The Potential for “Stick-on” 3D Printing

“Stick-on” 3D printing involves joining different 3D-printed components into a single assembly. This is a growing but still niche trend that remains largely unexplored. A significant challenge is that examples of stick-on applications tend to be internal, focused on individual parts, and often limited to one-off solutions tailored for specific practitioners. There has yet to be a widely discussed, successful business case in this area, leading to its perception as more of a curiosity than a standard practice.

While combinations of 3D printing with CNC and other conventional technologies are common, the practice of combining parts from different 3D printing processes remains surprisingly rare.

What is Happening

Outside of research papers, some practical applications of combining 3D printing processes are emerging. In the wire harness automation sector, companies like Q5D are integrating multiple 3D printing processes within a single cell to produce polymer components and traces, streamlining the traditionally complex wiring process by combining various toolheads into one unit. Similarly, Florida-based firm nScrypt has pioneered the “factory-in-a-tool” approach, enabling their deposition, micro-dispensing, and print heads to create circuits, antennas, polymers, solder, electronics, and more, while also offering CNC capabilities for post-processing parts. Such integrated approaches are more common in specialized fields like bioprinting, nano printing, and microprinting.

There has been notable exploration of combining directed energy deposition (DED) with powder bed fusion (PBF) prints. In such cases, the DED component serves as a cost-effective way to provide the bulk or size of the object, while a more precise tool or joint is added using PBF at the edge of the DED part. This combination allows for the creation of accurate and functional joints.

In construction 3D printing, DED has been paired with concrete printing to create reinforced structures. Similarly, fiber printing has been combined with foams, aerogels, and other construction materials to enhance structural integrity. Combining fused deposition modeling (FDM) with inkjet printing has been explored, particularly through companies like Rize. Additionally, inkjet has been used on powder bed polymer parts to achieve functional or aesthetic enhancements. While FDM printers have featured multi-toolhead designs for some time, these designs have often lacked optimization for specific applications.

Categories

The development of integrated 3D printing processes can be categorized into several emerging approaches:

• Multihead: A printer equipped with multiple interchangeable heads, allowing the combination of various additive technologies within one, potentially controlled, atmosphere. This could enable efficient, versatile production but might introduce unnecessary complexity for simpler tasks.
• Combination Technologies: Printers that integrate two or more specific additive technologies into a single machine. This targeted combination enhances the flexibility and functionality of the printer.
• Cell: A dedicated production cell combining technologies like LPBF, milling, and DED for manufacturing a particular component or family of components. For instance, such a cell might continuously produce intermetallic turbine blades.
• Side by Side: Different components of a tool or product are 3D printed using separate technologies, such as printing the functional tool in metal LBPF while creating its packaging in FDM or SLA. The custom parts are later assembled into a complete unit.
• Print On: A sequential process where parts from different printers and technologies are combined in discrete steps, often with post-processing between steps. For example, an LPBF polymer part may provide the base structure and detail, while conductive traces are added later using a deposition head.

In each of these categories, there are clear opportunities for highly optimized solutions tailored to specific manufacturing needs. For instance, combining FDM and inkjet printing to produce millions of electronic housings represents a specialized approach that could dominate a particular production run. Such tools are likely to be designed exclusively for these purposes and consumed during the process.

This trend hints at the potential for large-scale adoption of these hybrid approaches. To date, much of the focus in 3D printing has been on producing entire parts or creating a fully additive product, like printing the entirety of an iPhone. However, the real transformative opportunity may lie in strategically printing specific components, such as a section of a circuit board or an antenna. But, if I just print a part of a board and the antenna maybe I can make millions of iPhones thinner with better reception, this would have impact on Apple and in so doing the world.

Print On Stick On

The Print On Stick On category holds significant potential for innovation in manufacturing by leveraging the strengths of multiple technologies in tandem. For example, in creating a facade element, the central structural bracket could be produced using cost-effective DED, while LPBF is used to add fine, custom directional features, enhancing the overall functionality and aesthetic. Similarly, ten versions of a facade element could be produced economically using binder jet technology, with customized locator components added via LPBF. This approach combines the low-cost scalability of binder jet with the precise customization of LPBF.

In applications like bicycles, standard lugs could be produced using Cold Metal Fusion, while “half lugs” tailored for unique edge cases could be seamlessly combined with custom LPBF components. This method balances mass production with tailored functionality, avoiding the inefficiencies of designing every part as unique. Bycombining technologies at where they are best we can eke out new value for ourselves and our customers.