3D Printing By: 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.
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