Would you have thought that 3D printing could have an effect on the fluid power industry? I didn’t think so until recently. First, my colleague, Paul Heney, returned from an NFPA Annual Conference in San Diego all enthused about a keynote speaker’s presentation on how 3D printing will change fluid power systems. Then, at the recent Additive Manufacturing Users Conference (AMUG), I heard Dr. Lonnie Love of Oak Ridge National Laboratories talk about his research into using different 3D printing materials and 3D printing seals onto some of his 3D printed parts and what a sweet time saver this process is.

So let’s take a closer look. For many, fluid power is a mature technology. But, according to Paul, Alex Chausovsky, Senior Principal Analyst, Industrial Automation, HIS, told industry leaders at the NFPA Annual Conference that change is coming to fluid power, and fast, thanks to additive manufacturing.

As Chausovsky and Love noted in their respective presentations, globally, the manufacturing industry is valued at roughly $1.7 trillion. Machine tools alone represented $100 billion.

While additive manufacturing is not going to replace traditional manufacturing, what if it takes up 1%? 10%? Plug in the numbers and the results are staggering.

But how will additive manufacturing affect fluid power specifically? Chausovsky cited several ways:

• It increases design innovation by creating new structures and shapes; engineers are able to take an idea, create a CAD model and have a part in their hands by the next day. They are then able to see exactly how it fits into the piece of equipment they are building. Imagine the applications in creating valves and manifolds, or seals, for example. The aerospace and some of the automotive racing industries are already using 3D printing to create these items. 3D printing also improves the design process by allowing for new contributions of materials.
• It speeds up time-to-market by making the idea-to-prototype cycle much shorter. Necessary adjustments to prototypes can be made quickly and new prototypes may be printed within hours or days, which truly speeds up the entire design process.
• It reduces development cost and waste by using fewer materials. Plus, it increases personalization of products for customers, without additional cost increases.
• It can reduce assembly time and cost, especially if you can combine different materials for different functions on one part.
• Reverse-engineering of old, outdated parts—think of the remanufacturing market that thrives in fluid power—is possible through digital scanning. The part might be 20 years old and there was never a CAD model for it. Now, engineers can scan it, turn it into a CAD model and then 3D print it and have complete repeatability.

Dr. Love noted several times in his presentation at AMUG that he thought additive manufacturing and fluid power were a natural fit.

It will be interesting to watch how 3D printing affects the fluid power industry, and it will be interesting to see what other industries will be changed by 3d printing technology.

Leslie Langnau
llangnau@wtwhmedia.com