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Principle of 3d printer


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.

5 Important Principles of 3D Printing

Here are the five principles of 3D printing that may help individuals and businesses take full advantage of 3D printing technologies.

Principle one: Reduction of costs associated with 3D printing

In traditional manufacturing, the more complicated an object’s shape is, the more it costs to make. To produce an object of equal complexity, 3D printing can remove the overhead costs associated with retraining human machinists or retooling factory machines.


Article you might be interested: 3D Printing and Business



3D Printed Art via wired.co.uk

Principle two: No assembly is required

3D printing can also print objects with its interlocked parts in one go. Mass manufacturing is built on the backbone of the assembly line. In modern factories, machines make identical objects that are later assembled by robots or human workers, sometimes continents away. The more parts a product contains, the longer it takes to assemble and the more expensive it becomes to make. By making objects in layers, a 3D printer could print a door with its attached interlocking hinges at the same time, with no assembly required. Supply chains will be shortened, while saving money on labor and transportation costs at the same time.



3D Printed Gears via thingiverse.com

Principle three: Ability to print on-demand

A 3D printer can print on-demand when an object is required. The capacity for on-the-spot manufacturing reduces the need for companies to stockpile physical inventory. New types of business services become possible as 3D printers enable businesses to make specialty or customized objects on-demand in response to customers’ orders. This could also minimize the costs of long-distance shipping since the object required can be printed as long as a 3D printer is present.



3D Printed Gaudi Sagrada Familia via inhabitat.com

Principle four: Portable manufacturing

Since 3D printers are generally lighter in weight and smaller in scale compared to traditional machines, users can freely move them around anywhere to print 3D objects.


Article you might be interested: The Pros and Cons of Desktop 3D Printer



Compact M3D Printer


Principle five: Precise physical replication

A digital music file can be copied endlessly without losing its audio quality. In the future, 3D printing will extend this digital precision to the world of physical objects. Scanning technology and 3D printing will work together to introduce high-resolution shape shifting between the physical and digital worlds. We will scan, edit, and duplicate physical objects to create exact replicas or even improve upon the originals.



Microlasersintering via 3dmicroprint.com

These principles are expected to help individuals and businesses with 3D printing technologies. Some of these principles already hold true today. 3D printing sets the stage for a cascade of evolving innovations.

Source: 3DPrint.com

Main cover image via ferra.ru

How a 3D printer works, what can be printed on a 3D printer

The 3D printer is a technology that allows you to create real objects from a digital model. It all started in the 80s under the name "rapid prototyping", which was the goal of the technology: to create a prototype faster and cheaper. A lot has changed since then, and today 3D printers allow you to create anything you can imagine.

Contents:

  • What is 3D printing?
  • How does a 3D printer work?
  • What can be printed?

The 3D printer allows you to create objects that are almost identical to their virtual models. That is why the scope of these technologies is so wide.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process because, unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing, 3D printing does not remove material, but adds it, layer by layer - that is, it builds or grows.

  1. In the first step of printing, the data from the drawing or 3D model is read by the printer.
  2. Next is the sequential overlay of layers.
  3. These layers, consisting of sheet material, liquid or powder, are combined with each other, turning into the final form.

With limited production of parts, 3D printing will be faster and cheaper. The world of 3D printing does not stand still and therefore there are more and more different technologies competing with each other on the market. The difference lies in the printing process itself. Some technologies create layers by softening or melting the material, then they provide layer-by-layer application of this same material. Other technologies involve the use of liquid materials, which acquire a solid form in the process under the influence of various factors.

In order to print something , you first need a 3D model of the object, which you can create in a 3D modeling program (CAD - Computer Aided Design), or use a 3D scanner to scan the object you want print. There are also easier options, such as looking for models on the internet that have been created and made available to other people.

Once your design is ready, all you need to do is import it into the Slicer, a program that converts the model into codes and instructions for a 3D printer, most of the programs are open source and free. The slicer will convert your project into a gcode file ready to be printed as a physical object. Simply save the file to the included SD card and insert it into your 3D printer and hit print.

The whole process can take several hours and sometimes several days. It all depends on the size, material and complexity of the model. Some 3D printers use two different materials. One of them is part of the model itself, the other acts as a prop that supports parts of the model hanging in the air. The second material is subsequently removed.

How does a 3D printer work?

Although there are several 3D printing technologies, most create an object by building up many successive thin layers of material. Typically desktop 3D printers use plastic filaments (1) which are fed into the printer by the feeder (2) . The filament melts in the print head (3) which extrudes the material onto the platform (4) creating the object layer by layer. Once the printer starts printing, all you have to do is wait - it's easy.

Of course, as you become an advanced user, playing with the settings and tweaking your printer can lead to even better results.

What can be 3D printed?

The possibilities of 3D printers are endless and they are now becoming a common tool in fields such as engineering, industrial design, manufacturing and architecture. Here are some typical usage examples:

Custom Models

Create custom products that perfectly match your needs in terms of size and shape. Do something that would be impossible with any other technology.

Rapid Prototyping

3D printing allows you to quickly create a model or prototype, helping engineers, designers and companies get feedback on their projects in a short time.

Complex geometry

Models that are hard to imagine can be easily created with a 3D printer. These models are good for teaching others about complex geometry in a fun and useful way.

Cost reduction

The cost of 3D printing end-use parts and prototypes is low due to the materials and technology used. Reduced production time and material consumption as you can print models multiple times using only the material you need.

How to choose and buy a 3D printer? →

3D printer: how it works and what it can do

Just a mere ten years ago, 3D printers were huge, expensive machines reserved for large factories and corporations. All of them remained hidden outside the narrow circle of specialists who designed and used them. But mostly thanks to the open source RepRap movement, these amazing devices have become viable and affordable products for designers, engineers, hobbyists to use. Many educational institutions also managed to acquire 3D printers, which confirms the prospects of this direction.

All 3D printer models are very different from each other. They come in a variety of styles and can be optimized for a specific audience or type of print.

At the moment, there are many 3D printers and their differences are in print quality (printer resolution), print speed, working space, the ability to use different materials, colors, and even the ability to print several objects at the same time. The capabilities of the printer are very high: creating models of houses, printing frames for bicycles, printing car body parts, creating prostheses, and even printing living tissues from biomaterial.

3D printers are an extremely promising development in the field of medicine. At the moment, thanks to volumetric printing, specialists can quickly create a high-quality bone implant, prosthesis, complex medical instrument, etc. Even now, doctors are trying to recreate a functioning organ, but so far these are just experimental developments.

Let's talk about how the magic printer works. How does this machine manage to transfer a digital three-dimensional model into space?

The working part of a 3D printer consists of a platform (workspace) and an “extruder” print head (extrude). The extruder creates an object in layers by extruding a thermoplastic (or other material) into a filament (thread).

The extruder is divided into two main parts: the upper one is the filament feeding unit and the lower one is the nozzle with the heater. In the block there is a roller and a gear connected to an electric motor. These elements pull the thread and bring it down to the nozzle, where the material comes out to the working surface in a molten form. A temperature sensor is installed at the extruder nozzle. This printer part allows you to monitor extruder temperatures, as the original or user settings may go wrong. As everyone knows, each material has its own melting points, and when using any of them, it is necessary to set the appropriate temperature. The heating element consists of a nichrome wire spiral and a pair of resistors. The top of the extruder gets very hot during the printing process, which is unacceptable as the material melts prematurely. To prevent this trouble, a heat-insulating gasket is installed between the cold and hot parts of the extruder. In addition, a cooler and a radiator are installed on the block with the thread feeder.

In addition to the above-described extruder, there is a Bowden extruder in which the hot and cold parts are separated. The filament in this type of extruder is fed from the feed unit on the printer body to the nozzle through the tube.

Some new 3D printer models have two or three extruders, which allows you to work with several colors and print several models in parallel. There is also an experimental model of an extruder with multiple filament feeders and a single nozzle.

Thermal printers are not the only machines that can print 3D models. A 3D printer with a cold extruder in the form of a syringe is extremely popular at the moment. Such a printer allows you to work with concrete mixtures, clay, silicone, plasticine, etc. This type of printer is used in construction.

To date, there are already houses built using a large construction printer. It has a height of 6 meters and a span of about 150 meters. At the moment, the printer can print the floor and walls of the building, but the windows, ceiling and roof are mounted as usual. When making the walls of a residential building, the printer builds several dozen layers and the machine is turned off, reinforcement is laid around the perimeter of all walls, and the printer continues to work on the house. This technological process is repeated over and over again until the construction of the entire house.

To create something on the printer, you need to scan or create your own 3D model. To create a model, many different programs focused on volumetric modeling are used. Some of the most popular programs are 3DMax, 3DTin and the simplest and most interesting is Thinkecard, designed for kids. The program has many ready-made files, and even the ability to export the model to the MineCraft game.

After creating the model, it is necessary to check the parameters of the printer and the created object. You can scale the object or cut it into parts that will easily fit on the printer's workspace.

Learn more