What is 3d Printing?
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Rapid prototyping, or 3D printing, has been around for a much longer time than most people would think. The most common type is Fused Deposition Modeling, and has been used for years to create nearly anything you can think of from plastic. Most people will think of physical structures or machine parts, such as cogs and gears. That is mostly due to the nature of this kind of printing. As Griffey explains in "The Types of 3D Printing", think of it like a fancy, high-tech glue gun. Fused deposition modeling works layer by layer, building an object from the base upwards. A nozzle lays out the outline of the object, adding new layers once the previous one has been completed. The only catch with this method is, it builds an object only from the bottom up. If you want to build something with overhanging edges, you have to make sure that the printer will also be building supports for the other layers as it goes; luckily, most FDM-type printers have this as a common option when inputting the instructions for the build.
Another common type of 3D printing is Stereolithography. This works a bit differently than FDM printing, as instead of physically ‘gluing’ each layer as it goes, stereolithography uses a light-sensitive resin and a laser to create an object. The build plate (that will hold the finished object) can move up and down through the resin, so that when the laser passes through the resin it only solidifies a small layer at a time. The resin is sensitive to a specific wavelength of light, usually found within the UV spectrum, and each printer is tuned so the laser is the correct wavelength for the specific kind of resin. Due to the nature of how it’s built, the geometry of the design is much more forgiving than some other kinds of printing; it can also have a much higher level of detail.
Selective Laser Sintering is similar to stereolithography, and is also considered the most flexible (although expensive) type of 3D printing. Unlike the resin in the stereo, though, SLS uses high-energy lasers to solidify a powder substrate. The lasers fuse specific parts of the powder together, with a new layer of powder added with each pass, so the object is gradually built up just like the others. Since the material is being built within a big bin of powder, essentially, this kind might offer the most freedom of shape for the objects being built. SLS also allows for materials such as steel, aluminum, and other metals in addition to the thermoplastic that is common for the other kinds of printing.
The last kind I’ll mention here is Laminated Object Manufacturing. This process glues together cut out layers of paper, going layer to layer. The layering process essentially laminates the paper together, so while the individual parts aren’t that impressive, the final product is sturdier than what one might think.
But of course, that’s just scratching the surface; and most of these methods can be used for other materials as well. So just what are these Others?
Another common type of 3D printing is Stereolithography. This works a bit differently than FDM printing, as instead of physically ‘gluing’ each layer as it goes, stereolithography uses a light-sensitive resin and a laser to create an object. The build plate (that will hold the finished object) can move up and down through the resin, so that when the laser passes through the resin it only solidifies a small layer at a time. The resin is sensitive to a specific wavelength of light, usually found within the UV spectrum, and each printer is tuned so the laser is the correct wavelength for the specific kind of resin. Due to the nature of how it’s built, the geometry of the design is much more forgiving than some other kinds of printing; it can also have a much higher level of detail.
Selective Laser Sintering is similar to stereolithography, and is also considered the most flexible (although expensive) type of 3D printing. Unlike the resin in the stereo, though, SLS uses high-energy lasers to solidify a powder substrate. The lasers fuse specific parts of the powder together, with a new layer of powder added with each pass, so the object is gradually built up just like the others. Since the material is being built within a big bin of powder, essentially, this kind might offer the most freedom of shape for the objects being built. SLS also allows for materials such as steel, aluminum, and other metals in addition to the thermoplastic that is common for the other kinds of printing.
The last kind I’ll mention here is Laminated Object Manufacturing. This process glues together cut out layers of paper, going layer to layer. The layering process essentially laminates the paper together, so while the individual parts aren’t that impressive, the final product is sturdier than what one might think.
But of course, that’s just scratching the surface; and most of these methods can be used for other materials as well. So just what are these Others?