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December 23, 2021
2021 marked the beginning of the post-pandemic recovery and the return to productive activities in a new normality. 3D printing proved that it could provide quick and effective solutions to problems, as demonstrated by the manufacture of thousands of COVID protection masks, valves, handmade ventilation systems and supports for plastic sheeting, which in record time met the enormous demand in the face of a logistics chain that was weeks late and a local productive apparatus that was out of stock.
Thanks to this, many more companies are now aware of the advantages of additive manufacturing and its disruptive potential within the production processes and in the logistics chain, where the crisis has pushed managers to look for options to be less dependent on external manufacturing and international transport.
Although 2021 was a year of transition to normality, it left some remarkable milestones:
1. The return of industrial fairs
The return to the presence of massive industry events, such as Rapid+TCT in Chicago and FormNext in Frankfurt where attendance records were broken and companies were eager to show the world their new developments achieved during a year and a half of pandemic, with their R&D and design teams working behind closed doors.
2. The development of materials did not stop
Metal 3D printing continues to develop at a steady pace and although the cost of the equipment still makes it prohibitive for most companies, it is one of the sectors that generates the highest expectations.
The 3D printing of continuous fiber-reinforced materials has seen tremendous growth in terms of number of suppliers, sizes, production volumes and markets.
In FDM, specialty engineering materials such as PEEK, PEI and PSU became a little more accessible to the market thanks to the proliferation of new makes and models of machines with heated chambers and all-metal extrusion systems with hardened nozzles.
3. Standardization advances
Point to note was the initiative of ASTM and ISO during 2021 who pushed hard to start forming the basis for standardization in the industry. ASTM's annual forum was held at FormNext touching on areas such as digitalization, big data and automation.
4. Manufacturing management software
In the service sector, the post-pandemic has redirected to additive manufacturing bureaus new customers looking for more flexibility in their processes. The development of MES (Manufacturing Execution System) systems specifically for 3D printing saw significant growth this year, with the emergence of new players seeking to make the complex workflow in 3D printing bureaus more manageable.
Although 2021 was generally a difficult year, at Trideo we managed to reinvent ourselves and overcome the obstacles to keep the brand intact. It is with great pride that we can cite some of the highlights of the year:
We are expanding in Brazil!
Trideo is already in Sao Paulo, from where we will serve the huge Brazilian industry with our complete portfolio of products and services. From there we aim to continue growing to bring our technology to the rest of the region.
We update the Dual T
In 2021 we are working hard on the validation and fine-tuning of the Dual T, in order to be able to incorporate as standard and from 2022 the PRO extrusion system, with increased extruder torque, extrusion temperatures up to 500C and a hardened steel nozzle that will allow them to handle the latest technical materials on the market.
Strengthening our farm
We incorporated 50% more machines to our Factory Argentina in order to expand our installed capacity and with it the offer of 3D printing services to industries; and we also founded the Factory Brazil with a farm of machines that cover our desktop, industrial and large format range.
- Pellet extruder: We continue to focus on large format machines. This year our R&D department will focus on the development of large machines with pellet extrusion systems, which will allow us to increase the flow of plastic and achieve higher printing speeds that translate into improved productivity.
- Machine-oven: The most advanced technical materials on the market such as PEI, PEEK or PSU require a printing environment with controlled high temperatures, so we have set out to create a machine-oven that has a chamber capable of reaching 200C. A great challenge that will unlock applications in new industries.
