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Ship 3d printer model


15 Best Models Ever Crafted

Navy, pirate, military, battleship vessels have always fascinated the minds of sailors with their size and ability to plough the high seas. If you are much in love with the romance of sailing you might wish to collect your favourite vessels as 3D printed ships. Such projects are incredible to craft. There are so many details in every model powered by oar or sail that your pastime will never get boring.

It is easy to open the oceans to yourself by adding one of the detailed 3D printed ship models to your collection. Even when you do not sail, you can look at the vessel figurine and imagine how waves direct your boat to the fantastic adventures.

3D Printed Ships

Humans have built so many boats that it is a real challenge to choose your favourite 3D printed ship model. A lot depends on your taste. Some of us are in love with antique ships. Some of us enjoy medieval boats built in Europe that had conservative designs or were influenced by ancient Viking or Roman vessels. Some people are in love with boats invented during the Age of Sail.

Others have a passion for the military vessels used during the Second World War. Adding such a WWII ship 3D model to their collection could be the most cherished dream.

Modern navy and old pirate ships also carry the spirit of romance and adventure. Thus, it is better to look at the creations of different eras to figure out your preferences.

Read also: Amazing 3D Printed Boat Models and Parts

Ship 3D Model Print: Top 15

These are 15 most impressive 3D printed ships found on the web. This way you can choose something for your likes.

1. Patrol Boat River MK2

Every country wishes to keep its water borders under full control, especially when the war is going on between its parts.

During the Vietnam War that lasted from 1955 to 1975, everyone wished to control local canals and rivers. Water provided access to most of the region’s resources, and different countries that supported the South or North Vietnam in that war wished of more capabilities.

The River Patrol Force was initiated for this goal. Patrol Boat River shortly called PBRs were employed by U.S. Navy to search river traffic and intercept unwanted vessels and ships.

Patrol Boat 31 MK 2 is a famous PBR that could operate in shallow waters. It was a well-armed, pretty fast and manoeuvrable boat that could be led by a small crew of four people. Such a craft can be used in modern wargames, and, luckily, Gambody – Premium 3D Printing Marketplace has this 3D printing model available.

She is a fantastic model designed at 1/30 scale and cut into 31 printable pieces. You can build a stunning detailed replica of this historical craft at the size of 12 cm x 33 cm x 16 cm (4.5 inches x 13 inches x 6 inches) for your collection.

Download STL files for patrol boat 31 MK 2 3D printing model.

2. Roman Bireme 3D Model

Many medieval crafts made in Europe were influenced by old Roman vessels. Thus, it could be interesting to start your collection with the original prototype that existed many centuries ago. For example, you can choose a bireme galley.

This was a famous warship built by the Phoenicians and Greeks and used by Romans. A bireme was invented for transportation and naval war purposes. It had two sets of oars on its sides, was 4-6 metres long and boasted a beautiful design.

The 6-piece 22-centimetre long Roman bireme 3D model should be simple to 3D print and assemble. It has some impressive décor details, including naval ram, lion sculpture symbolizing Hercules, Mars-Ares sculpt, removable sail and oars.

Image source: MyMiniFactory

If you enjoy the looks of this 3D printed bireme, you can download its STL files and build this ancient beauty for yourself.

3. Spanish Galleon Ship 3D Model

Galleons were huge sailing ships invented in the Age of Sail in the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries. Spanish sailors loved to use those multi-decked vessels as armed freight transporters. They served as warships and for maritime commerce.

Galleon ship 3D print can be proudly added to your display shelf. She is a vast craft with four masts boasting more than twenty cannon ports and several interior decks. She reaches 64 cm (25 inches) in length and 61 cm (24 inches) in height.

Image source: Printable Scenery

With additional accessories (food, barrels, bags, anchor, cannons, rope, etc.), it is a complex project to craft on your 3D printer. While it will definitely take much of your time, the result will be outstanding, once you choose to download Spanish Galleon STLs to work on this venture.

4. Frigate 3D Printed Ship

This warship type was invented in the seventeenth century. It was a fast and manoeuvrable full-rigged vessel with three masts. Its single deck was used for carrying weapons and guns. Frigates were top-rated in France and Britain, and they are still used in the twenty-first century (although they are modernized) as a protector of other warships in the sea.

Modern frigates sometimes resemble battleships, and they are fun to display on your shelf or use in wargames in your swimming pool.

Image source: ARTEIS

This frigate 3D printing model is a complex project that requires skills and some experience with 3D printers. Still, if you choose to build this battleship, you will fall in love with the final result.

5. Sloop Ship 3D Print File

All sloops typically have only one mast and one headsail with additional foresails if needed. These sailing boats got their name from the Dutch word “sloep.”

They are relatively small. But you can make a ballista version of a one-mast sloop that could remind of a pirate ship 3D print when finalized. Such a project is less complicated if compared to crafting the Galleon or Frigate.

Image source: ARTEIS

Still, the Sloop looks fantastic in the wargaming pool field or on a display shelf.

6. Titanic Ship 3D Model

Most of us remember the sad story of Titanic shipwreck. This famous ship sank near the coast of Newfoundland over a century ago. The voyage of this ship ended when she collided with an iceberg in 1912.

Thanks to James Cameron, the whole world could witness the love story between the imaginary passengers of Titanic in the incredible 1997 romance and disaster movie.

Those hobbyists who are fascinated with the story and film can 3D print a Titanic model. There are many STLs you can find on the web.

You can craft a low poly version of Titanic on FDM/FFF 3D printer. The most challenging part about this project is printing the props. Once you manage them, your figurine will be impressive:

Image source: MyMiniFactory

You can also go with the 1/500th scale model of Titanic, which looks very accurate and fantastic. Still, users who chose to make this version report multiple problems when trying to use supports and suggest to avoid them for all the pieces except the stern:

Image source: Thingiverse

Of course, being printed at nearly 4 meters length, Titanic looks impressive:

Maker: BernCo Models

Such projects require much patience, filament, money and time. But the result achieved by BernCo Models is outstanding!

Maker: BernCo Models

7. Viking Longship Model to 3D Print

Quick Viking longships usually had one mast with a square sail and a row of oars on both sides. These simple yet impressive medieval vessels were used in battle. The front of the longship was often decorated with a dragon head.

You can choose to make a cute medieval Viking longship that can carry 2.8 cm (1 inch) sailor figurines. It looks fantastic with 27 oars, Viking shields, a dragon head and other details.

Image source: Printable Scenery

The ancient 3D printed ship looks gorgeous. It is perfect as a display and a great element of the wargames if you are fond of them.

8. Brig Ship 3D Model

Brigs were initially created as sailing vessels during the Age of Sail. They had two masts, were manoeuvrable and used as merchant boats and naval warships with 10-18 guns. Their size was not huge, but they still had a challenge of sailing into the wind.

The happiest Brig’s years were in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. With the construction of steamships, the destiny of Brigs was defined, and they fell out of use.

Image source: Printable Scenery

If you are in love with this vessel, you can craft a Brig for your collection. She is designed with two masts, a removable wake and impressive details. This gorgeous project can be the bright exhibit in your collection of 3D printed ships.

9. WWII Ship 3D Model

Most crafts used during the Second World War were military vessels. They participated in the combat operations, repatriation of prisoners, surrenders, etc. Some ships were relatively small, of less than 1000 tons, and others were huge. Many of those creations are of historical interest, and it can be a great idea to print the WWII ship 3D model you like the most.

For example, you can make a craft of King George V. She was a lead royal navy battleship of over 35,000 tons and reached 227 meters (745 feet) in length. She was built in 1937. The commission year was 1940.

For several years this WWII ship was operating in the Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. She helped to sink a German ship Bismarck and the Royal Navy’s HMS Punjabi. She took part in port and island bombarding and lived a life full of adventures until she became a training battleship in 1947.

Here is a render of a low poly model vs the original King George V class battleship:

3D printing model vs real King George V class battleship. Image sources: Free3D; USN

10. Flower Class Corvette 3D Model

The list of royal navy boats is pretty long. Not only King George V class battleship can be turned into a 3D print, but also a flower class corvette. This British vessel is also known under the Gladiolus class, and it was used during the Second World War.

While the majority of flower class corvettes were not preserved as a museum vessel, you can 3D print one of these projects for your collection of navy craft.

Here is an example of 3D printed corvette of flower class. It is radio-controlled and resembles HMS Agassiz’s design. Reaching approximately 1.3 meters (over 4 feet) in length, it is an impressive collector’s figurine with many fantastic details:

Image source: cgtrader

11. Armidale Class Patrol Boat Model

Some 3D printing hobbyists love modern vessels as much as ancient and medieval ships. One of such crafts, a patrol boat of Armidale class, was created for the Royal Australian Navy in the 1990s. The commission of the first boat took place in 2005, and the last one was commissioned in 2008.

The main task of these boats was to patrol the borders, including the offshore territories, and intercept the unauthorized arrivals by sea.

Maker: BernCo Models

A 3D printed model of such a modern Armidale class ship looks impressive. The boat is made at 1/35 scale. She is about 1.7 meters (over 5 feet) long. While the project requires about 7 kg (15 lbs) of the spool, it is still an excellent 3D print of which you can be proud.

12. Liberty Ship WWII Model

Every country that participated in the Second World War had to build and use its own ships. The USA, for example, was symbolized by low-cost and mass-produced Liberty ships that belonged to the class of cargo vessels.

More than 2,700 Liberty ships were built in the USA throughout 1941-1945. Each one was designed to carry over 10,000 tons of cargo. However, their capacity was even higher because, during WWII, such vessels could carry loads far exceeding their initial volume.

Adding such a model to your collection of WW2 ships is a fantastic idea. And here is a beautiful Liberty ship 3D model for printing although it is not historically accurate:

Image source: cgtrader

13. Pirate Ship 3D Model STL

Piracy is a horrible thing that terrors the world, even in the twenty-first century. Still, it might be a great idea to 3D print a pirate ship for your collection or wargames in the pool.

Actually, there is no such a class or type of vessels as “a pirate ship. ” No shipyard officially builds anything under such a title. Pirates have always preferred to capture any well-made, well-armed, fast and reliable ship for their “bad navy business.” Usually, such vessels sailed under the black sails depicting human bones or a pirate hat, and their crew members were all involved in piracy.

This outstanding pirate ship 3D print was designed by Chris Hunt. She depicts a two-mast model with pirates on board:

Maker: Chris Hunt

When painted, Hunt’s project looks like a fairy-tale:

Maker: Chris Hunt

There are many great 3D prints in Hunt’s ShipWorks Terrain Group on Facebook:

Maker: Bastian Melsheimer

Here is a simplified version of a pirate vessel 3D printing figurine:

Image source: Thingiverse

14. World War 2 Ships

Most vessels used during World War 2 were armed. Hobbyists who study the ships of that period and wish to add some models to their collection can find many great designs on the web. For example, you can 3D print some models used by Britain, the USA, Japan or other countries.

Some of these projects have many delightful details, while others lack many particulars and still look great as an addition to the wargaming or tabletop games.

Here are some impressive British World War 2 ships which you can craft after downloading STLs:

Image source: cgtrader

This is a collection of the USA and Japanese STL files of WWII ships to 3D print:

Image source: cgtrader

Of course, there were so many WWII ships that you can 3D print any project you will find on the web or design it yourself. Here are some great examples of what other hobbyists have crafted:

Image source: instagram.com; @wargaming3dImage source: instagram.com; @wargaming3d

15. Medieval Ship 3D Models

The design of most medieval ships is awe-inspiring. It is one of the reasons why many crafters are more than happy to find a high-quality 3D printing model of some vessels of early, high and late middle ages. Some of the most recognized boats of the medieval era are Cog, Knarr, Hulk, Carrack, Longship and Galley.

Here is an outstanding 3D printed Cog ship that could proudly decorate your display shelf at home:

Image source: Everpunk Games

These are beautiful examples of 3D printed Endeavor, Drakkar and Sao Cristovao:

Image source: 3DR Holdings

Here are some more ancient projects brilliantly 3D printed by Tucho Fernández Calo which you can enjoy:

Maker: Tucho Fernández Calo

What do you think about the most impressive 3D printed ships? Is there a model you would be happy to craft yourself? Share your thoughts in Gambody Facebook Group. It is your unique chance to influence the decision of which new vessel 3D print file to add to the marketplace in the future.

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How the 3D printer industry turned into weapons, organs and spacecraft in a decade

The inventors imagined everything differently. How the 3D Printing Industry Became Used to Make Weapons, Organs, and Spaceships It is used from the aerospace and military industries to medicine, design, construction and cosplay. Completely different from what the inventors of the technology in the 80s of the last century intended. We decided to recall how the eyewash cup has become a universal technology for the production of parts, weapons, and even internal organs.

ZMorph VX Multi Tool 3D Printer
https://unsplash.com/photos/UqCCSbAIaDU

Зміст

  • 1 The history of 3D printing
    • 1.1 Different technologies of 3D printing
    • 2 technologies
  • 3 How 3D models began to be used in various fields
  • 4 Bottom line: why they created and what they ended up with

The history of the emergence of 3D printing

Many sources consider Charles (Chuck) to be the father of 3D printing ) Halla, it was him on August 8, 1984 filed a patent for a technology called "Apparatus for creating three-dimensional objects using stereolithography (STL)". As often happens in the history of science, the discoverer was not the one who did it first, but the one who received funding in time and created a more universal technology. A few years before Charles Hull, several other scientists worked fruitfully in this area, but failed to get a patent, although they made significant progress.

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Japanese Hideo Kodama was one of the first to invent single-beam laser polymerization. Unfortunately, he failed to get a patent for the discovery.
https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2017/03/01/whos-behind-the-three-main-3d-printing-technologies/

Before Hull started experimenting in 1981, Dr. Hideo Kodama from the Municipal Industrial Research Institute in Nagoya described in the article a process during which "a solid model is made by exposing a liquid photopolymer to ultraviolet rays, <. ..> laying down transverse hardened layers." He was able to create some prototype parts, but never completed the patent specification, and over time he refused to develop the idea. And all because of the lack of funding!

The second major claim to success in creating 3D printing was the experiments of three French engineers: Alain Le Mecho, Olivier de Witt and Jean-Claude Andre. In the dining room, they discussed creating a "fractal object" using a laser and a hardening polymer. But the first experiments failed and then, Jean-Claude Andre, a specialist from CNRS French National Center for Scientific Research , proposed building a model not from blocks, but layer by layer. In this way, they were able to create a prototype of a spiral staircase. Engineers filed a patent for the stereolithography process three weeks before the American Chuck Hull and received it at 1986 year. But CNRS and Alcatel, on the basis of which the research was carried out, did not see the prospects in stereolithography technology, so the patent was never used.

Dr. Jean-Claude André (second from left) receives an award at the European Conference on Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing in 2013.
https://www.arsmathematica.org/is2013/

Let's go back to Charles Hull. He planned to use 3D printing technology in furniture production. Using ultraviolet rays, he wanted to prototype small parts for countertops. The management of the company where he worked approved Hull's initiative, provided him with a small laboratory and funded research. He described the whole process as follows: “ultraviolet light hits the surface of a container filled with liquid photopolymer, under computer control the beam “paints” each layer on the surface of the liquid, causing the photopolymer to turn into a solid.”

Description of the first stereolithography project filed by Charles Hull for a technology patent.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4575330?oq=4%2c575%2c330

At the same time, Autodesk's Fusion 360 separates the computer model into thin layers that are printed in succession, solidifying as the model is built. One night, Hull's experiments resulted in a complete 3D model. He pulled his wife out of bed and proudly showed her... a black eyewash cup. It was he who became the world's first "official" 3D model made using STL technology, and at 1986 Charles Hull received a patent for his discovery. The inventor's next step was to set up 3D Systems in Valencia, California and expand the patents to include different starting materials and continue to commercialize the process.

Photo 1:

The same eyewash cup that became the first 3D model in 1983

Charles Hull (second from left) and the 3D Systems team in Valencia

3dsystems.com/our-story

A Canadian investor believed in the technology, and as soon as the company was able to launch a commercial 3D printer on the market in 1988 - model SLA-1, car manufacturers, medical institutions and aerospace companies are interested in it. Today, 3D Systems, led by Chuck Hull, continues to play a leading role in the 3D printing technology market, and Hull himself was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014 for his achievements.

Model of the first commercial stereolithography SLA-1 3D printer
https://www.3dsystems.com/our-story

Miscellaneous 3D printing technologies

Nearly the same time as Hull, University of Texas at Austin student Carl Deckard came up with an alternative 3D printing technology called selective laser sintering, or SLS. While working with a TRW machine that made parts for oilfields, Deckard realized that productivity could be increased by reducing the number of castings.

Carl R. Deckard and Dr. Joe Beeman with one of the first SLS devices
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/carl-deckard-the-inventor-of-sls-passes-away-166853/

About two and a half years he needed to develop technology that would allow the machine to produce parts without casting. Carl Deckard filed a patent for SLS in 1987 and received it in 1989. The main difference between his technology and stereolithography is the material at which the laser is directed: instead of a polymer (resin), Descartes acted on a free-flowing powder, turning it into a solid. Thanks to the support of Professor Joe Birman and investors who believed in the project, Desk Top Manufacturing (DTM) Corp. was born. But it took more than 20 years for SLS printing to become financially affordable for the average consumer.

Selective laser sintering technology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering#/media/File:SLS_schematic.svg

But the most affordable printing technology was born in a garage from engineer Scott Crump's desire to make a frog figurine for his daughter. In the late 1980s, Crump mixed candle wax with polyethylene and used a hot glue gun to make a three-dimensional frog. This is how the first model was made using FDM - technology of layer-by-layer deposition using molten plastic.

In 1989, together with his wife Lisa Crump, who strongly urged her husband to turn the discovery into a business, they patented the FDM technology. In 1992, Scott created the first working FDM 3D printer. Soon the couple became co-founders of Stratasys, one of the modern leaders in the industrial 3D printer market. In less than a decade, three 3D printing technologies were born that changed the course of events: stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), deposition deposition modeling (FDM).

The same garage where Scott Crump picked up a hot glue gun and came up with FDM technology
https://www.tctmagazine.com/additive-manufacturing-3d-printing-news/exclusive-stratasys-scott-crump-3d- printing-legacy/

When the tipping point and mass adoption of the technology occurred

Despite the fact that in the 1980s several inventors made a breakthrough with the discovery of stereolithography and other types of 3D printing, until the early 2000s, the technology did not receive widespread. First, the cost and scale of the equipment: for a long time, only the automotive and aerospace industries could afford to buy equipment for the production of three-dimensional parts. Secondly, the first 3D models were fragile, limited in shape and materials from which they were created, so for a long time the wider adoption of 3D printing seemed futile.

Until the RepRap (Replicating Rapid Prototyper) project appeared in 2005. Dr. Adrian Bauer of the University of Bath came up with the idea for a 3D printer to reproduce its own open source parts. In 2006, for the first time, scientists successfully reproduced a part for a "child" printer on a "parent" one.

All plastic parts for the machine on the right were made on the machine on the left. Adrian Bauer (left) and Vic Olliver (right) are members of the RepRap project.
https://stringfixer.com/files/704541002.jpg

The first such printer under the name Darwin was released in 2007. Then came Mendel, Prusa Mendel, and Huxley, all named after evolutionary biologists. Over the next few years, RepRap was able to reproduce more than 50% of the details. This technology not only made it possible to use 3D printers more without global restrictions to test future replicas of the original devices, but also save on production processes.

This resulted in the Prusa MK3 or Lulzbot Mini 2. Both machines use a lot of printed parts and their manufacturers provide STL files for download. It was no longer necessary to rely on expensive parts made on commercial 3D printers. Every year the number of replicas that were created with the help of "parent" printers, and then "child" printers, grew and in 2008 exceeded one hundred.

Models of Lulzbot Mini 2 (left) and Prusa MK3 (right) 3D printers
https://threedpr.com/lulzbot-mini-2-vs-prusa-mk3/

Not only engineers and scientists were interested in making 3D printing accessible for all. In 2009, the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform was launched, where dozens of companies and individuals raised money for projects to create mass-produced and inexpensive 3D printers.

Many of the ideas have remained as descriptions on the site, while others have received phenomenal support on Kickstarter. For example, to create the “first true consumer 3D printer”, a group of startups asked for $50,000 in aid, and ended up raising a record $3,401,361. And in 2014 they introduced the Micro, a compact printer that runs on PLA polylactide - biodegradable, biocompatible, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester, the monomer of which is lactic acid or ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - belongs to the styrenic polymer family and shares many properties with polystyrene .

Micro's developers set themselves three goals: affordability, ease of use, and compactness.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/m3d/the-micro-the-first-truly-consumer-3d-printer

It's time for desktop printers. By this time, the main patent for FDM technology had expired, and in 2009 the guys from Marketbot fulfilled the dream of many self-taught engineers. The D.I.Y. sets are released to the market. open source for anyone who wanted to create their own 3D printers and models. Following this, the company opens the Thingiverse online library, where users can upload and download ready-made files for 3D printing. To this day, Thingiverse remains the largest repository and online community in the industry.

How 3D models began to be used in various fields

In parallel with the attempt to make 3D printing as accessible as possible for all users, biotechnologists have learned to use 3D printing to create viable cell-based models. The dream of any transplant doctor is that there is no need to look for tissues or organs from a suitable donor.

The new technology would make it possible to grow a 3D model from the patient's own cells and, over time, would have to fully take root in the body. The first patent for bioprinting was received by Organovo. Using the NovoGen MMX apparatus, the company “grows” skin, heart, and blood vessel tissues. During a TED talk, surgeon Anthony Atala showed the beginnings of a project to grow a kidney on a 3D printer. He believes that one day such experiments will lead to the fact that we will no longer need donors.

About 90% of people in need of a transplant are waiting for a kidney. Therefore, scientists aim to recreate this particular organ. The structure of a kidney on a 3D printer is created in seven hours, but due to the complexity of the structure, it is still too early to talk about a full-fledged printed organ.
https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidney

More than in medicine, military structures of different countries became interested in the possibilities of 3D printing technology. By investing multi-million dollar budgets in various developments, the ministries of defense and private military corporations have at their disposal: the SULSA 9 drone0049 Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft , drone hulls, rocket hulls, R.A.M.B.O.

Photo 1:

Aerospace engineers at the University of Southampton designed, built and in 2011 flew the world's first "printed" aircraft.

https://phys.org/news/2011-07-southampton-world-aircraft.html

Photo 2:

R.A.M.B.O. consists of 50 individual 3D printed parts, excluding springs and fasteners. This is a modified M203 grenade launcher with a pistol grip.

https://all3dp.com/3d-printed-grenade-launcher-rambo/

In 2021, the US military entered into a deal with the non-profit organization ASTRO America, which is to develop the largest 3D printer capable of creating monolithic cases from metal for combat vehicles. The technology of monolithic hulls has already proven to be resistant to damage, while the military wants to speed up and reduce the cost of converting vehicles through 3D printing.

Individuals are also not far behind. Several scandalous cases in America have long been known, for example, Texan Cody Wilson is selling a CNC milling kit called Ghost Gunner 3 for $ 2.5 thousand. The technology allows you to turn raw aluminum into an untraceable small arms, and its creator proudly says that that sells 55 units weekly. Cody Wilson shows the world's first working 3D model of the Liberator pistol he created in 2013.
https://slate.com/technology/2018/08/the-latest-ruling-about-3d-printed-guns-misunderstands-the-technology. html

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of 3D modeling to architecture and construction. Surely Chuck Hull did not think that it was possible to print an entire building at home while he was trying to “layer” the first eyewash glass. But residential buildings, which were created from parts printed on a 3D printer, no longer surprise anyone. The first residential building in the EU was the Milestone project. Designers from Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix created a boulder-shaped room to experiment with the shape of the model and expand the creative possibilities of designers.

Photo 1, 2:

The concrete structure is visually indistinguishable from the houses formerly occupied by the Dutch couple who received the keys to Milestone.

https://www.designboom.com/architecture/project-milestone-first-3d-printed-concrete-house-europe-eindhoven-netherland-completion-04-30-2021/

But the most surprising thing seems to be the possibility that three-dimensional models will be mass-produced right in space. NASA has successfully delivered an improved Made in Space Manufacturing Device (ManD) 3D printer to the ISS on the Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) spacecraft. Scientists want to know if the printer can work in zero gravity and use regolith 9 as a feedstock0049 soil rock on the moon to create future colonies. If successful, the scientists also hope to solve the problem of sarcopenia, loss of muscle mass and functionality in microgravity.

Redwire Regolith Print Complex, consisting of the Redwire additive manufacturing facility, printheads, wafers, and lunar regolith simulation feedstock.

Bottom line: why they created it and what they ended up with

The scientific world never ceases to amaze: a whole industry was born from a technology that could speed up the work in furniture production, or the desire to create an original toy for a daughter. From a technology only available to the military, automotive giants and NASA, 3D printing has moved into the category of things where a child can use a pen and plastic rods to create a three-dimensional figure of the Eiffel Tower.

Global changes have taken place in just 30 years. We say “everything” because, in the context of the history of scientific discoveries, it seems like a grain of sand. We hope that future generations will use new discoveries in 3D printing to improve living conditions and conquer space, and not another, even more powerful weapon.

We found out why 3D printing is dangerous. The main myths about technology

Vladislav Kochkurov General Director of the Center for Additive Technologies

The first product was 3D printed in 1983 - it was a small container in the form of a bowl. Now researchers are creating aircraft engines and rockets, jewelry, food, and even houses. Despite the fact that there is a lot of information about this area, many people still do not understand exactly how 3D printing works. Vladislav Kochkurov, General Director of the Center for Additive Technologies, talks about the misconceptions we face when talking about layer-by-layer creation of three-dimensional objects.

Read Hi-Tech in

Myth No. 1. 3D printing takes place with little or no human intervention

product. One gets the false impression that the entire cycle of additive manufacturing consists only of the operation of equipment, and a person hardly participates in this - he only turns on a 3D printer and loads a polymer, metal powder or other material into it.

But the key role in building an object is played by its 3D model. It is a map on which the finished product will be built. The quality and characteristics of the future subject depend on its detailed study. Here, the participation of specialists with high competencies in the fields of design, technology and materials is needed.

In industrial production, the construction of a 3D model is carried out in AutoCAD computer-aided design systems. The design engineer, in accordance with the terms of reference and using various calculation methods, creates the geometry of the future product. Even if the 3D model already exists and does not need to be built from scratch, AutoCAD programs carry out its topological optimization - redesign for additive manufacturing.

This process aims to eliminate stress raisers and thin-walled features that can cause cracks or other damage during the printing process. Together with the 3D model, the location of technological supports is also designed - support structures needed for optimal positioning of the part on the platform, heat removal and reduction of the risk of deformation during the printing of the product. Printing is also preceded by the process of developing technological modes of construction, which is being worked on by a process engineer.

Further, based on the prepared 3D model, the printer prints on its own, sometimes working for several days in a row. But before that, the equipment needs to be prepared - make sure that the build platform is level and all the mechanisms move as they should. Even the powder in the 3D printer is not just poured, but goes through the stages of incoming control and preparation.

Another mandatory stage in the production cycle of a product, where human participation is needed, is post-processing.

Myth #2: A finished product comes out of a 3D printer

Many people think of 3D printing as it is shown in films. Robotic installations in a matter of minutes create superhero costumes and print elements of spaceships. Technology, of course, is striving for this, but today all products removed from the printer need post-processing.

To relieve internal stress that occurs during the printing process, the product undergoes alternating heating and cooling procedures. This way it achieves full mechanical properties. Then technological supports are cut off - they have already fulfilled their function. Removal of excess powder and surface treatment of the product are carried out using a sandblasting chamber. If it is necessary to achieve absolute smoothness of surfaces, then milling, turning, electrochemical and grinding machines are used. For plastic products, chemical post-treatment with acetone or other solvents is sometimes used.

Myth #3: You can 3D print anything

Innovations in the field of additive technologies appear every year and already surpass our imagination. Synthetic meat steaks, a human heart, and a whole house are already being printed. It seems that the possibilities of additive manufacturing are endless and a 3D printer can do anything. But now there are several limitations related to the size and material of the product - it is impossible to create very large and very small objects.

For example, the Center for Additive Technologies has an installation with a build chamber up to half a meter, the largest printer in Russia based on selective laser melting technology. Elements of Russian aircraft engines are already being “grown” there.

“Innovations in the field of additive technologies appear every year”

The capabilities of polymer printers are much wider - one of them, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, can create objects up to 30 m long. In 2017, a monolithic boat was printed on it, weighing 2 tons and 7 m long. The smallest object printed on a 3D printer is a ship. Its length is 2-3 times less than the thickness of a human hair - only 30 micrometers (0.03 mm).

3D printers are already used to create even at home. A construction printer works by analogy with an FDMD printer that prints plastic products, but instead of polymeric materials, cement mixtures are used as “inks”. In size, such a mechanism is much larger. The world's largest 3D printed building has an area of ​​641 square meters. m. and is located in the UAE.

Other limitations in additive manufacturing are not related to the size of the 3D printer's build chamber, but to the material used. During the printing process, it is in a liquid or molten state, therefore, it should melt normally. Wood, fabric, or paper objects cannot yet be printed, as they will burn before the material can be melted. Although here you can find a loophole: if you mix crushed cellulose fibers with a water-based gel, and then freeze the object, gradually removing water from it, you will get products made of a material similar to wood.

Myth No. 4. Products printed on a 3D printer are of poorer quality

Visually, the 3D printing process looks like a layer-by-layer application of material. This may raise the question: how firmly are the layers interconnected?

3D printing can introduce several defects, so it is important to follow the workflow. A lot depends on the quality of the materials. In industrial production, all metal powders undergo input control, this process is regulated by standards. Even if the material is certified, it is very important to observe the conditions for proper storage: avoid moisture and dampness, place in a special package. If you do not check the condition of the nozzle, set the temperature or print speed incorrectly, misalignment of layers, overheating, or other defects may occur.

If all the conditions are met, then the product will not be inferior in properties, and often even surpass the analog made by traditional methods. If you compare two aluminum objects under a microscope, the printed product will have a denser structure.

“If all conditions are met, then the product will not be inferior in properties, and often even surpass the analog made by traditional methods”

Myth #5. 3D printing is environmentally friendly

3D printing is considered to be environmentally friendly, as this type of production leaves little waste.

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