Asian University (Asia University, Taiwan) Asian University invited Professor Cai Zhikai of Nanyang Technological University of Singapore to give a speech titled "The Past, Present and Future of 3D Printing"; Professor Cai Zhikai pointed out that the future development of 3D printing includes easy to use, system The establishment of standards, continuous improvement of the speed of manufacturing (printing) and the quality of prototype products, the ease of subsequent processing of prototype products, the improvement of material properties, a wider range of applications, the price reduction of 3D printers and consumables, and the ability to manufacture products in large quantities And other important trends.

President of the University of Asia Cai Jinfa introduced that Professor Caizhi Cai of Nanyang Technological University is currently the world's most published scholar on 3D printing. The 3D Printing Center of Nanyang Technological University is currently the world's leading 3D printing center. First, the center currently has 49 full-time teachers and 31 full-time researchers. The annual research funding is about SGD 150 million (equivalent to NT $ 3.333 billion), and it is engaged in various 3D printing. Applications, including aerospace industry, medical equipment, electronics industry and other fields, the center also cooperates with many multinational companies such as BOSCH and UL.

Professor Caizhi Kai said that in the past, the use of 3D printing was to be able to quickly produce prototypes and quickly produce prototypes, which is one of the keys to obtaining orders in shopping malls. In the past, some equipment can also achieve the purpose of rapidly manufacturing prototypes. For example, rapid prototyping machines, CNC machines, etc., but 3D printing belongs to additive manufacturing. Some products that were difficult to manufacture in the past can be quickly manufactured by 3D printing technology, which not only saves materials, but also produces objects The quality will be very close to the final product. Therefore, product designers using 3D printing manufacturing can be less restricted in product design, reduce material waste, and reduce manufacturing costs.

Professor Caizhi Kai mentioned that the current 3D printing technology mainly focuses on the development and application of 7 laminated manufacturing technologies, including Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) and Material Extrusion (ME) ), Vat Photopolymerization (VP), Binder Jetting, Directed Energy Deposition, Sheet Lamination (also known as layered solid manufacturing) Laminated Object Manufacturing; LOM, Material Jetting, etc. Among them, the previous 4 are currently the most mature and widely used technologies on the market.

Talking about the future prospects of 3D printing technology, Professor Cai gave an example. Currently, the latest 3D printing technology used by Boeing Company uses magnetic levitation technology to allow the ability of objects to be printed to be magnetically suspended in the air. 3D printers are manufactured. Objects can be changed in position and angle at any time by the control of electromagnetic fields. This will be very helpful for some difficult-to-manufacture objects.

President Cai Jinfa presented a gift to Professor Cai Zhikai, and Professor Cai Zhikai gave back the latest published 3D printed books and the fine arts produced by 3D printers at the 3D Printing Center of Nanyang Technological University. There can be further substantial cooperation in the field of 3D printing.