3D Printing and the Mining Industry – The Age of Innovation

A decline in producvity in the mining industry over the past decade means industry leaders have been forced to look into an overhaul of exisng processes as tradional methods are found wanng in terms of efficiency and cost. Use of technology is one proposed soluon, but it will be innovaon that will make a marked difference in streamlining the mining industry. With 3D prinng (3DP) at the forefront of tech development, it is somewhat unsurprising that proposed usages of 3DP seem set to revoluonise supply chain operaons in the mining industry

WHAT IS 3DP?

3DP is an addive process whereby layers of raw materials are successively laid down to create a tangible object from a digital model. A digital image is looked at as thousands of layers, which are then recreated by printers. In the last decade, 3DP has grown enormously and is now ulised in the medical, automove, and aerospace industries to name a few. Rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing have won the minds of industry and, with numerous projected advantages, stand to change the face of producon as we know it. If 3DP evolves as ancipated, its potenal will be rather unrestricted in terms of materials used, scale, strength, and advancement of design.

Out With The Old

As it stands, the mining industry is a sector plagued by the demands of high outputs and efficiency weighed against the high cost of downme and the conngencies made for same. These conngencies include the high cost of material inputs, excess inventory and associated warehousing and storage costs onsite, or logiscal costs of urgently transporng parts when operaons have come to a standsll.

Mining operaons rely heavily on original equipment manufacturers to produce precision-engineered parts. This, oen at great cost. It is against this backdrop that industry leaders are tasked with finding soluons that will have the praccal effect of reducing costs, opmising extracon of products, and eliminang unnecessary me barriers to the effecve running of operaons.

IN WITH THE NEW: HOW CAN 3DP MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

As with all evolving technologies, 3DP will have to prove it can produce high quality and precision-manufactured items out of mulple materials in order to withstand the rigorous demands of the mining industry. This will also have to be done in situ in some remote and unforgiving environments if 3DP is to be chosen over tradional manufacturing –something technology observers believe to be aainable in the next five to ten years. However, proposed adaptaons of 3DP in the mining industry claim to counteract the problems associated with tradional manufacturing methods.

“Mining operators should not put off experimenng with various applicaons of 3DP in their facilies. Developing knowledge and skills, and tesng the impact these technologies can have on their current operaonal strategies, will certainly stand them in good stead in the future.” says David