the new challenges that the industry is facing in regard to the individualisation of plastic products.

Recently, EOS, the global technology and quality leader for high-end additive manufacturing solutions, presented an extensive range of AM solutions for all fields of application from rapid prototyping to large-scale production at K 2016 Fair in Dusseldorf.