3D Printing For Production (3D4P)

3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) is well known for rapid prototyping, but 3D printing is still not widely used for production applications.  TE Connectivity’s (TE) 3D Printing for Production process (3D4P) employs the latest advances in materials (AM) and technologies to rapidly produce complex parts for aerospace and defense components. For a wide range of products and geometries—from connectors, backshells, clamps, fiber-optic breakouts, and more—3D4P from TE Connectivity provides the advantages of high-mix, lowvolume solution without conventional manufacturing limitations.

As a direct-manufacturing method, AM employs a tool-free method of making objects directly from CAD data. Layers of a selected resin or filament material—including Flame, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST) photopolymers suited to aerospace applications—are bonded together to form complex shapes that can involve deep cavities and tight inside corner radii. For smoothness, resolution can be measured in microns depending on the AM technique employed. High-speed production, post processing, and quality assurance can sometimes be done in one manufacturing cell, further streamlining production. With 3D4P from TE, components can be produced without computer numeric control (CNC) machining, injection molding, or investment casting. Parts and assembly time are minimized. No tools or minimum orders are required. A direct-to-order process, 3D4P helps eliminate inventory and downtime for setup, further shortening lead times. Building on over 30-years’ experience pioneering 3D printing for manufacturing, TE brings a deep understanding of AM technology, resins, and materials to your project. Consult with TE to learn how 3D4P can respond to your needs—from today’s product development to tomorrow’s mass production—to meet your market demands.