Going completely support-free is the white whale of additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Reducing the size and number of supports for 3D printing projects can have significant implications to the cost, environmental impact and efficiency of your operations.
Not needing to remove supports during post-processing can save time and cost. Avoiding support structures also reduces waste, with only a minimal amount of material removed after the build is complete.
It isn’t a straightforward process, though. The challenge comes with determining how to achieve this without compromising the build. Supports are pivotal to the part’s integrity, providing structural rigidity, heat dissipation and preventing the part from deforming.
Finding ways to overcome each of these individual threats to a build’s success is one thing, but a solution that accounts for all of them requires a great deal of experimentation and experience. We have worked on many bespoke projects where we’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s believed to be possible to come up with creative AM solutions. These specialist projects and the solutions our teams devised have brought us closer than ever to achieving support-free 3D metal printing.
In this whitepaper, Additive Minds team manager Davy Orye and his team have taken the findings of various closed impeller projects to bring you a comprehensive overview of what’s possible if you want to significantly reduce supports in your builds.
Download the whitepaper now to discover how changing the approach to part design, print orientation and method can impact the effectiveness of printing with fewer or no supports.
DOWNLOAD THE WHITEPAPER
