3D printed began in 1986. It was initially aimed at the industrial market as the printers they used cost millions of dollars. In the recent years a lot has changed, and a new type of 3D printer was designed: the desktop 3D printer, aimed at the consumer market.
These 3D printers are much smaller and a lot cheaper than industrial ones. Anyone can buy a desktop printer for just a few hundred pounds. It allows artists, engineers and designers to quickly and cheaply bring their ideas to life.
Industrial 3D printers are still used and offer much higher precision when printing the parts. Their customers tend to be the aerospace (engine parts), automotive (car body), medical (prosthetics, skull implant, human organs) and dental (Invisalign braces) sectors.
However, it has been the desktop printers which have revolutionised society. By putting this technology in the hands of common people, a community is being developed where they can contribute and share their ideas, coming up with more innovative and unintended uses of this technology.
3D printing is the process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file, such as a CAD model or a scan. 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.
3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.
The two main types of 3D printing are Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Stereolithography. FDM is the most common process as it is typically the cheapest. It is the one most desktop 3D printers use. In FDM, material is pushed through an extruder and is heated up until it melts. The molten material then exits through a nozzle and is laid on a print bed. The nozzle moves in the x, y and directions, creating the object layer by layer. Stereolithography uses a laser to fuse resins and metals.
When 3D printing, there is a compromise between precision and speed. You need to decide what is more important. Do you want the part to be very precise and take a day to print? Or would you rather have it done within a couple of hours, regardless of the end quality?
The material chosen to 3D print will be based on what the requirements of the part are whether it is for display or it has a function. Polymers are the most common material used, PLA in particular. However, there is a huge range of materials that can be used: resins, composites and even metals can be used for the industrial printers.
For example, if you need to print a gear you need to think of what function it will do and what material properties it needs. Minimum friction, high strength, high torsion… Therefore, nylon will be better option than PLA. However, nylon is more difficult to work with and print, so you need to find a balance and make sure you use the right material.