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3D Printing in 3 Steps (Yes, Only 3!)
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3D Printing in 3 Steps (Yes, Only 3!) | Staples.comby Kevin Ackerman, Staples® Contributing Writer
Since it gives computer users the ability to produce tangible objects in a variety of materials and colors right from their desktop, 3D printing seems as if it would be technically complicated (or just magical). But in reality, it’s not all that different from printing in two dimensions on paper.
To produce a printed page, all computer users need is a document, a computer and access to a printer — and, of course, ink and paper. Likewise, printing in 3D only requires three similar things. Sure, the technologies differ, but that’s the basic gist, as these three steps explain.
Step 1: Develop a Concept
If you were to open a document file on your computer, hit some random keys on your keyboard and press Print, you’d have a paper printout — though it wouldn’t make much sense. With 3D printing, you can’t make a shape that easily, not even a poor one, so it’s worth beginning the process by putting some thought into your object.
Start by knowing what you’d like to print in three dimensions. If you don’t have an idea or concept, there are plenty of free suggestions online to get you started. Web sites like Thingiverse.com offer a library of pre-designed objects that you can print with any 3D printer to gain experience. Or you can be inspired by people who are already using 3D printing technology.
Phoenix-based sculptor Kevin Caron uses 3D printing to refine his artwork before making full-sized versions. "Mostly what I'm doing is proof of concept designs. You know, will it stand up, does it look right and are the proportions correct on it?” he says.
And Chris Considine, CEO and founder of Los Angeles–based CXC Simulations, uses 3D printing to prototype custom-designed parts for racing simulators that are so realistic, they are used by professional race car drivers.
"We need 3D orienting to see if the part feels exactly how we want it to feel,” he says.” We went through about 30 versions before we found the one that was perfect for us. Other than 3D printing, there’s truly no way you could have done that without building it over and over again."
Step 2: Hop on a Computer
Once you know what you want to produce, it’s time to sit down at a computer and make it happen. 3D prints are most commonly generated from an STL or .stl file. Standing for “stereolithography” (what 3D printing was named when it was first invented), this file format is to 3D printing what the .doc file is to document output.
To open and manipulate an STL file, you’ll need computer-aided design (CAD) software. For decades, these programs have been used by everyone from architects to product designers, so there are many kinds of CAD software available.
SketchUp is a free modeling program designed to be straightforward and allow anyone to create three-dimensional renderings, whether simple or complicated.
Likewise, Tinkercad keeps the design process easy by providing just three simple tools. It also runs in a Web browser and offers step-by-step design lessons to demonstrate how easy 3D printing can be.
Meanwhile, programs like AutoCAD are favored by many experienced professionals, having been used in the design and prototyping of millions of products throughout the years.
To run these programs, you don’t need a particularly powerful computer. Caron uses an HP desktop machine to create his digital sculptures. "It's not a big screaming gaming computer by any means,” he says. "It's just a small office computer and it handles the CAD program just fine.”
Step 3: Get Access to a 3D Printer
Most people assume they need to own a 3D printer to produce digitally rendered objects, but that isn’t true. Sure, owning a desktop 3D printer can put your designs within arm’s reach. But driving across town to pick up your objects at a Staples 3D printing service location or having them delivered by mail can be just as convenient for some businesses.
For example, Caron owns a CubeX™ commercial 3D printer. With the ability to print objects up to the size of a basketball, this device produces designs in plastic and in more than 4,000 different colors. He’s also used print-on-demand services to produce sculptures that he couldn’t make on his office’s machine.
"They’re breathtaking when you see them,” he says of the two acrylic sculptures. "The detail that I could view on the computer came out in the print — it just blew me away.” Caron is planning to scale his designs down and turn them into jewelry to sell. "I've gotten one back in a polished glass and it's stunning. You can’t tell it from gold other than by the weight."
If you are interested in using 3D printing but need help with these steps, visit one of our stores that offers 3D printing services (currently in Los Angeles and New York City). There, we can help you with all the steps, from getting in touch with designers to actual 3D printing.
You can even get in our 3D printing photo booth and have your face put on a figurine.
Go from Concept to Reality
Some businesses would argue that 3D printing, whether it’s done in the office or at an outside service, is worth its weight in gold. "I can go from concept in my head to holding the part in sometimes as quickly as an hour,” says Considine. "It’s a very powerful thing for an engineer to have. It's liberating."
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Think you can't print life-saving medical devices? Think again. With 3D printing's ever-evolving technology, the possibilities are endless.
Design and print anything from phone cases and jewelry to working guitars.
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3D printing is a simple process capable of creating complex designs that are otherwise impossible to manufacture. It starts with a digital 3D design which has been sliced into 2D layers. Layer by layer, the printer deposits liquid or powdered materials until the final piece is complete.
Test models and prototypes.
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3D printing services on a 3D printer prices from 6 rubles / g. The fastest 3D printing terms in Moscow and the Moscow region.
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Technology does not stand still, and what used to be found only in science fiction books is already becoming a reality. One of the actively developing areas today is 3D printing with polymeric materials.
Interest in 3D printing is not surprising, because the horizons that it opens up are endless. Printing plastic manufacturers are constantly working on creating new structures by imparting different properties to polymers. Now you can find plastics that give odds to metal in terms of strength, elastane, which allows you to create flexible structures, and protective polymers that fly into space.
Ordering 3d printing will not be difficult. You do not have to understand the molecular formulas and chemical properties of raw materials. It is enough to tell in detail about where and how the finished product will be used, and our specialists will select the optimal polymer.
How do we work?
3D Printing in 3 Easy Steps
Layout
Do you have a great idea but don't have a printable layout? For us, this is not a problem.
Experienced specialists will digitize your sketches
Printing
our staff of technicians is equipped with modern high-speed machines that work with various types of polymers
Processing
Careful manual post-processing allows the product to obtain a presentable appearance. Our masters approach this task responsibly
Example of printing parameters
| Scope of application | Implementation in % |
| Electrical equipment, decorative goods | 21.8% |
| Printing for automotive | 18.6% |
| Medicine, traumatology, orthopedics | 16.4% |
| Industry, machine building, machine building | 9003.|
| Aviation, Cosmos | 10.2 |
| Science | 6.8 | Architecture, Construction | 3.2% |
Our park of 3d equipment allows us to fulfill any orders in the shortest possible time.
Regardless of what you have to work with with a sample or a layout on paper, we will independently prepare and process the future layout and send it to you for approval. Only experienced craftsmen work in our staff, which means that you can order a print of any degree of complexity without fear for the quality of the finished product.
PMK3D works with leading plastic manufacturers and always follows the latest news and market trends. If you need 3D printing from specific polymers, for example, increased strength, non-flammable, or visually similar to glass and ceramics, then choosing our contractor is the best solution.
The price of printing in Moscow on a 3D printer varies greatly between competitors. Of course, there are adequate reasons for such a delta. First of all, it depends on the manufacturer of 3d threads with which the laboratory works. Our company stands out from the competition in that we work exclusively with global brands and at the same time offer the lowest possible prices.
That is why ordering 3D printing from us is also profitable.
When creating our project, we primarily focused on small-scale production and wholesale orders, therefore we concluded all contracts for the purchase of raw materials directly, thereby avoiding inflated purchase prices. And due to this, we were able to keep the final cost low for our customers.
3D printing in Moscow is inexpensive, but maintaining high quality is the motto of our company. How we are working?
- We prepare a layout from a regular drawing, or reproduce it from a finished product
- The 3d printing process, based on the volume and complexity of the design of the order, we begin to print it on optimally suitable equipment , all work is carried out as scrupulously as possible
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