3D printing

3D PRINTING

Nowadays Technology has taken a huge leap in all space of existence. People from different walks of life are getting involved with upgraded tools and devices to explore higher goals. A few years back, thinking of a printer that can create real objects may have sounded like a dull idea.

But now On October 19, AMT presented an unusual pavilion in Yaroslavl. The building, printed on a 3D printer, has the shape of a cat holding a multicolored cube in its hands. The cat was printed by 3D4art company under the leadership of Roman Pavlenko, on a construction printer AMT S-6044 Long, and painted by an artist from Lithuania Saulius Gudelevicius, - the authors of the project report. Previously, printing on printers of such complex shaped objects has not been done in the world. But What is 3D printing?

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. 

The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object. 

3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. 

3D printing encompasses many forms of technologies and materials as 3D printing is being used in almost all industries you could think of. It’s important to see it as a cluster of diverse industries with a myriad of different applications. 

Examples of 3D Printing:

• consumer products (eyewear, footwear, design, furniture) 

• industrial products (manufacturing tools, prototypes, functional end-use parts) 

• dental products 

• prosthetics 

• architectural scale models & maquettes 

• reconstructing fossils 

• replicating ancient artefacts 

• reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology 

• movie props 

Types of 3D printing software

Differentsoftware uses a variety of file formats but some of the most common are:  

• STL - Standard tessellation language, or STL is a 3D-rendering format that can usually only handle a single color. This is typically the file format most desktop 3D printers use.  

• VRML - Virtual Reality Modeling Language,  VRML file is a newer file format. These are typically used for printers with more than one extruder and can handle multi-color model creation. 

• AMF - Additive Manufacturing file format, this is a .xml based open standard for 3D printing. It can also support multiple colors.  

• GCode - GCode is another file format which can contain detailed instructions for the 3D printer to follow for laying down each slice.  

• Other formats - Other 3D printer manufacturers also have their own proprietary file formats. 

3D Printing Basics

Step 1: Designing a 3D model for 3D Printer 

The first step of any 3D printing process is 3D modeling. To maximize precision (and because 3D printers can’t magically guess what you want to print), all objects have to be designed in a 3D modeling software. Some designs are too intricate and detailed for traditional manufacturing methods. That’s where this CAD software comes in. Modeling allows printers to customize their product down to the tiniest detail. The 3D modeling software’s ability to allow for precision designs is why 3D printing is being hailed as a true game changer in many industries. This modeling software is especially important to an industry, like dentistry, where labs are using three-dimensional software to design teeth aligners that precisely fit to the individual. It’s also vital to the space industry, where they use the software to design some of the most intricate parts of a rocketship. 

Step 2: Slicing the Model 

Once a model is created, it’s time to “slice” it. Since 3D printers cannot conceptualize the concept of three dimensions, like humans, engineers need to slice the model into layers in order for the printer to create the final product. Slicing software takes scans of each layer of a model and will tell the printer how to move in order to recreate that layer. Slicers also tell 3D printers where to “fill” a model. This fill gives a 3D printed object internal lattices and columns that help shape and strengthen the object. Once the model is sliced, it’s sent off to the 3D printer for the actual printing process. 

Step 3: The 3D Printing Process 

When the modeling and slicing of a 3D object is completed, it’s time for the 3D printer to finally take over. The printer acts generally the same as a traditional inkjet printer in the direct 3D printing process, where a nozzle moves back and forth while dispensing a wax or plastic-like polymer layer-by-layer, waiting for that layer to dry, then adding the next level. It essentially adds hundreds or thousands of 2D prints on top of one another to make a three-dimensional object. 

What are the benefits of 3D printing?

As we have already touched upon above, 3D printing can have various advantages over more traditional manufacturing processes like injection molding or CNC milling.  

There are some advantages of 3D printing over other production processes: 

• Faster production - While slow at times, 3D printing can be quicker than some conventional processes like injection molding and subtractive production.  

• Easily accessible - 3D printing has been around for a few decades now and has exploded since around 2010. There are now a wide variety of printers and software packages available (many are open-source) making it easy for almost anyone to learn how to do it. 

• Better quality products - 3D printing produces a consistent quality of product. So long as the model is accurate and fit for purpose, and the same type of printer is used, the final product will usually always be of the same quality.  

• Great for design and product testing - 3D printing is one of the best tools for product design and testing. It offers opportunities to design and test models to allow refinement with ease. 

• Cost-effective - 3D printing, as we have seen, can be a cost-effective means of production. Once the model is created, the process is usually automated, and raw material waste tends to be limited. 

• Product designs are almost infinite - The possibilities of 3D printing are almost limitless. So long as it can be designed in CAD and the printer is big enough to print it, the sky is the limit.  

• 3D printers can print using various materials - Some 3D printers can actually blend or switch between materials. In traditional printing, this can be difficult and expensive 

 In conclusion we should say that the big dream of 3D Printing is “a factory in everyone’s house.” It may sound strange, but there is no denying that owning a machine that can instantly churn out infinitely customizable things is really fascinating.

References:

1. Joshi, Siddharth, et al. "4D printing of materials for the future: Opportunities and challenges." Applied Materials Today 18 (2020): 100490

2. Congressional Research Service. "3D Printing: Overview, Impacts, and the Federal Role" (august 2, 2019)

3. The Evolution of 3D Printing: Past, Present and Future". 3D Printing Industry. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

4. https://1yar.tv/article/pod-yaroslavlem-poyavilsya-koshka-dom-napechatannyy-na-3d-printere/

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/483394-3d-printing