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A 3d printer typically forms output by layering


3D Printing: What It Is, How It Works and Examples

3D printers might seem like they're right out of a science fiction movie, but they're proving to be useful in a variety of industries. | Image: Shutterstock

How Do 3D Printers Work?

3D printing is part of the additive manufacturing family and uses similar methods to a traditional inkjet printer — albeit in 3D. Additive manufacturing describes the process of creating something in layers, adding material continuously until the final design is complete. This term most often refers to molding and 3D printing. 

It takes a combination of top-of-the-line software, powder-like materials and precision tools to create a three-dimensional object from scratch. Below are a few of the main steps 3D printers take to bring ideas to life.

How Does a 3D Printer Work?

3D printers are related to additive manufacturing. 3D printers use computer-aided design to understand a design. When a design is ready, a material that can be dispensed through a hot nozzle or precision tool is printed layer by layer to create a three-dimensional object from scratch.

 

3D Modeling Software

The first step of any 3D printing process is 3D modeling. To maximize precision — and because 3D printers can’t magically guess what you want to print — all objects have to be designed in a 3D modeling software. Some designs are too intricate and detailed for traditional manufacturing methods. That’s where CAD software comes in. 

Modeling allows printers to customize their product down to the tiniest detail. The 3D modeling software’s ability to allow for precision designs is why 3D printing is being hailed as a true game changer in many industries. This modeling software is especially important to an industry, like dentistry, where labs are using 3D software to design teeth aligners that precisely fit to the individual. It’s also vital to the space industry, where they use the software to design some of the most intricate parts of a rocketship.

 

3D PRINTERS USE MODELING AND SLICING SOFTWARE TO GUIDE THE PRINTER IN CREATING EACH OBJECT. Video: Digital Trends

 

Slicing the Model

Once a model is created, it’s time to “slice” it. Since 3D printers cannot conceptualize the concept of three dimensions, like humans, engineers need to slice the model into layers in order for the printer to create the final product. 

Slicing software takes scans of each layer of a model and will tell the printer how to move in order to recreate that layer. Slicers also tell 3D printers where to “fill” a model. This fill gives a 3D printed object internal lattices and columns that help shape and strengthen the object. Once the model is sliced, it’s sent off to the 3D printer for the actual printing process.

 

The 3D Printing Process

When the modeling and slicing of a 3D object is completed, it’s time for the 3D printer to finally take over. The printer acts generally the same as a traditional inkjet printer in the direct 3D printing process, where a nozzle moves back and forth while dispensing a wax or plastic-like polymer layer-by-layer, waiting for that layer to dry, then adding the next level. It essentially adds hundreds or thousands of 2D prints on top of one another to make a three-dimensional object.

3D Printing Materials

There are a variety of different materials that a printer uses in order to recreate an object to the best of its abilities. Here are some examples:

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

Plastic material that is easy to shape and tough to break. The same material that LEGOs are made out of.

Carbon Fiber Filaments

Carbon fiber is used to create objects that need to be strong, but also extremely lightweight.

Conductive Filaments

These printable materials are still in the experimental stage and can be used for printing electric circuits without the need for wires. This is a useful material for wearable technology.

Flexible Filaments

Flexible filaments produce prints that are bendable, yet tough. These materials can be used to print anything from wristwatches to phone covers.

Metal Filament

Metal filaments are made of finely ground metals and polymer glue. They can come in steel, brass, bronze and copper in order to get the true look and feel of a metal object.

Wood Filament

These filaments contain finely ground wood powder mixed with polymer glue. These are obviously used to print wooden-looking objects and can look like a lighter or darker wood depending on the temperature of the printer.

The 3D printing process takes anywhere from a few hours for really simple prints, like a box or a ball, to days or weeks for much larger detailed projects, like a full-sized home.

How Much Do 3D Printers Cost?

The cost of 3D printers vary based on the size, specialty and use. The cheapest 3D printers, for entry level hobbyists, typically range from $100 to $500. More advanced models can range between $300 and $5,000. Industrial 3D printers can cost up to $100,000.

 

3D Printing Processes and Techniques

here are also different types of 3D printers depending on the size, detail and scope of a project. Each different type of printer will vary slightly on how an object gets printed.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

FDM is probably the most widely used form of 3D printing. It’s incredibly useful for manufacturing prototypes and models with plastic.

Stereolithography (SLA) Technology 

SLA is a fast prototyping printing type that is best suited for printing in intricate detail. The printer uses an ultraviolet laser to craft the objects within hours.

Digital Light Processing (DLP) 

DLP is one of the oldest forms of 3D printing. DLP uses lamps to produce prints at higher speeds than SLA printing because the layers dry in seconds.

Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) 

CLIP is amongst the faster processes that use Vat Photopolymerisation. The CLIP process utilizes Digital Light Synthesis technology to project a sequence of UV images across a cross-section of a 3D printed part, resulting in a precisely controlled curing process. The part is then baked in a thermal bath or oven, causing several chemical reactions that allow the part to harden.

Material Jetting 

Material Jetting applies droplets of material through a small diameter nozzle layer-by-layer to build a platform, which becomes hardened by UV light.

Binder Jetting 

Binder Jetting utilizes a powder base material layered evenly along with a liquid binder, which is applied through jet nozzles to act as an adhesive for the powder particles.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

FDM, also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), works by unwinding a plastic filament from a spool and flowing through a heated nozzle in horizontal and vertical directions, forming the object immediately as the melted material hardens.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 

A form of Powder Bed Fusion, SLS fuses small particles of powder together by use of a high-power laser to create a three-dimensional shape. The laser scans each layer on a powder bed and selectively fuses them, then lowering the powder bed by one thickness and repeating the process through completion.

Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) 

Another form of Powder Bed Fusion, MJF uses a sweeping arm to deposit powder and an inkjet-equipped arm to apply binder selectively on top. Next, a detailing agent is applied around the detailing agent for precision. Finally, thermal energy is applied to cause a chemical reaction. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) also utilizes this same process but with metal powder specifically.

Sheet Lamination

Sheet Lamination binds material in sheets through external force and welds them together through layered ultrasonic welding. The sheets are then milled in a CNC machine to form the object’s shape.

Directed Energy Deposition

Directed Energy Deposition is common in the metal industry and operates by a 3D printing apparatus attached to a multi-axis robotic arm with a nozzle for applying metal powder. The powder is applied to a surface and energy source, which then melts the material to form a solid object.

What is 3D printing? How does a 3D printer work? Learn 3D printing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.

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. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.

3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine.

3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.

Table of Contents

  • How Does 3D Printing Work?
  • 3D Printing Industry
  • Examples of 3D Printing
  • 3D Printing Technologies & Processes
  • Materials
  • Services

Jump to your field of interest:

  • Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing
  • Automotive
  • Aviation
  • Construction
  • Consumer Products
  • Healthcare
  • Food
  • Education

Jump to process:

  • All Technologies & Processes
  • Vat Photopolymerisation
  • Material Jetting
  • Binder Jetting
  • Material Extrusion
  • Powder Bed Fusion
  • Sheet Lamination
  • Directed Energy Deposition

How Does 3D Printing Work?

It all starts with a 3D model. You can opt to create one from the ground up or download it from a 3D library.

3D Software

There are many different software tools available. From industrial grade to open source. We’ve created an overview on our 3D software page.

We often recommend beginners to start with Tinkercad. Tinkercad is free and works in your browser, you don’t have to install it on your computer. Tinkercad offers beginner lessons and has a built-in feature to export your model as a printable file e.g .STL or .OBJ.

Now that you have a printable file, the next step is to prepare it for your 3D printer. This is called slicing.

Slicing: From printable file to 3D Printer

Slicing basically means slicing up a 3D model into hundreds or thousands of layers and is done with slicing software.

When your file is sliced, it’s ready for your 3D printer. Feeding the file to your printer can be done via USB, SD or Wi-Fi. Your sliced file is now ready to be 3D printed layer by layer.

3D Printing Industry

Adoption of 3D printing has reached critical mass as those who have yet to integrate additive manufacturing somewhere in their supply chain are now part of an ever-shrinking minority. Where 3D printing was only suitable for prototyping and one-off manufacturing in the early stages, it is now rapidly transforming into a production technology.

Most of the current demand for 3D printing is industrial in nature. Acumen Research and Consulting forecasts the global 3D printing market to reach $41 billion by 2026.

As it evolves, 3D printing technology is destined to transform almost every major industry and change the way we live, work, and play in the future.

Examples of 3D Printing

3D printing encompasses many forms of technologies and materials as 3D printing is being used in almost all industries you could think of. It’s important to see it as a cluster of diverse industries with a myriad of different applications.

A few examples:

  • – consumer products (eyewear, footwear, design, furniture)
  • – industrial products (manufacturing tools, prototypes, functional end-use parts)
  • – dental products
  • – prosthetics
  • – architectural scale models & maquettes
  • – reconstructing fossils
  • – replicating ancient artefacts
  • – reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology
  • – movie props

Rapid Prototyping & Rapid Manufacturing

Companies have used 3D printers in their design process to create prototypes since the late seventies. Using 3D printers for these purposes is called rapid prototyping.

Why use 3D Printers for Rapid Prototyping?
In short: it’s fast and relatively cheap. From idea, to 3D model to holding a prototype in your hands is a matter of days instead of weeks. Iterations are easier and cheaper to make and you don’t need expensive molds or tools.

Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing is also used for rapid manufacturing. Rapid manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing where businesses use 3D printers for short run / small batch custom manufacturing.

Automotive

Car manufacturers have been utilizing 3D printing for a long time. Automotive companies are printing spare parts, tools, jigs and fixtures but also end-use parts. 3D printing has enabled on-demand manufacturing which has lead to lower stock levels and has shortened design and production cycles.

Automotive enthusiasts all over the world are using 3D printed parts to restore old cars. One such example is when Australian engineers printed parts to bring a Delage Type-C back to life. In doing so, they had to print parts that were out of production for decades.

Aviation

The aviation industry uses 3D printing in many different ways. The following example marks a significant 3D printing manufacturing milestone: GE Aviation has 3D printed 30,000 Cobalt-chrome fuel nozzles for its LEAP aircraft engines. They achieved that milestone in October of 2018, and considering that they produce 600 per week on forty 3D printers, it’s likely much higher than that now.

Around twenty individual parts that previously had to be welded together were consolidated into one 3D printed component that weighs 25% less and is five times stronger. The LEAP engine is the best selling engine in the aerospace industry due to its high level of efficiency and GE saves $3 million per aircraft by 3D printing the fuel nozzles, so this single 3D printed part generates hundreds of millions of dollars of financial benefit.

GE’s fuel nozzles also made their way into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but it’s not the only 3D printed part in the 787. The 33-centimeter-long structural fittings that hold the aft kitchen galley to the airframe are 3D printed by a company called Norsk Titanium. Norsk chose to specialize in titanium because it has a very high strength-to-weight ratio and is rather expensive, meaning the reduction in waste enabled by 3D printing has a more significant financial impact than compared to cheaper metals where the costs of material waste are easier to absorb. Rather than sintering metal powder with a laser like most metal 3D printers, the Norsk Merke 4 uses a plasma arc to melt a metal wire in a process called Rapid Plasma Deposition (a form of Directed Energy Deposition) that can deposit up to 10kg of titanium per hour. A 2kg titanium part would generally require a 30kg block of titanium to machine it from, generating 28kg of waste, but 3D printing the same part requires only 6kg of titanium wire.

Construction

Is it possible to print a building? – yes it is. 3D printed houses are already commercially available. Some companies print parts prefab and others do it on-site.

Most of the concrete printing stories we look at on this website are focused on large scale concrete printing systems with fairly large nozzles for a large flow rate. It’s great for laying down concrete layers in a fairly quick and repeatable manner. But for truly intricate concrete work that makes full use of the capabilities of 3D printing requires something a little more nimble, and with a finer touch.

Consumer Products

When we first started blogging about 3D printing back in 2011, 3D printing wasn’t ready to be used as a production method for large volumes. Nowadays there are numerous examples of end-use 3D printed consumer products.

Footwear

Adidas’ 4D range has a fully 3D printed midsole and is being printed in large volumes. We did an article back then, explaining how Adidas were initially releasing just 5,000 pairs of the shoes to the public, and had aimed to sell 100,000 pairs of the AM-infused designs by 2018.

With their latest iterations of the shoe, it seems that they have surpassed that goal, or are on their way to surpassing it. The shoes are available all around the world from local Adidas stores and also from various 3rd party online outlets.

Eyewear

The market of 3D printed eyewear is forecasted to reach $3.4 billion by 2028. A rapidly increasing section is that of end-use frames. 3D printing is a particularly suitable production method for eyewear frames because the measurements of an individual are easy to process in the end product.

But did you know it’s also possible to 3D print lenses? Traditional glass lenses don’t start out thin and light; they’re cut from a much larger block of material called a blank, about 80% of which goes to waste. When we consider how many people wear glasses and how often they need to get a new pair, 80% of those numbers is a lot of waste. On top of that, labs have to keep huge inventories of blanks to meet the custom vision needs of their clients. Finally, however, 3D printing technology has advanced enough to provide high-quality, custom ophthalmic lenses, doing away with the waste and inventory costs of the past. The Luxexcel VisionEngine 3D printer uses a UV-curable acrylate monomer to print two pairs of lenses per hour that require no polishing or post-processing of any kind. The focal areas can also be completely customized so that a certain area of the lens can provide better clarity at a distance while a different area of the lens provides better vision up close.

Jewelry

There are two ways of producing jewelry with a 3D printer. You can either use a direct or indirect production process. Direct refers to the creation of an object straight from the 3D design while indirect manufacturing means that the object (pattern) that is 3D printed eventually is used to create a mold for investment casting.

Healthcare

It’s not uncommon these days to see headlines about 3D printed implants. Often, those cases are experimental, which can make it seem like 3D printing is still a fringe technology in the medical and healthcare sectors, but that’s not the case anymore. Over the last decade, more than 100,000 hip replacements have been 3D printed by GE Additive.

The Delta-TT Cup designed by Dr. Guido Grappiolo and LimaCorporate is made of Trabecular Titanium, which is characterized by a regular, three-dimensional, hexagonal cell structure that imitates trabecular bone morphology. The trabecular structure increases the biocompatibility of the titanium by encouraging bone growth into the implant. Some of the first Delta-TT implants are still running strong over a decade later.

Another 3D printed healthcare component that does a good job of being undetectable is the hearing aid. Nearly every hearing aid in the last 17 years has been 3D printed thanks to a collaboration between Materialise and Phonak. Phonak developed Rapid Shell Modeling (RSM) in 2001. Prior to RSM, making one hearing aid required nine laborious steps involving hand sculpting and mold making, and the results were often ill-fitting. With RSM, a technician uses silicone to take an impression of the ear canal, that impression is 3D scanned, and after some minor tweaking the model is 3D printed with a resin 3D printer. The electronics are added and then it’s shipped to the user. Using this process, hundreds of thousands of hearing aids are 3D printed each year.

Dental

In the dental industry, we see molds for clear aligners being possibly the most 3D printed objects in the world. Currently, the molds are 3D printed with both resin and powder based 3D printing processes, but also via material jetting. Crowns and dentures are already directly 3D printed, along with surgical guides.

Bio-printing

As of the early two-thousands 3D printing technology has been studied by biotech firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts are built using inkjet techniques. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium and slowly built up to form three dimensional structures. We refer to this field of research with the term: bio-printing.

Food

Additive manufacturing invaded the food industry long time ago. Restaurants like Food Ink and Melisse use this as a unique selling point to attract customers from across the world.

Education

Educators and students have long been using 3D printers in the classroom. 3D printing enables students to materialize their ideas in a fast and affordable way.

While additive manufacturing-specific degrees are fairly new, universities have long been using 3D printers in other disciplines. There are many educational courses one can take to engage with 3D printing. Universities offer courses on things that are adjacent to 3D printing like CAD and 3D design, which can be applied to 3D printing at a certain stage.

In terms of prototyping, many university programs are turning to printers. There are specializations in additive manufacturing one can attain through architecture or industrial design degrees. Printed prototypes are also very common in the arts, animation and fashion studies as well.

Types of 3D Printing Technologies and Processes

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), developed a set of standards that classify additive manufacturing processes into 7 categories. These are:

  1. Vat Photopolymerisation
    1. Stereolithography (SLA)
    2. Digital Light Processing (DLP)
    3. Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)
  2. Material Jetting
  3. Binder Jetting
  4. Material Extrusion
    1. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
    2. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
  5. Powder Bed Fusion
    1. Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
    2. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
    3. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
  6. Sheet Lamination
  7. Directed Energy Deposition

Vat Photopolymerisation

A 3D printer based on the Vat Photopolymerisation method has a container filled with photopolymer resin. The resin is hardened with a UV light source.

Vat photopolymerisation schematics. Image source: lboro.ac.uk

Stereolithography (SLA)

SLA was invented in 1986 by Charles Hull, who also at the time founded the company, 3D Systems. Stereolithography employs a vat of liquid curable photopolymer resin and an ultraviolet laser to build the object’s layers one at a time. For each layer, the laser beam traces a cross-section of the part pattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the ultraviolet laser light cures and solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and fuses it to the layer below.

After the pattern has been traced, the SLA’s elevator platform descends by a distance equal to the thickness of a single layer, typically 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm (0.002″ to 0.006″). Then, a resin-filled blade sweeps across the cross section of the part, re-coating it with fresh material. On this new liquid surface, the subsequent layer pattern is traced, joining the previous layer. Depending on the object & print orientation, SLA often requires the use of support structures.

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

DLP or Digital Light Processing refers to a method of printing that makes use of light and photosensitive polymers. While it is very similar to SLA, the key difference is the light source. DLP utilizes other light sources like arc lamps. DLP is relatively quick compared to other 3D printing technologies.

Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)

One of the fastest processes using Vat Photopolymerisation is called CLIP, short for Continuous Liquid Interface Production, developed by Carbon.

Digital Light Synthesis

The heart of the CLIP process is Digital Light Synthesis technology. In this technology, light from a custom high performance LED light engine projects a sequence of UV images exposing a cross section of the 3D printed part causing the UV curable resin to partially cure in a precisely controlled way. Oxygen passes through the oxygen permeable window creating a thin liquid interface of uncured resin between the window and the printed part known as the dead zone. The dead zone is as thin as ten of microns. Inside the dead zone, oxygen prohibits light from curing the resin situated closest to the window therefore allowing the continuous flow of liquid beneath the printed part. Just above the dead zone the UV projected light upwards causes a cascade like curing of the part.

Simply printing with Carbon’s hardware alone does not allow for end use properties with real world applications. Once the light has shaped the part, a second programmable curing process achieves the desired mechanical properties by baking the 3d printed part in a thermal bath or oven. Programmed thermal curing sets the mechanical properties by triggering a secondary chemical reaction causing the material to strengthen achieving the desired final properties.

Components printed with Carbon’s technology are on par with injection molded parts. Digital Light Synthesis produces consistent and predictable mechanical properties, creating parts that are truly isotropic.

Material Jetting

In this process, material is applied in droplets through a small diameter nozzle, similar to the way a common inkjet paper printer works, but it is applied layer-by-layer to a build platform and then hardened by UV light.

Material Jetting schematics. Image source: custompartnet.com

Binder Jetting

With binder jetting two materials are used: powder base material and a liquid binder. In the build chamber, powder is spread in equal layers and binder is applied through jet nozzles that “glue” the powder particles in the required shape. After the print is finished, the remaining powder is cleaned off which often can be re-used printing the next object. This technology was first developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993.

Binder Jetting schematics

Material Extrusion

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

FDM schematics (Image credit: Wikipedia, made by user Zureks)

FDM works using a plastic filament which is unwound from a spool and is supplied to an extrusion nozzle which can turn the flow on and off. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions by a numerically controlled mechanism. The object is produced by extruding melted material to form layers as the material hardens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle.

FDM was invented by Scott Crump in the late 80’s. After patenting this technology he started the company Stratasys in 1988. The term Fused Deposition Modeling and its abbreviation to FDM are trademarked by Stratasys Inc.

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)

The exactly equivalent term, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), was coined by the members of the RepRap project to give a phrase that would be legally unconstrained in its use.

Powder Bed Fusion

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

SLS uses a high power laser to fuse small particles of powder into a mass that has the desired three dimensional shape. The laser selectively fuses powder by first scanning the cross-sections (or layers) on the surface of a powder bed. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness. Then a new layer of material is applied on top and the process is repeated until the object is completed.

SLS schematics (Image credit: Wikipedia from user Materialgeeza)

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)

Multi Jet Fusion technology was developed by Hewlett Packard and works with a sweeping arm which deposits a layer of powder and then another arm equipped with inkjets which selectively applies a binder agent over the material. The inkjets also deposit a detailing agent around the binder to ensure precise dimensionality and smooth surfaces. Finally, the layer is exposed to a burst of thermal energy that causes the agents to react.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)

DMLS is basically the same as SLS, but uses metal powder instead. All unused powder remains as it is and becomes a support structure for the object. Unused powder can be re-used for the next print.

Due to of increased laser power, DMLS has evolved into a laser melting process. Read more about that and other metal technologies on our metal technologies overview page.

Sheet Lamination

Sheet lamination involves material in sheets which is bound together with external force. Sheets can be metal, paper or a form of polymer. Metal sheets are welded together by ultrasonic welding in layers and then CNC milled into a proper shape. Paper sheets can be used also, but they are glued by adhesive glue and cut in shape by precise blades.

Simplified schematics of ultrasonic sheet metal process (Image credit: Wikipedia from user Mmrjf3)

Directed Energy Deposition

This process is mostly used in the metal industry and in rapid manufacturing applications. The 3D printing apparatus is usually attached to a multi-axis robotic arm and consists of a nozzle that deposits metal powder or wire on a surface and an energy source (laser, electron beam or plasma arc) that melts it, forming a solid object.

Directed Energy Deposition with metal powder and laser melting (Image credit: Merlin project)

Materials

Multiple materials can be used in additive manufacturing: plastics, metals, concrete, ceramics, paper and certain edibles (e.g. chocolate). Materials are often produced in wire feedstock a.k.a. filament, powder form or liquid resin. Learn more about our featured materials on our materials page.

Services

Looking to implement 3D printing in your production process? Get a quote for a custom part or order samples on our 3D print service page.

3D drug printing

September 11, 2018

Popular science competition "Bio/mol/text"-2018

Overview

Tablet formed by printing layers of polymer mixed with drug

Alvaro Goyanes

  • Author
    • Alexey Korolev
      • nine0021
    • Editor
      • Andrey Panov
      Topics
      • "Bio/mol/text"-2018
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Medicine nine0020
      • Personalized medicine
      • Pharmacology

    Bio/mol/text contest entry: Recently, 3D printing has become one of the most revolutionary and powerful tools in many areas. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception. This article will tell readers about the history of 3D printing in the pharmaceutical industry, the latest developments and achievements in this field, and the prospects for the development of 3D printing in the industry. nine0003

    This work was published in the nomination "Biopharmaceuticals" of the competition "bio/mol/text"-2018.

    The general sponsor of the competition is the Diaem company: the largest supplier of equipment, reagents and consumables for biological research and production.

    The partner of the nomination is the medical company Invitro.

    The audience award was sponsored by the Genotek Medical Genetics Center.

    "Book" sponsor of the competition - "Alpina non-fiction"

    Introduction

    3D printers can now create just about anything. From car parts and fashion accessories to transplant organs and pharmaceuticals. For example, 3D printers can print medical devices with intricate designs, geometries, and features that fit a particular patient's anatomy.

    3D bioprinting of organs and tissues is described in the articles " Organs from the laboratory " [1] and " Artificial organs and tissue engineering " [2]. — Ed.

    Medical 3D printing is rapidly revolutionizing healthcare. The use of 3D printing in medicine brings wide-ranging benefits: personalization of medical devices, medicines, cost-effectiveness, increased productivity, and democratization of design and production.

    Before we start delving into the topic of 3D printing in the pharmaceutical industry, let's figure out what 3D printing actually is.

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive (additive) manufacturing method in which objects are made in layers by melting and sintering solid or solidifying liquid materials (ceramics, plastics, metals, powders, liquids, or even living cells).

    There are about two dozen 3D printing methods that use different printing technologies, resolutions and speeds. There are hundreds of materials from which you can recreate a 3D object of almost any shape.

    In order for a three-dimensional object to come into being, you must first create a digital model in a 3D editor, or CAD program, and export it to STL format. Using a special slicer program, translate the STL file into a control G-code for a 3D printer, prepare the 3D printer for work, and start printing. Essential Printer Elements - working platform (it forms the object) and print head (it forms the object layer by layer). Some time passes (if the object is small - a few minutes or hours, and if it is large, then printing can take more than a day), and voila, the object is ready!

    What is 3D printing we learned, move on.

    A bit of history

    Figure 1. The most important advances in pharmaceutical 3D printing

    • Early 70s. Pierre Ciraud ( Pierre Ciraud ) described the method of applying a powder material and then solidifying each layer under the influence of a high energy beam.
    • 1984 Stereolithography (SLA) , invented by Chuck Hull ( Chuck Hull ), was the first commercially available 3D printing technology. This method is based on the photopolymerization of liquid resin with ultraviolet light.
    • Mid 1980s. Karl Deckard ( Carl Deckard ) developed a method for solidifying powder layers using a laser beam, which he called the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) method.
    • 1989 Scott Crump ( Skott Crump ) patented the Rapid Prototyping (FDM) technology, a method that uses a thermoplastic material to form a 3D object. Otherwise this technology is called deposition modeling .
    • 1990s. Invented DOS method - basically the same as used in inkjet printers.
    • 2008 Invented the RepRap printer, a self-copying mechanism for rapid prototyping.
    • 2015 The American company Aprecia Pharmaceuticals has developed ZipDose technology, which allows to form tablets that are convenient because they quickly dissolve in a small amount of water. This technology produced the first FDA-approved printed drug, Spritam® ( Food and drug administration , US Food and Drug Administration) [3].

    Dictionary

    DOD
    ( Drop On Drop ) liquid overlay.
    DOS
    ( Drop On Solid ) hard overlay.
    FDM
    fused deposition method, additive manufacturing technology.
    SLA
    stereolithography, additive manufacturing technology for models from liquid photopolymer resins. nine0164
    SLS
    selective laser sintering, additive manufacturing technology.
    STL
    file format widely used for storing 3D object models for use in additive technologies.

    How drug printing works

    Many different 3D printing techniques have been invented and developed over its 40 year history.

    The basic 3D printing methods (fig. 2) are based on:

    • solidification of the powder material
    • curing fluid
    • extrusion [3]

    Figure 2. 3D printing methods used to create medicines

    Despite the variety of 3D printing methods, each of them includes the following steps, which we talked about at the beginning (Fig. 3) [3] :

    • designing a 3D object using software and optimizing the geometry of the object according to the printer specification;
    • export of a 3D model to a file format recognized by the printer, for example, STL; nine0020
    • importing a file into the software and creating layers in it that will be printed. The height of the printed layer significantly affects the quality of the object, as well as the print time;
    • fabrication of an object by subsequent application (or curing) of layers of material.

    Figure 3. Stages of 3D printing, development

    Application of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals (examples) see where these technologies are already being successfully used to create pharmaceutical products. nine0003

    Example 1

    As reported above, the first 3D printed drug was Spritam® (Fig. 4), developed by the American pharmaceutical company Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . The active substance of the drug - levetiracetam - is an antiepileptic drug. Levetiracetam is able to quickly dissolve in the mouth, the time of disintegration (dissolution) of the drug is from 2 to 27 seconds (average - 11 seconds). A small sip of water is required to disintegrate the drug. The liquid formula, which binds levetiracetam and excipients for the manufacture of the drug, contains flavor-masking additives that improve the patient's condition [4]. nine0003

    Figure 4: Spritam® (levetiracetam), the first 3D printed drug

    Aprecia Pharmaceuticals

    Example 2 medical products. The company was founded by a group of scientists from University College London who saw the potential of 3D printing technology to create drugs [5]. nine0003

    Figures 5-7 show FabRx developments.

    Figure 5. Gummy-like drugs in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, textures and flavors. FabRx makes them attractive to different patient groups, especially young and old.

    fabrx.co.uk

    Figure 6. FabRx researchers experimented with the sizes and shapes of preparations and conducted a study that showed that a pyramid-shaped tablet dissolves faster in water than a cylindrical one

    fabrx.co.uk

    Figure 7. Scientists from University College London also experimented with different drug forms (octopus, dinosaur, cat, monkey and others) for a pediatric patient group

    The future of 3D printing drugs in pharmacies is closer than you think

    Few examples came out, as 3D printing is just being introduced into the pharmaceutical industry, and today only a few companies are 3D printing medicines.

    Benefits and prospects of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals

    Benefits

    • Customization and personalization. 3D printing technologies allow custom dosage forms, release profiles and dosage for each patient. For example, for small patients, a tablet can be printed in the form of some cute animal of any color (Fig. 7).
    • Improving cost efficiency. 3D printing will reduce production costs by reducing the use of unnecessary resources. Some drugs can be printed in forms that can be easily and conveniently delivered to the patient (Fig. 8). nine0020
    • Democratization. Another feature of 3D printing is the democratization of product design and manufacturing. As the cost efficiency of 3D printing increases, the products become orders of magnitude cheaper. [6]

    Figure 8. FabRx Products

    fabrx.co.uk

    Perspectives

    In the distant future, perhaps if 3D printing develops, everyone will be able to print a drug at home. So far, this can only be a dream. But in the near future, as the researchers suggest, drugs can be printed in pharmacies and hospitals. nine0003

    Can 3D drug printing replace traditional drug manufacturing technologies? No - it will require huge investments, trained employees and a number of other things. Yes, and large pharmaceutical companies can prevent the penetration of 3D printing into pharmacies and hospitals. 3D printing is unlikely to catch on in large enterprises, as 3D printers print much more slowly than pharmaceutical production machines. Another significant barrier that may prevent the widespread use of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals is the long and costly obtaining approvals from the quality control services of medicines. In addition, manufacturing regulations and government legal requirements also hinder the spread of 3D drug printing [6]. nine0003

    Pharmaceutical 3D printing is young and still evolving. I think that 3D printing will not be able to capture the pharmaceutical market, since Big Pharma is not going to give up. And as already mentioned, in the world there are only two companies aimed at the development of three-dimensional printing of drugs - this is the American company Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and the British company FabRx.

    Conclusion

    3D printing has become a useful and transformative tool in a number of different areas, including pharmaceuticals. Researchers continue to improve existing 3D printing technologies. Medical and pharmaceutical advances with the help of 3D printing are already serious and exciting, but it will take time and money for everyone to be able to come to the pharmacy and print their own drug. nine0003

    1. Laboratory organs;
    2. Artificial organs and tissue engineering;
    3. Witold Jamróz, Joanna Szafraniec, Mateusz Kurek, Renata Jachowicz. (2018). 3D Printing in Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications – Recent Achievements and Challenges. Pharm Res . 35 ;
    4. MurtazaM Tambuwala, NitinB Charbe, PaulA McCarron, MajellaE Lane. (2017). Application of three-dimensional printing for colon targeted drug delivery systems. nine0306 Int J Pharma Investig . 7 .47;
    5. Abdul W. Basit, Simon Gaisford 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals - Springer International Publishing, 2018;
    6. Ventola C. L. (2014). Medical applications for 3D printing: current and projected uses. P. T. 39 , 704–711.

    Comments

    I want a house with a 3D printer! Step-by-step instructions on how to do it

    Mass-produced 3D printing of buildings is becoming a reality in the booming construction industry. Today we will talk about the technology and types of industrial 3D printers. nine0003

    Technology

    The principle of construction using a 3D printer is to extrude (extrude) concrete, layer by layer, according to a given three-dimensional computer model. With the help of a complex for preparing and supplying a building mixture, concrete is mixed with water and other additives and pumped into a hose. The hose is connected to the printer head. Under the pressure of the pump, concrete is fed to the head, the mixture exits the nozzle and is applied to the surface of the site or previous printed layers. nine0003

    Types of construction 3D printers

    To build a building, you need a ready-made 3D model, quick-setting concrete and a construction site that can be leveled with standard construction equipment. Most of the 3D printers print according to the same principle - by layering the concrete mixture extruded from the extruder nozzle. There are exceptions, such as D-Shape printers, which print by layering powder material and then bonding across the entire width of the machine. nine0003

    Construction 3D printers are diverse - these are machines with a polar scheme of operation (rotating 3D printers), and delta printers, and based on robotic arms. Concrete mixtures suitable for extrusion today make it possible to print elements of varying complexity and size - from small architectural forms, such as flower beds and benches, to entire buildings, bridges and even skyscrapers. Therefore, printers differ not only in device, but also in scale.

    There are several types of construction printers:

    XYZ printers (portal)

    The equipment is a frame along which the head moves along the XY axes. Three portals are usually used to hang the print head. The portals are moved by stepper motors providing the highest precision. They are designed to print buildings in parts - in the shop; and for printing interior walls, when installing the printer inside a building under construction. Small buildings that fit entirely under the arch of the printer are printed entirely in one go. nine0003

    Delta

    Delta printers, unlike gantry machines, do not rely on 3D guides and can print more complex shapes. Here the print head is suspended on thin arms that are attached to vertical rails.

    Robots

    Robotic printer-handles - a robot or a group of robots of the industrial manipulator type, equipped with extruders and controlled by a computer. A special case of a robot printer is a 3D printer with a polar pattern of operation, which is located inside a building under construction, usually in the center. Examples of such robots are a tracked vehicle from MIT and a robot from the Russian company Apis Cor. nine0003

    D-Shape

    Technical features make D-Shape a separate class of construction printers - it prints not with a solution, but with dry powder material, each layer of which is laid to the desired thickness and compacted, and then impregnated with a binder from the nozzles printer. The finished part is cleaned of excess raw materials.

    Building mixes

    The main print material is concrete. nine0003

    Construction printing concrete must be suitable for extrusion through the print head. This is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The difficulty is that the concrete must be laid in regular, even layers without spreading, and set quickly enough to retain its shape, but not too quickly - the superimposed layers must remain chemically active in order to form a single structure at the point of contact. Reducing the setting rate is also important for maintaining the performance of the equipment - the nozzle should not be clogged with hardening concrete. nine0003

    Fine-grained mixtures are used for printing, which are different from traditional concrete. Each company develops its own formulation, which corresponds to the device of the printer and its nozzle, as well as the specifics of the target products.

    Learn more