8 Jul 2014
Insight
3D printing technology has been around for decades, but has only entered the public consciousness in the last few years, as it has become more refined and cheaper, but is still little-understood. The term ' 3D printing' has certainly become a buzz word in the tech industry, but do we really know how this technology works? It does sound all fun and sexy, but like everything else in life, it does have a dark and boring side, too – it’s all the knowledge and patience it takes…
Designing an idea
It all starts with an idea, or more precisely, with making a digital design of the object you want to create. This virtual design is created using a computer-assisted design (CAD) software program, animation modelling software or with the use of a 3D scanner, which makes a 3D digital copy of the object and puts it into a 3D modelling programme.
The standard file extension of 3D printable models is .STL (for "stereolithography" or "Standard Tessellation Language"). STL files contain three-dimensional polygons that are sliced up so the printer can easily digest its information.
If you haven’t got the right skills to create 3D designs by yourself – purchase, download or request ready-made designs from CGTrader.com marketplace .
Caffeine Molecule Espresso Cup by joabaldwin
Portable Laptop Cooler by project3dprint
How do 3D printers work?
3D printer is nothing like the common printers. It’s a new generation machine that prints solid 3D objects from digital designs. The printing process is so fascinating. When the digital file is sent to the 3D printer, a whole object is turned into thousands of tiny pieces, then put back together from the bottom-up, slice by slice. It is known as 3D printing and also referred to as additive manufacturing, which basically means that solid, three-dimensional objects are constructed by adding material in multiple layers.
Professional 3D printers are capable of printing higher quality objects with more diverse materials, like ceramic, gold, glass, wax, brass, steel and many others, but the most popular materials among 3D printer owners are two types of plastic: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). Often, a printer may work with just one type of plastic, other printers work with both. The plastic comes as strands of filament, which is usually stored on a spool, attached to a 3D printer, and is not too cheap (prices below).
3D printer filament
Depending on the printer type, the material is sprayed, squeezed or otherwise transferred from the printer on to a platform and the printing process can take from several minutes or hours to days or weeks – that depends on the complexity and size of the object.
3D printers are capable of printing very complex objects with moving parts like hinges and wheels. For instance, you could print a whole bike and pick it up from the printer ready assembled. 3D printers can make pretty much anything from glass vases to perfectly eatable raviolis, metal airplane parts, golden rings, fancy fashion items…well, you get the idea. But let’s be honest, the first couple of items you 3D print (or if we’re really honest, the first 10 to 20 items) may be far away from perfect. It takes time to master the technology and even when you can proudly call yourself a pro, some designs will eat a lot of your time, as they need special attention or tweaking. Besides, take into account the fact that home 3D printers are not as advanced as the high-quality manufacturing ones.
But do not be put off by the idea of investing more time and effort into this – it’s totally worth it!
Beginner’s guide to owning a 3D printer
As mentioned previously, home users mostly choose 3D printers that use either ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or PLA (polylactic acid) plastic, both of which melt easily. Usually users start with PLA and then move on to ABS (which is slightly harder to use), when they know better what they’re doing (see bottom of the page for more info on the differences between ABS and PLA plastic) .
The plastic comes as strands of filament that are usually a standard 1.75 millimetres or 3 millimetres in width and it typically ranges in price from $18 to $45 for a kilogram depending on the quality, colour and manufacturer.
So how much can you actually print with one spool? The geeks at MakerBot have recently carried out an experiment, which demonstrated that with a single 1kg Spool you can print approximately 1kg of printed parts. For those of us who think visually, 1kg of printed parts is exactly 392 chess pieces. And that’s a lot of chess pieces, when you think about it.
Another question that is usually at the top of the list is “How long does it take to print something?”. Again, it depends on the size and complexity of the object you want to print, but turns out our geeks at CGTrader.com had the same question tickling their imagination… In this short video you can see a pretty vase coming to life – it took approximately 3 hours to print. Decide for yourself whether or not it is a speedy process.
Perfectly imperfect
When you start using your printer more often, you will inevitably be faced with experiences when things simply go wrong. Whether the temperature is off, the machine needs a fix or the model is poorly designed, it’s just something that happens to everyone at some point. So don’t be too harsh on yourself when your first 3D zombies or printing failures start piling up. Use The Great Fredini’s example, and make something beautiful of them. Take a glimpse at his beautifully bizarre 3D zombie army.
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ABS - Its strength, flexibility, machinability, and higher temperature resistance make it often a preferred plastic for engineers, and professional applications. The hot plastic smell deters some as does the plastics petroleum based origin. The additional requirement of a heated print bed means there are some printers simply incapable of printing ABS with any reliability.
PLA - The wide range of available colours and translucencies and glossy feel often attract those who print for display or small household uses. Many appreciate the plant based origins and prefer the semi-sweet smell over ABS. When properly cooled, PLA seems to have higher maximum printing speeds, lower layer heights, and sharper printed corners. Combining this with low warping on parts, make it a popular plastic for home printers, hobbyists, and schools.
Source:ProtoParadigm
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