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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 horizontal cross-section of the eventual 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 (functional) shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.
How Does 3D Printing Work?
It all starts with the creation of a 3D model in your computer. This digital design is for instance a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file. A 3D model is either created from the ground up with 3D modeling software or based on data generated with a 3D scanner. With a 3D scanner you’re able to create a digital copy of an object.
3D Scanners
Currently, prices of 3D scanners range from expensive industrial grade 3D scanners to $30 DIY scanners anyone can make at home. We’ve created a handy guide to scanning technology right here, rating them by price, speed, precision and software capabilities.
3D Modeling Software
3D modeling software come in many forms. There’s industrial grade software that costs thousands a year per license, but also free open source software, like Blender, for instance. You can find some beginner video tutorials on our Blender tutorials page.
3D modeling software are often made to suit the functions of the user’s industry. This has resulted in the rise of software suited to specific niches. As a result, there are software applications on the market that cater to aerospace or transportation, furniture design or fabrics and fashion among many others.
For this reason, when you are starting out, the amount of choices can be a bit overwhelming, we recommend starting with Tinkercad. Tinkercad is available for free and it works in browsers that support WebGL, for instance Google Chrome. They offer beginner lessons and has a built in option to get your object printed via various 3D print services.
Now that you you have a 3D model, the next step is to prepare it in order to make it 3D printable..
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 horizontal cross-section of the eventual 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 (functional) shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.
How Does 3D Printing Work?
It all starts with the creation of a 3D model in your computer. This digital design is for instance a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file. A 3D model is either created from the ground up with 3D modeling software or based on data generated with a 3D scanner. With a 3D scanner you’re able to create a digital copy of an object.
3D Scanners
Currently, prices of 3D scanners range from expensive industrial grade 3D scanners to $30 DIY scanners anyone can make at home. We’ve created a handy guide to scanning technology right here, rating them by price, speed, precision and software capabilities.
3D Modeling Software
3D modeling software come in many forms. There’s industrial grade software that costs thousands a year per license, but also free open source software, like Blender, for instance. You can find some beginner video tutorials on our Blender tutorials page.
3D modeling software are often made to suit the functions of the user’s industry. This has resulted in the rise of software suited to specific niches. As a result, there are software applications on the market that cater to aerospace or transportation, furniture design or fabrics and fashion among many others.
For this reason, when you are starting out, the amount of choices can be a bit overwhelming, we recommend starting with Tinkercad. Tinkercad is available for free and it works in browsers that support WebGL, for instance Google Chrome. They offer beginner lessons and has a built in option to get your object printed via various 3D print services.
Now that you you have a 3D model, the next step is to prepare it in order to make it 3D printable..
Slicing: From 3D Model to 3D Printer
You will have to slice a 3D model in order to make it 3D printable. Slicing is dividing a 3D model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers and is done with slicing software.
Sometimes it’s possible to slice a 3D file within a 3D modeling software or in the 3D printer itself. It is also possible that you are forced to use a certain slicing tool for a certain 3D printer.
When your 3D model is sliced, you are ready to feed it to your 3D printer. This can be done via USB, SD or Wi-Fi. It really depends on what 3D printer brand you work with. When a file is uploaded in a 3D printer, the object is ready to be 3D printed layer by layer.
Learn How to 3D Print – Where to Start?
Getting started with 3D printing means asking yourself what you would like to learn first. Are you interested in the hardware, or do you want to focus on the end result – creating objects? Answering this question could lead you to the decision if whether you should buy a pre-assembled 3D Printer or a DIY 3D Printer kit. Read more in our 3D Printers for Beginners buyers guide.
Which 3D Printer Is Right for You?
Want to buy a 3D printer but you have a tight budget? Starting your journey into 3D printing doesn’t need to be expensive. There are plenty cheap 3D printers under $250.
Besides the examples above, there are a bunch of different elements which will help decide what the best 3D printer is for you. Will it be used in the classroom? Will it be used for small batch production? For more information, please read our buyers guide: the best 3D printers of 2018.
How much does a 3D printer cost?
So what determines the price of a 3D printer?
For starters: parts. When a manufacturer uses high quality parts (motors, frame, electronics), this will affect the price of the end product. When the parts are of high quality it doesn’t automatically mean the prints will turn out great – there are too many other factors that play a role as well.
When a manufacturer decides to go cheap on parts it can market the product for a good price. On the other hand it doesn’t automatically mean that a cheap 3d printer will give you bad print results. But you’ll probably have to put in more time and effort to get to the same level.
Secondly there’s Research & Development. It can take years of groundwork and engineering before the final product is a stable, high quality 3D printer. Manpower can become costly overtime which ofcourse needs to be earned back.
The next element that influences the price of a 3D printer is: assembly. In general it’s cheaper and more efficient to ship just the parts compared to a fully assembled 3D printer. This can be in the form of a DIY kit or a semi-assembled 3D printer. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all DIY kits or semi-assembled 3d printers are cheap. Cause some DIY kits contain such high quality parts that eventhough you have to assemble it yourself it’s still pretty expensive. Additionally some brands that market do-it-yourself kits put a lot of time and effort in making educational tutorials and focus on customer service – which also doesn’t come cheap.
And this brings us to the last point that determines the 3D printer price: customer service & warranty
You will have to slice a 3D model in order to make it 3D printable. Slicing is dividing a 3D model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers and is done with slicing software.
Sometimes it’s possible to slice a 3D file within a 3D modeling software or in the 3D printer itself. It is also possible that you are forced to use a certain slicing tool for a certain 3D printer.
When your 3D model is sliced, you are ready to feed it to your 3D printer. This can be done via USB, SD or Wi-Fi. It really depends on what 3D printer brand you work with. When a file is uploaded in a 3D printer, the object is ready to be 3D printed layer by layer.
Learn How to 3D Print – Where to Start?
Getting started with 3D printing means asking yourself what you would like to learn first. Are you interested in the hardware, or do you want to focus on the end result – creating objects? Answering this question could lead you to the decision if whether you should buy a pre-assembled 3D Printer or a DIY 3D Printer kit. Read more in our 3D Printers for Beginners buyers guide.
Which 3D Printer Is Right for You?
Want to buy a 3D printer but you have a tight budget? Starting your journey into 3D printing doesn’t need to be expensive. There are plenty cheap 3D printers under $250.
Besides the examples above, there are a bunch of different elements which will help decide what the best 3D printer is for you. Will it be used in the classroom? Will it be used for small batch production? For more information, please read our buyers guide: the best 3D printers of 2018.
How much does a 3D printer cost?
So what determines the price of a 3D printer?
For starters: parts. When a manufacturer uses high quality parts (motors, frame, electronics), this will affect the price of the end product. When the parts are of high quality it doesn’t automatically mean the prints will turn out great – there are too many other factors that play a role as well.
When a manufacturer decides to go cheap on parts it can market the product for a good price. On the other hand it doesn’t automatically mean that a cheap 3d printer will give you bad print results. But you’ll probably have to put in more time and effort to get to the same level.
Secondly there’s Research & Development. It can take years of groundwork and engineering before the final product is a stable, high quality 3D printer. Manpower can become costly overtime which ofcourse needs to be earned back.
The next element that influences the price of a 3D printer is: assembly. In general it’s cheaper and more efficient to ship just the parts compared to a fully assembled 3D printer. This can be in the form of a DIY kit or a semi-assembled 3D printer. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all DIY kits or semi-assembled 3d printers are cheap. Cause some DIY kits contain such high quality parts that eventhough you have to assemble it yourself it’s still pretty expensive. Additionally some brands that market do-it-yourself kits put a lot of time and effort in making educational tutorials and focus on customer service – which also doesn’t come cheap.
And this brings us to the last point that determines the 3D printer price: customer service & warranty
3D printing is becoming more and more intertwined with the day-to-day operations of businesses. In terms of outlook, CEOs definitely see 3D printing as a benefit. Most expect a 72% rise in spending for 2018 and 55% expect one in 2017. At this stage, most companies are primarily focusing on research and development and prototyping.
FFF / FDM 3D printers are the most used 3D printers as of 2018 with SLS coming in second. Although, over the years metal printing has been climbing. This is to be expected since there is massive amounts of R and D being put into the metal side of additive manufacturing. Company’s like Google and General Electric have been investing in various technologies over the course of the year, possibly having seen the future potential of metal printing.
Examples & Applications of 3D Printing
Applications include rapid prototyping, architectural scale models & maquettes, 3D printed prosthetics and movie props.
Other examples of 3D printing would include reconstructing fossils in paleontology, replicating ancient artifacts in archaeology, reconstructing bones and body parts in forensic pathology and reconstructing heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.
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.
Primary & High Schools
3D printer manufacturers have taken up a more direct role in education. Companies often undertake programs to promote technologies. These programs serve as a cheaper way for schools to make 3D printers available for use in classes.
Programs such as Create Education Project enable schools to integrate additive manufacturing technologies into their curriculum for essentially no cost. The project lends a 3D printer to schools in exchange for either a blog post about the teacher’s experience of using it or a sample of their lesson plan for class. This allows the company to show what 3D printers can do in an educational environment.
Similarly, certain companies provide lesson plans to schools, teaching kids how to use (and sometimes build) them. This is important as many schools may not have anyone on staff with abundant experience in this field.
Similarly, many educational companies such as Kidesign partner up with printer manufacturers to create projects like Kiddeville with very specific aims in mind. This project is a collaborative design project where students designs elements of a scale model of a city. Over the course of these kinds of projects, teachers guide them through research, development and printing. Such programs give a much more specific goal and a level of focus that regular classes don’t have.
Universities
While additive manufacturing-specific degrees are a fairly new advent, 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 specialisations 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.
Research labs in a diverse range of vocations are employing 3D printing for functional use. While most studies are still employing the printers for models, medical and aerospace engineers are putting them to use in creating new technologies. Medical labs are producing all sorts of bio-printers and designs for prosthetics. Engineers are, similarly, incorporating printing into designs automobiles and airplanes.
Workshops & Online Courses
FFF / FDM 3D printers are the most used 3D printers as of 2018 with SLS coming in second. Although, over the years metal printing has been climbing. This is to be expected since there is massive amounts of R and D being put into the metal side of additive manufacturing. Company’s like Google and General Electric have been investing in various technologies over the course of the year, possibly having seen the future potential of metal printing.
Examples & Applications of 3D Printing
Applications include rapid prototyping, architectural scale models & maquettes, 3D printed prosthetics and movie props.
Other examples of 3D printing would include reconstructing fossils in paleontology, replicating ancient artifacts in archaeology, reconstructing bones and body parts in forensic pathology and reconstructing heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.
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.
Primary & High Schools
3D printer manufacturers have taken up a more direct role in education. Companies often undertake programs to promote technologies. These programs serve as a cheaper way for schools to make 3D printers available for use in classes.
Programs such as Create Education Project enable schools to integrate additive manufacturing technologies into their curriculum for essentially no cost. The project lends a 3D printer to schools in exchange for either a blog post about the teacher’s experience of using it or a sample of their lesson plan for class. This allows the company to show what 3D printers can do in an educational environment.
Similarly, certain companies provide lesson plans to schools, teaching kids how to use (and sometimes build) them. This is important as many schools may not have anyone on staff with abundant experience in this field.
Similarly, many educational companies such as Kidesign partner up with printer manufacturers to create projects like Kiddeville with very specific aims in mind. This project is a collaborative design project where students designs elements of a scale model of a city. Over the course of these kinds of projects, teachers guide them through research, development and printing. Such programs give a much more specific goal and a level of focus that regular classes don’t have.
Universities
While additive manufacturing-specific degrees are a fairly new advent, 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 specialisations 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.
Research labs in a diverse range of vocations are employing 3D printing for functional use. While most studies are still employing the printers for models, medical and aerospace engineers are putting them to use in creating new technologies. Medical labs are producing all sorts of bio-printers and designs for prosthetics. Engineers are, similarly, incorporating printing into designs automobiles and airplanes.
Workshops & Online Courses
The educational environment is not only limited to institutional and schools. There are a great deal of other ways one can learn about additive manufacturing. One of the increasingly popular ones is to do it online. To supplement online studies, many companies offer discount deals for 3D printers and related tech. One such deal comes packaged with Coursera’s online classes.
You can also teach yourself for free by watching YouTube videos. Many YouTubers and online tutors make a living off of assembling 3D printers and creating free tutorials.
Metal printers are expensive and require some training before you can operate them. This requires in person workshops like those offered by 3DMT. Aerospace / Defense, Power Generation, and Electronic manufacturers attend two days of in-depth instruction and receive a detailed overview on 3D printing technologies, followed by an intensive, hands-on curriculum on how to use metal printers in prototyping and production. Courses like this are more professional and often cater to businesses as opposed to only individuals. They can be a great place to learn to use equipment that is ordinarily out of the regular consumer’s reach.
Rapid Prototyping
Manufacturers have long used 3D printers in their design process to create prototypes. 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. Nike uses 3D printers to create prototypes of running cleats. They used to spend thousands of dollars (and wait weeks) on a prototype before they could hold it in their hands. Now, the cost is only a fraction of what it was, and changes to the 3D file can be made instantly and the prototype reprinted on the same day.
Rapid Manufacturing
Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing is also used for rapid manufacturing. Rapid manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing where companies are using 3D printers for short run / small batch custom manufacturing. In this way of manufacturing the printed objects are not prototypes but tools, molds or end-use products.
Automotive
Car manufacturers, restorers and repairers have been utilizing 3D printing for a long time. Automotive industry experts only expect the use of additive manufacturing technologies to grow in the coming years. Companies are using it to produce not just parts, but tools, jigs and fixtures. It has also enabled on-demand manufacturing, leading to lower stock levels for spare parts.
Automobile manufacturer Koenigseg uses carbon fiber parts in their One:1 car. Thanks to a Dimension SST 1200es 3D Printer the company saved 40% of the cost and the parts were developed 20% faster than traditional methods. Similarly, Audi is using 3D metal printing to produce spare parts. They are in the midst of basically disrupting their own supply chain by printing spare parts on demand with a metal printer.
Even though large-scale manufacturers are the dominant users of 3D printing, other types of automobile enthusiasts are making their mark as well. Motorcar engineers all over the world are using printed parts to restore old cars. One such example is when Australian engineers printed out 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 and they succeeded.
Aviation
The aviation industry currently uses 3D printing in many different forms. Boeing have been exploring the potential of printed parts and airplanes for a long time. Back in 2015 it was estimated that Boeing had more than 20,000 3D printed parts implemented in their airplanes. Boeing is also utilizing metal printing. The 787 uses tons of printed titanium parts, saving the company 2 – 3 million per plane.
Similarly, on the 3D printer supplier side, there are companies carving out a niche in making machines specifically for airplane production. One such machine is Stratasys’ H2000, which uses an infinite build mechanism.
Aerospace
If you want to see 3D printing applied in the wildest ways imaginable, look no further than the aerospace industry. From materials to concept printers they are doing some of the most interesting, cutting edge research in the entire field, all for the purpose of making interstellar exploration more habitable.
Space travel requires an ultra durable exterior. Multiple organisations, such as NASA, have been perfecting the shielding on shuttles using 3D printers.
Researchers have also been working on ways to make materials more accessible. Northwestern university presented a concept for a means of turning extraterrestrial soil into printable parts. The printing methods that they developed allows for printers to create goods out of abundant materials.
Similarly, researchers at the University of Ottawa took this idea a step further by proposing self-replicating printers that process lunar soil. These printers, while still a concept, could lead to exponentially decreasing the amount of construction materials and equipment necessary for a lunar mission. In fact, they could just leave the printer there to build more machines.
Construction
You can also teach yourself for free by watching YouTube videos. Many YouTubers and online tutors make a living off of assembling 3D printers and creating free tutorials.
Metal printers are expensive and require some training before you can operate them. This requires in person workshops like those offered by 3DMT. Aerospace / Defense, Power Generation, and Electronic manufacturers attend two days of in-depth instruction and receive a detailed overview on 3D printing technologies, followed by an intensive, hands-on curriculum on how to use metal printers in prototyping and production. Courses like this are more professional and often cater to businesses as opposed to only individuals. They can be a great place to learn to use equipment that is ordinarily out of the regular consumer’s reach.
Rapid Prototyping
Manufacturers have long used 3D printers in their design process to create prototypes. 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. Nike uses 3D printers to create prototypes of running cleats. They used to spend thousands of dollars (and wait weeks) on a prototype before they could hold it in their hands. Now, the cost is only a fraction of what it was, and changes to the 3D file can be made instantly and the prototype reprinted on the same day.
Rapid Manufacturing
Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing is also used for rapid manufacturing. Rapid manufacturing is a new method of manufacturing where companies are using 3D printers for short run / small batch custom manufacturing. In this way of manufacturing the printed objects are not prototypes but tools, molds or end-use products.
Automotive
Car manufacturers, restorers and repairers have been utilizing 3D printing for a long time. Automotive industry experts only expect the use of additive manufacturing technologies to grow in the coming years. Companies are using it to produce not just parts, but tools, jigs and fixtures. It has also enabled on-demand manufacturing, leading to lower stock levels for spare parts.
Automobile manufacturer Koenigseg uses carbon fiber parts in their One:1 car. Thanks to a Dimension SST 1200es 3D Printer the company saved 40% of the cost and the parts were developed 20% faster than traditional methods. Similarly, Audi is using 3D metal printing to produce spare parts. They are in the midst of basically disrupting their own supply chain by printing spare parts on demand with a metal printer.
Even though large-scale manufacturers are the dominant users of 3D printing, other types of automobile enthusiasts are making their mark as well. Motorcar engineers all over the world are using printed parts to restore old cars. One such example is when Australian engineers printed out 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 and they succeeded.
Aviation
The aviation industry currently uses 3D printing in many different forms. Boeing have been exploring the potential of printed parts and airplanes for a long time. Back in 2015 it was estimated that Boeing had more than 20,000 3D printed parts implemented in their airplanes. Boeing is also utilizing metal printing. The 787 uses tons of printed titanium parts, saving the company 2 – 3 million per plane.
Similarly, on the 3D printer supplier side, there are companies carving out a niche in making machines specifically for airplane production. One such machine is Stratasys’ H2000, which uses an infinite build mechanism.
Aerospace
If you want to see 3D printing applied in the wildest ways imaginable, look no further than the aerospace industry. From materials to concept printers they are doing some of the most interesting, cutting edge research in the entire field, all for the purpose of making interstellar exploration more habitable.
Space travel requires an ultra durable exterior. Multiple organisations, such as NASA, have been perfecting the shielding on shuttles using 3D printers.
Researchers have also been working on ways to make materials more accessible. Northwestern university presented a concept for a means of turning extraterrestrial soil into printable parts. The printing methods that they developed allows for printers to create goods out of abundant materials.
Similarly, researchers at the University of Ottawa took this idea a step further by proposing self-replicating printers that process lunar soil. These printers, while still a concept, could lead to exponentially decreasing the amount of construction materials and equipment necessary for a lunar mission. In fact, they could just leave the printer there to build more machines.
Construction
Contour Crafting
Pioneer of Contour Crafting, Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of USC, developed a method which leverages the power of additive manufacturing to build homes. Contour crafting essentially uses a robotic device to automate the construction of large structures such as homes. This device prints walls layer-by-layer by extruding concrete. The walls are smoothed as they are built, thanks to a robotic trowel.
Architecture
Architects were one of the early adopters of 3D printing technology. When architects need to present their work as a physical scale model, 3D printing will always be a quick and efficient way to do it. 3D printers help cut down manpower and time when it comes to visualizing designs for clients.
Consumer Products
Even though prototyping is still the number one use of printers, there are many instances of companies producing end user products with 3D printers.
Furniture
Pioneer of Contour Crafting, Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of USC, developed a method which leverages the power of additive manufacturing to build homes. Contour crafting essentially uses a robotic device to automate the construction of large structures such as homes. This device prints walls layer-by-layer by extruding concrete. The walls are smoothed as they are built, thanks to a robotic trowel.
Architecture
Architects were one of the early adopters of 3D printing technology. When architects need to present their work as a physical scale model, 3D printing will always be a quick and efficient way to do it. 3D printers help cut down manpower and time when it comes to visualizing designs for clients.
Consumer Products
Even though prototyping is still the number one use of printers, there are many instances of companies producing end user products with 3D printers.
Furniture
