The Engineering Projects

What is a 3D Printer? Working, Models, Resins, Software, & Prices

3D Printer is an electronic machine that uses digital data to generate physical 3D models through successive layer printing. A 3D printer can make an object's physical model either scanned by a 3D scanner or designed using a CAD program. 3D Printing is an additive manufacturing technique where successive material layers create a three-dimensional object (Rapid Prototyping). The 3D printing concept is fascinating. Who is not excited about 3D printing? The use of inkjet technology in creating 3D models is a revolutionary method that costs less and saves time by eliminating the designing need for separate model parts. One can use a 3D printer to make a complete model in just a single process.

Several industries use 3D Printers in printing various outputs they need; The industries include footwear, architecture, jewelry, construction and engineering, education, automotive, medical and dental industries, aerospace, and consumer products.

What is a 3D Printer?

• A 3D printer is a computerized machine that allows physical object creation using a three-dimensional digital model (3D); it typically lays down thin material layers in a successive form.
• Three-dimensional printing is an additive manufacturing technique. Thus, it uses digital designs in creating physical objects.
• The process constitutes successively laying down a material's thin layers in powdered plastic or liquid form, cement or metal. Lastly, the layers are fused (Will, 2020).

How a 3D Printer works

According to Woodford (2021), inkjet printers usually spray liquid ink, while a laser printer applies solid powder in its production. Well, a 3D printer does not use any of the two. Instead, it uses plastic in physical object modeling.

• A 3D printer functions by melting a plastic material to a molten state released via a tiny nozzle.
• The nozzle moves accordingly under computer control or automation of the 3D Printer.
• The Printer prints one layer simultaneously; a printed layer has to dry before another is published.
• The end product depends on the Printer and user skills; Mostly, the printed product is usually superb with a 3D model appearance.
• The material used in printing is equally crucial. For example, the plastic material used in the Printer will determine the quality of the object printed.

Advantages of 3D Printer

According to TWI (2021), 3D Printers in production have more benefits than traditional production methods.

Flexible design

• 3D Printers allow the designing and printing of a variety of complex models. 3D Printers have limited restrictions in printing, unlike several traditional processes.

Printing on demand

• 3D Printers require less space in stocking inventory than the traditional processes.
• 3D Printers save costs and a lot of space because printing in bulk is not necessary unless needed.
• The 3D Printer has a virtual library where all the design files are stored.

Rapid Prototyping

• 3D Printers carry out printing very fast; they manufacture many parts within a short time.
• In comparison with machine prototypes, 3D Printers cost less and faster by allowing completion of each design model at a higher speed rate.

Solid and light parts

• Most of the material parts in 3D Printers are plastics and more minor metals.
• Therefore, plastics provide more advantages because they are lighter than metals.
• Industries such as automotive use the lightweight benefit because it gives significant fuel efficiency.
• Also, several parts are made from tailored materials, providing unique properties like higher strength, heat resistance, and water repellency.

Fast design and high production rate

• 3D Printer prints objects in a short time, i.e., an hour, depending on a part's complexity and design.
• In 3D printing, the part's manufacture provides time-saving, and design processes are extremely fast by creating ready CAD or STL files to be printed.

Minimal waste

• The parts’ production process in 3D Printer only needs the materials required for each part, with very minimum material wastage.
• In alternative methods like traditional processes, parts are cut from considerable chunks of materials, especially non-recycled materials.

Cost-effective

• A 3D Printer saves on costs in its operations; partnered with different manufacturing machines.
• The Printer can automatically work on a task if set; it does not need an operator to control its functions.
• Also, the 3D Printers reduce material cost in the manufacturing process since the process only requires the material required.

Ease of access

• A 3D Printer can quickly access more local service providers which offer outsourced services for manufacturing tasks.
• Therefore, it does not require costly transportation, unlike the traditional industrial process.

Environmental friendly

• The technology used in 3D Printers reduces wastage of materials in production processes.
• Also, the 3D Printers benefit the environmental properties like better fuel efficiency than the traditional methods.

Advanced Healthcare

• The 3D Printers are used in hospitals to save lives, especially in surgery sectors. The Printer is used in printing human body organs such as kidneys and livers.

Disadvantages of 3D Printer

No matter how good a 3D Printer may look to have solved the problems of many individuals, it still has drawbacks.

Limited materials

• A 3D Printer is limited in creating items within a selection of metals and plastics; it does not have an exhaustive raw materials selection.
• Not all plastics or metals are temperature controlled to be used in 3D Printers. Furthermore, most of the printable materials are unsafe for food and can not be recycled.

Restricted build size

• A 3D Printer’s print chambers are small. Hence the print chambers restrict the sizes of parts to print.
• Things that are larger than the print chambers are printed in parts separate from the 3D Printer.
• One can join the large and small printed objects after production, but it is much work, costs more, and consumes a lot of work.

Post-processing

• 3D printed parts require clean-up to eliminate supporting materials from the building process and create a smooth surface finishing.

Large Volumes

• The cost of 3D printing is static, unlike conventional methods such as injection molding.
• The 3D printing initial investment is lower than in some manufacturing techniques.
• But, when 3D printing is scaled for mass production of large production volumes, the cost per unit for injection molding reduces more than the 3D Printers.

Part structure

• Certain orientations or stresses can delaminate the layers because of the successive layer production in 3D printing.
• The problem commonly occurs in the production of items using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Also, multijet and polyjet are

3D Printer Models

Three plastic parts 3D Printers are most developed. They include:

• Fused Deposition Modelling 3D Printers (FDM).
• Stereolithography 3D Printers (SLA).
• Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printers (SLS).
• Laser Crystal Display 3D Printers (LCD).
• Digital Laser Printing 3D Printers (DLP).

Stereolithography 3D Printer (SLA)

According to Formlabs (2021), the world's first 3D Printer is stereolithography, invented in the 1980s. Most professionals are still using the SLA technologies in production. The Stereolithography 3D Printer applies the photopolymerization process in its functioning; The process includes using a laser to cure liquid resin into hard plastics.

The Printer is popular because of its production ability of watertight, isotropic, and high-accuracy prototypes or parts. The parts or prototypes have advanced materials range with good quality features and smooth surface finishing. The Stereolithography resin offers vast mechanical, thermal, and optical elements to match the industrial, standard, and engineering thermoplastics properties.

Several industries use stereolithography—for example, dental, engineering, education, modeling, and manufacturing industries.

Stereolithography parts constitute a smooth surface finishing, fewer visible lines, and sharp edges.

Application of stereolithography

• Concept modeling
• Dental application
• Functional Prototyping
• Rapid Prototyping
• Jewelry casting and Prototyping
• Short-run production

Liquid Crystal Display 3D Printer (LCD)

The LCD 3D Printer uses UV LCDs arrays as its light source. The LCD panels produce light that directly shines onto the building area in a parallel fashion. Pixel distortion is not a problem in LCD 3D Printer because its light is not expanded. The printing quality is dependant on the LCD 3D Printer's density; increasing the pixels produces better quality (Leo, 2019).

The LCD 3D Printer has a faster building speed when compared to SLA 3D Printer; it prints parts faster.

Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printer (SLS)

A selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D Printers sinters small polymer powder particles to form a solid structure using a high-power laser. The SLS has unfused powder whose function supports the part when the Printer is printing and removes the need for a dedicated support structure. Hence, the SLS is suitable for complex geometries, including the negative and interior features, thin walls, and undercuts (Formlabs, 2021). The SLS 3D Printer produces parts with superb mechanical characteristics. Furthermore, it has strength that resembles the injection-molded parts' strength.

The SLS’s most common material is nylon. Nylon. Nylon has suitable properties that suit the SLS 3D Printer; the properties of nylon include it is flexible, strong, lightweight, and stable against chemicals, water, impact, UV light, and dirt.

According to Formlabs (2021), The SLS 3D Printer is popular among engineers because it combines high productivity, low cost per part, and established materials. The engineers use it for functional Prototyping. Furthermore, the SLS 3D Printer is cost-effective for bridge manufacturing or limited-run.

The SLS 3D printer parts have faintly rough surface finishing and layer lines that are almost not visible.

Applications of an SLS 3D printer

• End-use parts
• Functional Prototyping
• Custom manufacturing, bridge, or short-run

Fused Deposition Modelling 3D Printer (FDM)

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) also refers to the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Consumers popularly use FDM 3D Printer. The printer functions by releasing thermoplastic filaments like the Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) via a heated nozzle, building a platform through heating the material to melt and applying the plastic on successive layers until completion of the part (Formlabs, 2021).

The FDM 3D printer is the most favorable for simple, low-cost Prototyping and basic proof-of-concept models. Compared to SLS and SLA 3D Printers, FDM 3D Printer has the lowest accuracy and resolution; hence, it is advisable not to use the FDM 3D printers in printing designs that are complex or have intricate features. Mechanical and chemical polishing processes are used in obtaining higher-quality surface finishes. An industrial mitigates challenging issues through soluble support and allows a wide variety of engineering thermoplastics, increasing production costs.

FDM parts show visible lines responsible for creating inaccuracies when handling complex features.

Application of FDM 3D printer

• Simple Prototyping
• Basic proof-of-concept models

3D Printer Resins

A resin refers to a highly viscous substance of synthetic or plant origin typically converted into polymers; generally, the resin is a combination of organic compounds (Liqcreate, 2021). Transparent resin is mainly used in 3D printing in a transparent material. Transparent resin is suitable for 3D printing because of its water-resistant property. Also, the transparent resin is an ideal choice for that requires high quality, smooth finish, and fine surface.

According to Liqcreate (2021), several types of resin are used in 3D Printers basing on their functions or purpose. They include the general-purpose, premium, medical, castable, engineering, and creative purpose resin.

General Purpose resins

• General-purpose resins can perform several functions and are not specifically for one task.
• The resin is ideal for a wide range of purposes in Prototyping, consumer applications, and entertainment.
• The resins have the best quality performance and costs in the market and are easy to use.

Premium resin

• Premium resins have perfect quality in LCD 3D Printers, no discoloration, and high opacity.
• The premium resin range comprises flexible and rigid resin for functional objects.
• The premium resins are suitable for in-office printing because they do not release any unpleasant odor.

Medical resins

• Each medical application has unique resin requirements—for example, dental applications or products concerning skin contact.
• Therefore, every medical operation will require a different special resin depending on the type of medical operation.

Castable resins

• Castable resin is the best in jewelry manufacturing, industrial, and dental parts.
• Castable resin is a wax-based material with a reliable casting process.
• Also, it uses a clean burnout to crisp details and provides a smooth surface finish.
• A castable resin can create custom elegant organic geometries.

Engineering resins

• The engineering resins are suitable for applications that need specific mechanical assets.
• The engineering category of resins comprises advanced photopolymers for professionals who expect tough, extreme impact resistance, and tough.

Creative resins

• The creative resin creates the 4^th dimension when used in 3D printers.
• One has beautiful options when selecting the resins.
• The creative resins add feel, scent, sound, or glow to a 3D Printer.

Software for 3D Printing

In the past, people used a lot of resources to study Software about modeling software. Some software is easy to use, and some are free to access. Some software use solid modeling whereby they produce manifold models. While other Software is watertight, a manifold model refers to a model with some thickness in all of its walls (Strikwerda, 2021). Softwares that use polygon modeling create walls with zero thickenings; such walls are suitable for creating graphics for movies and games contrasting with 3D printing. The polygon modeling software makes the manifold models, but it would need a lengthy procedure and more experience. The Software listed in the article generates 3D printable models. Some of the Software is easy to use. At the same time, others are more suitable for professionals rather than for amateurs.

Trinkercad

According to Strikwerda (2021), Trinkercad software is a browser-based app and freely available to all users, and it applies solid modeling in its work. The creation of the Software targets beginners. Trinkercard software is unique because it introduces solid modeling and allows any person to make 3D printable modeling.

The Software applies the block-building concept. Therefore, it allows one to create models from a variety of basic shapes. The Software also provides aid to beginners through its guides and tutorials. Furthermore, the Software has the advantage of exporting or sharing with ease.

Trinkercad has an extensive library that constitutes millions of files that give the users several distinct options for finding the best shapes that will suit their problem requirements best. The Software allows the user to print and have the product instantly at your location through direct integration with other printing services. It is the best platform to learn about 3D modeling and printing.

Blender

According to Strikwerda (2021), Blender software is freely accessible to its users. The Software is not a solid model; it is open-source, rich in features, and constitutes animation, rendering, sculpting, video editing, simulation, and motion tracking. Also, the Software is very friendly since both advanced users and amateurs can use it.

The Blender Software constitutes many 3D creation facets, including simulation, animation, and modeling, e.t.c. The software suits individuals who are ready for transitioning from learning to designing complex 3D models.

One of Blender's exciting features is the photorealistic rendering feature. The feature creates models to reality; only a few free software can have such a feature.

BRL-CAD

According to Strikwerda (2021), the BRL-CAD Software is a type of Open-source Software. Also, it is an advanced solid model system comprising interactive geometry editing. The U.S military uses the BRL-CAD Software in modeling weapons and related systems. This shows the Software is very advanced and quite dependable. The Software serves its users with a precision of high level by using specific coordinates in arranging the geometric shapes.

The Software provides complex and simple shapes to its users to make their designs, having an extensive library of files. The Software allows combining multiple different forms to generate the desired model. BRL-CAD Software performs its tasks fast due to its dense features. Furthermore, it is free and available for access to all users.

Wings3D

According to Strikwerda (2021), Wings3D is an open-source software type; polygon modeling tool and has a broad range of selection and mesh tools regardless of its freeware. The Software is user-friendly, with beginners as the primary target; it has a steady learning curve. Its features, such as the easy-to-use interface and customizable hotkeys, indicate the designing or printing status; hence, the Software suits the starters.

The Software has no shortage of valuable or essential features like the inset or plane cut; thus, it can create impressive models. Moreover, the Software supports a vast range of both import or export file formats.

Modo

According to Strikwerda (2021), Modo 3D Printer software creates a creative 3D polygon modeling tool. Also, it can provide a subdivided surface designing tool that has more flexibilities for creating both the precision meshes and freeform organic designs through the use of the same Software. The Software is strictly used by professionals or advanced 3D printing users. The Software is not user-friendly, and it is costly to operate.

Modo has a wide variety of features and runs its processes smoothly. It has a very high speed in production and modeling. The Software allows extensions of partnering with other Software in production activities.

Price of a 3D Printer

The price of a 3D printer varies based on the type of printer and the needs of the user. If you rank all of the many 3D printers on the market, you'll come up with a price of $400. However, as of April 2021, the price has dropped to $ 200-$500, with some being quite pricey at $ 1500. Professional 3D printers and enthusiast 3D printers, for example, range in price from $ 1,500 to $6,000, depending on the printing capability. Finally, industrial 3D printers are expensive to buy and operate, ranging from $20,000 to $100,000.

So, that was all for today. I hope you have enjoyed today's lecture. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments. Take care.

What is 3D Printing? Definition, Technology and Applications

Hello students, I hope this tutorial finds you happy, healthy, and content. The topic we have at hand today is "3D printing", it is a very interesting and versatile topic, and extremely easy to comprehend as well, it would definitely keep you hooked to your screens. You might have heard a lot about 2D and 3D objects, in this digital era almost everyone has at least once heard of it, do you know what is a 3D object?

A 3D object can be defined as,

"An object or structure that has three dimensions which includes width, length, and height."

Definition of 3D Printing

As you are now familiar with the term 3D we shall proceed further with our actual topic, so

Here we have the most commonly asked question of all, what is 3D printing?

3D printing can be defined as;

• "Structuring a three-dimensional object in its physical configuration from its digital form"

3D printing and Additive Manufacturing

3D printing is also known as additive manufacturing due to the process of layering it involves. Both terms are used synonymously, digital printing is another term used for this purpose which you might have heard as well.

What is Additive manufacturing?

• Additive manufacturing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which was used widely in the past involving gradual removal of layers from a solid block of any material either be wood or metal to form a 3D object.
• Additive manufacturing as the name indicates is the layer by layer deposition of a specific material to form a 3D shape or structure.
• This technique can be employed in powders be it glass, ceramic, metal and resins in liquid form.

• Complex shapes and design elements can be easily cured on the materials using additive manufacturing techniques.
• There is almost zero wastage of the raw material in the additive manufacturing process.
• A narrow range of materials can be employed for the process which has relatively low melting points.

History and Origin:

In order to understand a complex process, it is extremely important to be well aware of its roots, as humans evolved so did their technology, 3D printing also evolved in its today's form with time. Here is a quick trip to the past of 3D printing;

• Murray Leinster unknowingly presented the idea of 3D printing in his shorty story Things Pass By, in 1945.
• In 1971, a continuous inkjet metal printer that could produce multiple prints on-demand by melting the metal, again and again, laid the foundation of 3D printing but still the term 3D printing was not coined at all.
• Ariadne a column by David E. H. Jones in 1974 introduced the concept of 3D printing by its name, finally!
• In the 1980s many scientists worked on 3D printing some of them failed miserably on the hands of low budget and lack of support, some of them materialized their 3D printing dreams.
• The popularly introduced and used technologies for 3D printing by then were Stereolithography, Ultraviolet lasers, and Photopolymerization.
• The first-ever 3D commercial printer was SLA-1 launched in the market by 3D Systems Corporation in 1988.
• By 1999, 3D printing was not a new concept in the commercial market, within the initial years it was very expensive to buy a 3D printer but later due to increased demands the prices dropped a bit.
• By 1993 inkjet 3D printing started known as the dot-on-dot technique, introduced by Solidscape industries.
• In the first two decades of the 2000s, 3D printing experienced its full bloom and evolution, the process became cost-effective and efficient all thanks to the innovations and materials that were introduced in the industry of 3D printing.

Technology Used In 3D Printing

After going through the origin and history of 3D printing, you might have a vague idea of the technology used in 3D printing. 3D printing makes use of several types of efficient technologies which includes;

• Stereolithography SLA
• Multi Jet Fusion MJF
• Direct Metal Laser Sintering
• Electron Beam Melting
• Laser sintering
• Selective Laser Sintering SLS
• Digital Light Processing DLP
• PolyJet Fusion.

Before a detailed preview of the technologies involved in the process of 3D printing, let’s study a few basic processes that are involved in 3D printing which are:

• Photopolymerization
• 3D slicing
• STL file configuration

Here's a brief account of the above-mentioned processes;

1. Photopolymerization

• Photopolymerization refers to the curing of photopolymers under exposure to Ultraviolet light.
• You must be wondering, what a photopolymer is? A photopolymer is a resin material that solidifies under UV light.
• It helps in the solidification of several layers at once making it a quicker process than others.
• Photopolymerization makes the exposed material tough and durable.

2. 3D Slicing

• 3D slicing is the process of breaking down a design into several layers.
• It simply involves cutting a design in layers, these layers are then deposited one by one on each other during the printing process.
• A slicer generates a G code which helps in providing instructions to the 3D printer that is how the print process should be carried out.
• A lot of software is available in the market which can be used for 3D slicing such as Cura Slicer, Slic3r, and Simply3D.

3. STL file format

• STL file format is mostly used in Stereolithography.
• It is also called Standard Tessellation Language or Standard Triangle Language
• STL file format is used for describing the surface geometry of an object to be printed by the 3D printer before the process starts.

All types of 3D printing technology serve the same purpose of printing the object in its 3D shape, the only difference they have is in the layering techniques and materials that are specific to each type. Some of the insanely famous technologies used in 3D printing have been enlisted below.

4. Stereolithography SLA

• The term Stereolithography was coined by Chuck Hill in 1984.
• SLA is also called VAT Polymerization.
• SLA process involves the production of a 3D model by casting a light beam on the photopolymer resins.
• When the UV light beam strikes the polymer layer, it castes a design on the polymer bed, the design then solidifies and moves one inch downward, afterwards another sheet is polymerized in the same way, the process continues until the 3D object is formed completely.
• After the competition, the modeled object is washed with the solvent to remove excess resin from the layers making the design neat and sleek.
• This process is highly expensive yet fast, you can generate your model in a day.

5. Selective Laser Sintering

It is very similar to the technique being used in SLA but differs in the use of powders instead of resins and laser beam instead of UV light beam in case of selective laser sintering.

• A high-powered pulsed laser beam such as a Co2 laser beam is projected on the powder bed, according to the 3D modeled file fed into the system.
• Powder beds can be made of any material such as Polyamide, Polystyrenes, Polycarbonate, and materials with thermal stability and durability are used.
• The 3D model is formed layer by layer by melting and then solidifying the powder layer, these layers are then fused together in the end to form the finished product.

6. MultiJet Fusion

• Multi-jet Fusion is used commercially for the production of 3D prototypes.
• A fusing agent and a detailing agent are used in the process.
• A nylon powder bed serves as the material for making the prototypes as the core material.
• A layer of material is selectively fused with another layer with the help of a binding agent which is also called a fusing agent. The layers after fusing are exposed to the thermal energy sources for better binding.
• After fusing the layers with each other, a detailing agent is then applied to create design elements and smooth surfaces.

7. Electron Beam melting

• Electron beam melting is a 3D printing technology that is mainly used in the production of heavy metal parts.
• It is similar to Fused Deposition Modelling, both of them only differ in the material being 3D printed, FDM makes use of plastics meanwhile Electron Beam Melting implies metal as the core material.
• An electron beam in a vacuum chamber is used to melt the metal powders, several layers are formed one by one, and these layers are then solidified together, for producing a 3D print.
• The end product doesn't require thermal treatment for the solidification of successive layers, unlike other 3D printing technologies.

8. Fused Deposition Model FDM

• It is the most commonly used method of 3D printing these days.
• FDM is used for the production of 3D prototypes and small-scale end products as well.
• Thermoplastic material like Polyacetic acid is used in the process as the core material.
• A 3D object is printed in layers by heating the thermoplastic material and extruding it on the layers by extrusion nozzles.
• The liquefier head along with the extrusion nozzles moves in X and Y coordinates according to the instructions already fed into the printer depending on the design of the 3D object.
• Each layer when formed is consolidated with the layer beneath it which hardens by time.
• The Fused Deposition Model is quick and produces sturdy 3D products with sleek finishing.

9. Laminated Object Manufacturing LOM

• As the name suggests, laminated object Manufacturing makes use of laminated sheets coated with adhesive material.
• The sheets can be made of plastic or paper according to the requirement of the 3D model.
• All the laminated sheets are glued together under specific temperatures and pressure.
• The laminated sheets are then cut into the desired 3D shape with the help of a laser or anything other cutting-edge technology.
• This is one of the outdated methods of 3D printing which aren't used today.

10. Direct Light Processing DLP

• Direct light processing has a similar working principle as of SLA, the only difference is the nature and use of the Light beam in the case of digital light processing.
• DLP makes use of a DMD, A Digital Micromirror device made up of a semiconductor chip that has multiple micro-sized mirrors arranged on it in the form of a matrix.

You must be thinking about what these micro-sized mirrors do? So here's your answer, they reflect the projected light beam on the Vat or resin bed forming the pattern according to the instructions of the printer. The design thus cured on the resin is in the form of voxels, if you are not well aware of a voxel, then let me tell you, Voxel is a three-dimensional cube inside the three-dimensional grid of a 3D model in the parallel 2D world it is similar to pixel but it is definitely not a pixel!  

• DLA is faster than the other known methods of 3D printing to date.

11. Direct Metal Laser Sintering

• Before diving into metal sintering, here is a question for you, do you know the meaning of sintering?
• Sintering is the fusion of particles into a single solid mass without melting, under specific temperature and pressure conditions.

• Direct metal laser sintering has a similar working principle as Selective Laser Sintering, the only difference they have is the material being used.
• Selective laser sintering can implement the use of any material like ceramics, plastic or glass meanwhile, direct metal laser sintering can only be used for powdered metals.
• DMLS is widely used for the production of metallic parts and prototypes on an industrial level

12. Poly jet 3D printers

• Poly Jet printers are similar to inkjet printers.
• These printers jet photopolymers on the surface of the design bed which is later on cured with UV light. A layer-by-layer additive process creates the full-fledge 3D object.
• The most amazing feature of Poly Jet printing involves the use of two or more materials for a single prototype or product. You can manufacture any part of the 3D modeled object with your desired material without disturbing the other parts.
• Post-processing is not required while we use PolyJet printers, the 3D modeled object is ready to be used right after manufacturing
• PolyJet 3D printing is an expensive yet speedy process, with higher design accuracy than the other 3D printing technologies yet known to us.

• The following table shows the summary of all the technologies we use in 3D printing, you can go through it for a quick sneak peek of the overall process for each of the mentioned technologies for 3D printing.

Process of 3D printing

We have completed the section on 3D printing and the technology being used for 3D printing by now, you must be thinking of the process involved in 3D printing! Let's discuss this process step by step in detail for a better understanding;

Step 1: Modeling

3D printing begins with the process of designing the product in digital form using software like AutoCAD, solid works or whichever you like to work with as there are plenty of modeling software present in the market.

 Step 2: 3D Printing

• After the approval of 3D design the file is fed into the 3D printer which translates the digital file into STL format.
• After translation of digital file into STL file format, a 3D Slicer starts configuring the whole process, layer by layer.

Each layer is deposited on the other according to the technology your 3D printer works on, it can be SLA, SLS or DLP. The process then continues until all the layers have been formed and our 3-dimensional object is complete. This was all about the process of 3D printing, absolutely simple and easy to understand! Isn't it? You can get anything 3D printed from the service providers nearby, cost depends on the dimensions of the object being printed. 3D printing has become less expensive now as compared to the past, all thanks to the increase in demand which led to the availability of better pocket-friendly options.

Applications of 3D Printing

3D printing has countless applications some of them are being listed here:

Rapid Prototyping

• 3D printing is used for Rapid Prototyping of 3D structures, I have a detailed tutorial on Rapid Prototyping, and you can definitely read it for an in-depth study of the topic.

Small Scale Production

• 3D printing is used for the end-products in industries as well, this feature of 3D printing has brought itself on a commercial scale.

Medical Equipment

• 3D printing has left its mark in biomedical engineering as well, from the prototyping of artificial limbs to the manufacturing of splints and braces on small scale, 3D printing knows no bounds.

Anatomical Models

• Anatomical models of body organs and systems are 3D printed for educational purposes.

Assembly Parts

• Small assembly parts made from powdered metals are also 3D printed for mass production, because of their cost-effectiveness.

Toys and Games

• Legos and small toys produced from manufacturing-grade plastics have made their way into the market all thanks to 3D printing.

Research and Development

• Almost every kind of 3D prototype can be printed with the help of 3D printing techniques, these prototypes are used for research purposes.

Art and Design

3D printing is used in the field of art of design for making sculptures, you might have seen a lot of them in the student's thesis display! If not, pay a visit after the pandemic ends.

Jewelry

• Limited edition jewelry is an extremely hyped-up thing these days, although the production cost is not as much as the tags say, but women buy it for the sake of self-satisfaction! These limited edition pieces are also 3D printed.

Agile Tooling

• Agile tooling that deals with the design and formation of tools that are related to tool manufacturing tools, including dies and molds also involves 3D printing.

Automotive Industry

• The automotive industry is also using 3D printing for the manufacturing of components, Urbee is the first car in the world that used 3D printing for its components.

Architectural Designs

• Architectural industry prints scalable 3D models of the buildings and bridges for evaluation and approval of everything that comes under building and construction.

Advantages of 3D Printing

3D printing has definitely made our lives easier and better, here are some of the advantages associated with the process:

1. Broader Design Window:

• Complex parts and products are easily achievable through 3D printing technology, traditional methods of production had a lot of limitations in case of complex and intricate designs

2. Durable Parts:

• The assembly parts that are manufactured with help of 3D printing are lightweight and durable because 3D printing can work with a variety of materials that better suits the manufacturer.
• Although the materials have to be checked according to the required parameters for safety and sustainability.

3. Minimal Waste:

• 3D manufacturing is an additive process and hence less waste is produced, you must be wondering how?
• The material only needed to build a 3D object is deposited layers by layer according to the design fed into the printer which means less waste.

3. Rapid Prototyping Made Easy:

• 3D printing makes rapid prototyping easier and faster, you can complete your prototype within days or weeks.
• This feature was missing when people used to make prototypes through the machining process in the past.

4. Cost-Effectiveness:

• The process of 3D printing is extremely cost-effective, you don't have to pay a lot of money in the form of labor costs and a large amount of material procurement.
• A design and a 3D printer service provider can make your day!

5. On-Demand Production:

• When you are using 3D printing for end-product manufacturing, you can easily print as many pieces as you want according to the supply and demand, so there is no need to stock up when you are using this method.
• A slight modification or a bigger change in the design can be made easily in the 3D file of the product, without disturbing the entire design.

Limitations of 3D Printing

• You are well aware of the advantages 3D printing serves, in this section we'll be discussing some of its limitations which is a necessary evil.
• Different End Product as Compared To 3D Model:

1. Material Limitations:

Nobody wants it to be true, but it can be! 3D modeling software has rendering tools and other highly specialized tools which create a sleek design with intricate details and patterns on the product, the product may not have all the design elements when 3D printed because of the gap between the 3D world and the real world. 3D printing can experiment with a lot of materials when you prototyping for design and development but in the end, the materials with very specific properties can be employed for end product and its mass production.

2. Size of the Object:

The objects when 3D printed have smaller sizes because the 3D printers are not humongous enough to print large 3D shapes and objects, have you ever thought, how much changed would our world be, if 3D printers could print an Eifel tower or leaning tower of Pisa?

3. Post Processing of the 3D Object:

After printing the object that has been modeled, it is soaked or bathed in different chemicals to remove the access amount of adhesive materials left on its surface, we have to wait for the model to cool down to start post-processing which takes time!

4. Fragility of the 3D Structures:

A few 3D printing methods produce 3D prints that are not sturdy enough and can break down if a higher amount of temperature and pressure is put on them, Fused Deposition Modeling is one of those techniques, don’t fret! , a little amount of care can save your day! That was all about 3D printing, I tried to make it simpler for everyone. I presume you must have gained something out of it, if not, you can always revise it for another time, a second read never hurt anyone!