3D PrintingBy: Anthony Tu

What is 3-D printing?

3D printing is the process of making a three dimensional solid object based off a digital file on a computer.

The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved by laying down layers of the specified material until the entire object is created.

How does it work?

1. Make a 3-D design of your object using a 3-D modeling program or using a 3-D scanner.

2. The 3-D printing software “slices” up the digital model into thousands of horizontal layers.

3. All of these horizontal images are blended together, resulting in one three dimensional object

What do I print 3-D with?

3-D printing can be achieved with the use of a 3-D printer. However, not all 3D printers use the same materials, or even the same technology create objects.

Two of the most popular methods include:

Selective laser sintering (SLS)

Fused deposition modeling (FDM)

Applications of 3-D Printing

Applications include:

Design visualization

Prototyping

Metal casting

Architecture

Education

Healthcare

Entertainment

Retail

For example, an architect can create a full 3-D model of a building with ease using 3-D printing.

Who will benefit from this Technology?

Artists

Architects

Teachers

Scientists

Businesspeople

Any design-related job

Anyone interested in 3-D models

Cost of a 3-D printer

A 3-D printer is typically quite expensive

It can range from 200 to 5000 dollars

They have relatively good availability – they can be bought in many stores and online

The downsides of 3-D printing

3D printers use a ton of energy

They are expensive

They use a lot of material to create the 3-D object

They can contaminate food if it comes in contact

They can be used to create illegal objects

The Future of 3-D Printing

In the nearby future, more and more objects will be created using 3-D printing:

It will be used for creating models in businesses

It may create objects for daily use

Use different materials like silver or gold and create jewelry

Form metal in specialized shapes

Create large, complex objects, like cars.

References

http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5125-3d-printing-jobs.html