What is 3D Printing?

What is 3D Printing?

A 3D printer builds objects layer-by-layer using a special type of plastic or metal.3d printing These aren’t your ordinary consumer home printers, however, as these can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. This technology has been used in prototyping, reducing the time it takes for companies to develop and test new products and the tooling required for manufacturing them. In addition, 3D printing can produce complex shapes with minimal material, reducing production costs and environmental footprint.

The term ‘3D printing’ is broadly used to describe various technologies that create 3D objects.3d printing These vary widely in terms of the materials they can use, their speed and their precision. The key characteristic of these technologies is their ability to produce complex, detailed and durable objects without the need for the subtractive methods that dominated traditional manufacturing, such as cutting, drilling and casting.

After a CAD model has been created, it is "sliced".3d printing This essentially separates the design into layers, each one representing a small section of the final product. Each slice is then sent to a 3D printer, which recreates that section of the product using the correct print parameters. These print parameters may include the size, shape and finish of the object, as well as the type of printing material and its thermal properties.

Once the print is complete, the layers are rearranged into the correct position to create the finished object.3d printing Some processes, such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) or Powder Bed Fusion, fuse together the different parts of an object using a layer of metal powder. Other processes, such as Stereolithography (SLA), or Digital Light Processing (DLP) and CLIP, use a photosensitive resin to cure and solidify the cross-sections of the 3D printed part in thin layers.

Currently, the most common 3D printing method is SLS.3d printing This process uses a nozzle that deposits a layer of metal or polymer powder and then sinters it to form the desired object. It is then repositioned and the process repeated. Once the print is complete, unused powder can be collected and reused for the next layer.

Other technologies that can be used in 3D printing include direct energy deposition and metal powder bed fusion.3d printing In DMLS, a nozzle sprays a layer of metal or plastic powder onto the surface of the workpiece and then melts it using an energy source, such as a laser or electron beam. This forms the object by adding heat to the materials, melting them and joining them into a solid.

Automotive Exterior Parts 3D Printing

3D printing has been used in a number of industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction and manufacturing.3d printing For example, the first pedestrian bridge (12 meters long and 1.75 meters wide) was built using micro-reinforced concrete printed in 2016. Other examples of this technology in action include creating bespoke medical devices, such as hearing aids or surgical implants, and even creating buildings and homes. Some even believe that this technology could eventually be used to create extraterrestrial habitats on the Moon and Mars.