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The Best 3D Printing Books Including Introductions to 3D Printing)

Welcome to the Thomas guide to the best 3D printing books 2022. Thomas has been connecting North American industrial buyers and suppliers for more than 120 years. When you purchase products through our independent recommendations, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The best place to really dig in deep about a subject is a book. If 3D printing has piqued your interest, our lineup of the best 3D printing books will help wrap your head around this concept, teach you to apply it to everyday work, and learn helpful hints, tips, and tricks.

Books on 3D printing are an excellent foray into the world of additive manufacturing

At first glance, 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) can be an intimidating field to get into. The intersection of science, technology, and mathematics may appear to be overwhelming, but with the right resources and tools, anyone who’s serious about learning the inner workings of 3D printing can.

What is 3D printing?

It may sound like a futuristic practice, but 3D printing has been around since the ’80s. In essence, 3D printing is the art and science of producing tangible materials, models, and objects out of digital files on a 3D printer. There are a lot of moving parts that go into it between the creation of the files, the uploading of them, and the actual printing and implementing of the object.

This method can be used in numerous applications, from at-home science projects or creating a jamb for a door to constructing artificial organs in the medical field or building parts for the aircraft industry. The beauty of additive manufacturing is that it can be adapted for both minuscule projects and large-scale inventions, and many industries are beginning to understand this. In fact, one survey found that nearly 75% of those who participated are looking to invest in 3D printing in 2021. If you’re curious about how things work in this sector, these books are a great place for getting started or brushing up on your knowledge about all-things printers, filaments, software, and uses.

Thomas’ Top Picks for the Best 3D Printing Books

Whether you’re just starting out in the world of 3D printing or are familiar with the processes and endless breadth of projects, these books will provide inspiration, instructions, and important details.

Best 3D Printing Book for Troubleshooting: 3D Printing Failures | Buy Now

Best General 3D Printing Guide: The 3D Printing Handbook| Buy Now

Best 3D Printing Book for Everyday Objects: Functional Design for 3D Printing|Buy Now

Best 3D Printing Book for Kids: 3D Printing Projects | Buy Now

Best 3D Printing Book for Beginners: Getting Started with 3D Printing | Buy Now

Best 3D Printing Book for Essentials: The Zombie Apocalypse Guide to 3D Printing | Buy Now

Best Introductory 3D Printing Book: 3D Printing: An Introduction | Buy Now

Best 3D Printing Book for Learning Software: Fusion 360 for Makers | Buy Now

Browse through our selection of the best 3D printing books to kickstart your journey to learning about this fascinating science.

*Prices listed in this article were as shown in US$ on amazon.com (USA) as of November 2022

1. Best 3D Printing Book for Troubleshooting—

3D Printing Failures

The best way to learn is through mistakes, whether you’re the one making them or you have the privilege to learn from someone else’s. In 3D Printing Failures: How to Diagnose and Repair All Desktop 3D Printing Issues, the author, Sean Aranda, delves into problems you may run into with materials or the machinery itself. This is an update from the original version and includes seven new chapters that are more relevant to today’s 3D printing processes and conundrums.

“While it is geared primarily to newbies to 3D printing, I found material helpful to me and my three years of experience,” wrote one happy reviewer.

BUY NOW:

US$19.99, Amazon

2. Best General 3D Printing Guide—

The 3D Printing Handbook

The pages of The 3D Printing Handbook: Technologies, Design and Applications by Ben Redwood, Filemon Schöffer, and Brian Garret pulls insight from additive manufacturing experts and forms it into digestible chapters. It goes into detail about how the equipment works, how to choose the right technology for your specified sector or projects, and outlines industry standards. It’s a great read for those who have a background in 3D printing, but with a bit of dedicated attention, beginners can utilize this book, too.

“If you need an all-in-one guide on 3D printing as a whole, this is an invaluable resource,” described one customer.

BUY NOW:

US$35, Amazon

3. Best 3D Printing Book for Everyday Objects—

Functional Design for 3D Printing

For knowledgable hobbyists, or those further along in their additive manufacturing careers, there is plenty of useful information in Clifford T Smyth’s Functional Design for 3D Printing: Designing 3D Printed Things for Everyday Use. It provides readers with techniques and guidance on how to configure different materials, set up proper support structures, improve workflow, and handle concerns surrounding problems like warping and adhesion. This third edition has not only expanded textually, but it has included additional instructive illustrations.

“This book hits the middle ground just right,” explained one buyer. “It focuses on pragmatic advice for designing useful parts that are strong enough to work in real-world applications.”

BUY NOW:

US$22.95, Amazon

4. Best 3D Printing Books for Kids—

3D Printing Projects

If you have the equipment at the ready but are unsure where to start, the compilation of ideas and tutorials in 3D Printing Projects by DK is the perfect place to start. While it’s ideal for kids and teens who are testing the waters with 3D printing, it’s a fantastic resource for adults who are just breaking in, too. Of the projects listed, you’ll find guidance on how to make desk caddies, phone stands, and even fridge magnets to try your hand at 3D printing. The book also offers a nice overview of the topic, a glossary of terms, and some light reading on troubleshooting.

“My teen boys and I are working our way through the projects and having so much fun,” wrote one customer. “There is plenty of room for adding your own artistic flair to each project and my boys are really proud of their creations.”

BUY NOW:

From US$12.99, Amazon

5. Best 3D Printing Book for Beginners—

Getting Started with 3D Printing

Getting Started with 3D Printing: A Hands-on Guide to the Hardware, Software, and Services Behind the New Manufacturing Revolution provides a basic yet comprehensive blueprint for people who are easing their way into this science. In the book, authors Liza Wallach Kloski and Nick Kloski discuss the history as well as the supplies and tools needed. It also offers guidance on how to select the right materials and technology (i.e. the printers and filaments) that’ll suit you and your needs best.

The book also contains a few project tutorials to start out with. “This book covers everything and helped me a lot when I couldn't figure out how to fix my prints,” wrote one beginner. “I'm not very tech-savvy and found other books harder to follow. I found this book the easiest to understand.”

BUY NOW:

US$15.65, Amazon

6. Best 3D Printing Book for Essentials—

The Zombie Apocalypse Guide to 3D Printing

It’s hard not to be intrigued by the title of this guide to 3D printing, another book written by Clifford T Smyth. While the subjects may seem incongruent, the context of The Zombie Apocalypse Guide to 3D Printing: Designing and Printing Practical Objects makes sense; it gives an in-depth guide to being as self-sufficient as possible with a 3D printer.

While you’ll learn how to make certain objects, it takes a more interesting angle. It’ll teach you how to make replacement parts, items, and hardware that fit in certain spaces (like bolts and jambs), and integrate 3D printed prototypes into already existing objects.

“It covers expert topics… and the ‘Appendices’ are actually full-blown chapters, with more examples of how to meet your design constraints,” wrote one reviewer. “It's a solid handbook to mark up and keep by your printer.”

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From US$14.99, Amazon

7. Best Introductory 3D Printing Book—

3D Printing: An Introduction

To stay on track and set yourself up for success, you’ll want to turn to 3D Printing: An Introduction by Stephanie and Jonathan Torta. Not only does it present you with the history and basic parts of a 3D printing configuration, but it’ll lead you in setting up your printer and how to get started without relying solely on beginner’s luck.

The chapters also contain tips on avoiding mistakes and fixing mishaps, how to follow safety protocols, and how to start the actual printing procedure. “I found the book so helpful that I marked off several pages for quick reference,” wrote one customer. “I was able to follow the steps in the book to start printing some real decent quality models.”

BUY NOW:

From US$44.01, Amazon

8.

Best 3D Printing Book for Learning Software—Fusion 360 for Makers

Fusion 360 for Makers: Design Your Own Digital Models for 3D Printing and CNC Fabrication gifts readers with a detailed look at this popular program that many turn to for their 3D printers and other computer numerical control machinery. The author, Lydia Sloan Cline, is a teacher on the subject and has authored eight other books in a similar vein, and many reviewers found her writing to be easy to implement.

Aside from the projects in the book, readers will be educated on how to solve problems, apply this tech in a real-life work environment, and get a well-rounded grasp on understanding the software. “Excellent primer on getting up to speed with Fusion 360,” wrote one happy consumer. “Combined with the many online tutorials, it makes the program approachable.”

BUY NOW:

US$19.95, Amazon

Best 3D printing Books 2022—Summary

No matter where you are in your 3D printing career or passion project, there’s a book out there to help. Beginners will enjoy Getting Started with 3D Printing while those further along will appreciate the brush up that Functional Design for 3D Printing provides. We hope our review of the best 3D printing books has been helpful. For more similar suppliers, including suppliers of plastic filaments, direct energy deposition additive manufacturing, and 3D photographic printing, consult our additional guides or visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform.

Sources

  • https://amfg.ai/industrial-applications-of-3d-printing-the-ultimate-guide/
  • https://3dinsider.com/3d-printing-history/
  • https://www.designnews.com/automation/predictions-future-3d-printing

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The 3D printing books you should read this year!

Published on April 22, 2021 by Carlota V.

Today is World Book Day and so we thought there was no better occasion to present to you some of the must-read books about 3D printing, updated for 2021. From a fictional children’s story to designing your first 3D printable model, everyone should be able to find some insightful knowledge about a 3D printing topic of interest. We made sure to cover books for all levels (and ages!) so take a look and see what takes your fancy!

Children’s Books

Peter And Pablo The Printer: Adventures In Making The Future

Together with Peter, who received a 3D printer as a gift from his father, children can playfully discover the value and potential impact of the technology. Pablo the Printer can print Peter not only all the toys he wants, but also his new best friend, the blue dog Rocky. However, Peter also learns that although Pablo can print anything, he shouldn’t print everything. Even though technology has brought us amazing things, it will not be able to replace social interaction and communication in the modern world.

 

‘Build a Better Book’ Project

Build a Better Book from the University of Colorado Boulder is a project about the collaboration between schools and library maker spaces to develop and produce integrative media for children and young people, such as picture books, games and graphics. Using tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and handicraft materials, children create books, games, and STEM graphics (STEM includes, similar to MINT, the subjects of science, engineering, and mathematics) with tactile and acoustic functions. These products have been developed by and for young people with visual impairments and other physical and mental disabilities. Through the project, middle and high school students develop technological skills while simultaneously making books and other products for the blind.

3D Printing Projects

3D Printing Projects is a step-by-step guide to 3D printing that was created for both children and adult beginners who want to learn how to design and 3D print. The book not only covers  topics such as how a 3D printer works and the different types of 3D printers but will give readers instructions to walk them through the 3D design process, digital modeling and sculpting, slicing, printing and even painting the final objects. Additionally, it is cheap to use as all the projects in the book were selected because they could be made using free online modeling and CAD software. With the beautiful and simple instructions, it is ideal for a child just learning 3D printing or an adult who wants inspiration for easy-to-follow projects or to learn more about 3D printing in general. 

3D Printing Books for Adults

3D Printing for Dummies, 2nd Edition

3D Printing for Dummies by Kalani K. Hausman and Richard Horne has been revised and a second edition published! It provides you with all the information you need to immerse yourself in the world of 3D printing. You will learn what are the different types of 3D printers and which methods of modeling you can use, depending on the software. You will learn more about 3D scanners and photogrammetry, but also materials such as plastic, concrete, wax, glass, metal or even chocolate. Get to know the many applications of 3D printing, whether in the medical field for artificial organs or prostheses, in the manufacture of things such as clothing, toys and furniture or even in the food industry. Print prototypes of your product to perfection before production and build your own self-printing 3D printer are all things you can learn in 3D Printing for Dummies!

3D Hubs’ 3D Printing Handbook

3D Hubs is a recognised player in the 3D printing industry and has made it its mission to network various local 3D printing services with users looking to develop their project. This way, they can offer a multitude of additive manufacturing technologies at a better price and with better accessibility. To get closer to users in 2018, after months of work and research, the 3D Printing Handbook offers a comprehensive guide for students, engineers, architects, designers, etc. and helps anyone who wants to enter the additive manufacturing world. It contains more than 300 pages of photos, real-world examples, industry data, and more to make you an expert in 3D printing.

3D Printing Failures, 2020 Edition

The incredibly popular book on how to diagnose and repair all desktop 3D printing issues has been updated for 2020! The new version has been fully revamped and rewritten to ensure that it is up-to-date with a rapidly changing sector. The 2020 version is nearly 50% longer than the previous (2019) edition with 7 new chapters and new photographs. As can be expected from the title, the book contains practical advice from writers Sean Aranda and David Feeney who both have tremendous experience of successful 3D printing.  It is designed for people with no experience or a good degree of experience in 3D printing to continuously achieve consistent clean prints!

Make: Getting Started with 3D Printing

One of Make Community’s various guides on everything from drones to robots to any DIY project you can imagine, Getting Started with 3D Printing: A Hands-on Guide to the Hardware, Software, and Services Behind the New Manufacturing Revolution is a practical book introducing 3D printing to the average person. The book contains everything you would need to understand the fundamentals of 3D printing including a short history of the topic, the best hardware and software choices, hands-on exercises for readers to practice at home and how 3D printing can be applied in someone’s life or profession. Liza Wallach Kloski and Nick Kloski, the authors, wanted to create a book that would allow the general population to understand what 3D printing is as they believe it will affect our lives much more in the years to come. Note that a new edition of the book will be coming out in May with even more information. You can also check out Make’s other books such as their guides to Fusion 360, design for 3D printing and more.

How to Make Money with 3D printing

Many people know what 3D printing is, however not many people know how to create 3D models or use a 3D printer. Just like many growing and innovative technologies, as the quality, speed and costs are optimised, the adoption and potential uses start to spread and flourish. In his book “How to make money with 3D printing”, Jeffrey Ito develops on the idea of ‘hacking the 3D printing ecosystem and becoming a world-class 3D designer’. He goes into detail about all you need to know to become an expert in 3D printing technologies and monetise from this expertise. Jeffrey is a graduate of the University of Southern California in Industrial & Systems Engineering and young entrepreneur who has a passion for 3D printing and is keen to share the keys to making it successfully in this growing industry.

3D Printing Design

The 3D Printing Design book has been written to give both designers and industry leaders access to the conceptual and practical knowledge needed to participate in the cultural and social transformation of the fashion industry. It is organised around three key topics: materials/production technologies; computational geometry/simulation; and design methodologies. 3D Printing for Fashion will provide both design students and industry professionals with the know-how, skills and confidence needed to critically engage with a rapidly evolving design landscape of tools, materials and software applications. The book is full of project-driven step-by-step tutorials and aims to explain in simple terms complex design and manufacturing processes through interviews with leaders in the design and 3D printing industries

The Zombie Apocalypse Guide to 3D printing: Designing and printing practical objects

Did you watch The Walking Dead and wonder whether you yourself would be able to survive a zombie apocalypse? If you did (and you own a 3D printer!), this might be the book for you. According to the author, the book was written for someone who wants to make practical, durable items for everyday use, the first chapter is even titled “Designing and Printing stuff that won’t break when you need it to work.” The easy-to-read book has been created as a one-stop place for everything you might need to do for 3D printing. The tongue in cheek nod to zombies also makes for a more entertaining read, combining practical advice and technical subjects with levity.

Did one of these books spark your interest? Let us know in a comment below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox!

The first book about 3D printing in Russian "Affordable 3D printing for science, education and sustainable development" (Low-cost 3D Printing for Science, Education and Sustainable Development) is ready!

Hooray! This moment has come!

The first book about 3D printing and 3D printers in Russian

The book has been translated and laid out! It took almost a year, but I assure you, the information in the book is more than up to date. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn more about budget 3D printers and wants to get to know them better. nine0003

The book is currently the most complete, up-to-date, detailed and rich source of knowledge about budget / personal 3D printers and 3D printing. The book talks about the history of 3D printing, about the types of printers (and the advantages of budget over industrial ones), printing methods, 3D CAD modeling programs (and the advantages of paid and free programs), gives basic definitions for 3D printing, talks about a variety of methods for using personal 3D printers , talks about how recycling plastic waste can improve the environment and create useful things, about how to teach 3D printing to children. I dare say that with the help of this book, a representative of any profession will understand and find the advantages of 3D printing for himself and feel all the potential that it contains! nine0009

Book content

  • Affordable 3D printing for science, education and sustainability
  • 3D printing - glossary
  • A Practical Guide to Your First 3D Printing
  • The role of free software and hardware in the 3D printing revolution
  • Plug and play, build kits and ready-made 3D printers
  • RepRap, Slic3r and the future of 3D printing
  • 3D Modeling with OpenSCAD - Part 1
  • 3D Modeling with OpenSCAD - Part 2
  • Visualize math using 3D printers
  • Science and art - periodic mosaics
  • Printed model of the ALICE detector from CERN
  • Large Scale 3D Printing - From the Deep Ocean to the Moon
  • Cancellous bone modeling by 3D printing of physical copies
  • Using 3D printers at school - 3drucken. ch experiment
    • nine0016 Prehistoric collections and 3D printing for education
  • 3D printing in art installations
  • From math to jewelry - example
  • 3D printing in developing countries: Lessons learned from Techfortrade 3D4D
  • 3D printed anatomical copies
  • Endless Plastic Project

Thanks

I thank all the translators for their interest and effort, especially I want to note aks_id - Oksana Solovyova and alex_itz - Alexander Kuznetsov - the guys devoted themselves to the translation to the end, sparing no time and effort. Alexander also laid out the book and gave it a finished, neat and comfortable look. Serious work has been done, I ask readers to treat possible inaccuracies with understanding, please send all comments and suggestions for translation to the address: [email protected]

Translation team

Alexander Kuznetsov (alex_itz), alex_itz@mail. ru, Omsk, Russia; Oksana Solovieva (aks_id), [email protected], Berlin, Germany; Julia Skovorodkina (kindra), [email protected], Krasnodar, Russia; Artyom Sobolev (Woolpit), [email protected], Krasnodar, Russia; Roman Dobrovolsky (radical_dreamer), [email protected], Minsk, Belarus; Mikhail Shestakov (mishavolkin), [email protected], St. Petersburg, Russia; Alexander Zorin (fidller_fly), [email protected], Krasnodar, Russia

We thank notabenoid.com for a cozy atmosphere. Book translation page

Translation team

Previous article about the book on Habré

Download the book "Affordable 3D printing for science, education and sustainable development"

3D printing from scratch | BHV publishing house

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Description

The principles of operation of modern 3D printers are considered, advice is given on choosing, self-assembling and setting up such a device, an overview of the most popular models is given. The materials used in 3D printing are described, their comparative characteristics are given. All stages of 3D printing are described in detail: preparing the printer for operation, starting it, eliminating possible printing defects, post-printing processing of products. Attention is paid to working with the free programs Cura, Repetier-Host and the Tinkercad 3D editor, as well as modern 3D scanners that allow obtaining three-dimensional images of real objects…. nine0003

About the Authors

Dmitry Gorkov is an entrepreneur and 3D printing enthusiast with over 20 years of experience in IT. I decided to create a business in the field of 3D printing in August 2013, having accidentally stumbled upon an article on this topic. After purchasing the first 3D printer, he began to implement his ideas by promoting 3D printing, and after a few months he began to fulfill regular orders. His business began to generate a stable income, which allowed him to develop other projects in parallel. Dmitry teaches master classes, speaks at specialized conferences, and also publishes articles on 3D printing on specialized Internet resources and on his own website http://3d-print-nt.ru. nine0003

Valentin Kholmogorov — writer, author of more than 40 books on computer technology, including "Encyclopedia of a personal computer", "Secrets of working in Windows", etc. Valentin's first publication was published in 1993, and since then Since then, in his luggage, there are several hundred articles in online and paper magazines. For many years he has been fond of 3D printing, he independently assembled his first 3D printer in 2014. Valentin's publications can be found in the popular Hacker magazine, as well as on the author's own website: http://holmogorov.ru. nine0003

Parts

Art. No. 2692
978-5-9775-6599-8
Number of pages From scratch
Binding Paperback
Printing B&W
Year
2020105 Dimensions, mm 215 x 165 x 10
Weight, kg 0.

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