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3D Printing
3D printing is one
of the various processes to make a three-dimensional object. In this process,
additive processes are used, in which successive layers of material are laid
down under computer control. A 3D printer is a type of industrial robot from
which objects of almost any shape or geometry can be produced.
Originally, the
term ‘3D printing’ refers to processes that deposit material onto a powder bed
with inkjet printer heads, in a sequence. These days, the meaning of the term
has expanded to include a wider variety of techniques.
General Principles:
·
Modelling-
The printable
models may be created with a Computer Aided Design (CAD) package or via a plain
digital camera and photogrammetry software. These models may also be prepared
manually, by using computer graphics similar to plastic arts such as sculpting.
3D scanning is a process of analysing and collecting digital data on the shape
and appearance of an object, based on which three-dimensional models of the
scanned object can be produced.
·
Printing-
Before the actual
printing, there is a step known as ‘fixup’, which refers to the STL file being
examined for ‘manifold errors’. Examples of manifold errors are surfaces that
do not connect and gaps in the models. Netfabb and meshmixer, Cura or Slic3r
are some of the softwares which can be used to fix these errors.
Next, the STL file
is processed by a software called ‘slicer’, which converts the model into a
series of thin layers and produces a G-code file containing instructions
tailored to a specific type of 3D printer. Some of the open source slicer
programs are Skeinforge, Slic3r and Cura as well as closed source programs
include Simplify3D and KISSlicer.
Another software
that is often used by people using 3D printing is GCode Viewer. It lets one
examine the route of travel of the printer nozzle. After this examination, the
user can decide to modify the GCode to print the model a different way so as to
save plastic. Examples of GCode viewers are GCode Viewer for Blender and
Pleasant3D.
Injection moulding,
which is one of the traditional techniques, can be cheaper for manufacturing
polymer products in high quantities, but additive manufacturing can be faster,
more flexible and less expensive when producing small quantities of parts..
·
Finishing-
The printer
produced resolution is sufficient for many applications, however, printing a
slightly oversized version of the desired object in standard resolution and
then removing material with a higher resolution subtractive process can achieve
greater precision.
Industrial Applications:
Apparel-
3D printing has
spread into the world of fashion with designers experimenting with 3D printed
shoes and dresses. Nike used 3D printing to prototype and manufacture the 2012
Vapor Laser Talon football shoe for players of American football; New Balance
is 3D manufacturing custom-fit shoes for athletes.
Automobiles-
Early last year,
that is 2014, the Swedish supercar manufacturer, Koenigsegg, announced the
One:1, a supercar that utiises many components that were 3D printed. An
American company, Local Motors is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory
and Cincinnati Incorporated to develop large-scale additive manufacturing
processes suitable for printing an entire car body. Urbee is the name of the first
car in the world mounted using the technology 3 printing.
Medical-
3D printing has
also found use in the in the field of medicine. It is used to print patient
specific implants and devices for medical use. The field of hearing aids and
dental industries are expected to make the maximum future development using the
process of 3D printing. Not only that, prosthetic hand made using 3D printing
has been sold.
Computers-
It can be used to
make laptops and other computers, including cases, like Novena and VIA OpenBook
standard laptop cases.
Impact:
Various online
social platforms have been developed to support the 3D printing community.
These social platforms include websites which allow users to access information
such as how to build a 3D printer; social forums which discuss how to improve
3D print quality and discuss 3D printing news; social media websites that are
dedicated to share 3D models.
Consumer grade 3D
printing has resulted in new materials that have been developed specifically
for this task. New structural materials and new technologies have allowed
patterns to be applied directly to 3D printed parts.
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