Hi Guys,
I am starting a thread to discuss various 3D Printing technologies. I would like to see feedback from people that have had experience with various degrees of 3D Printing - either if you have used a service before - local or international, have a 3D printer in your orginisation or the most exciting ofcourse - has anyone here built there own.
For those of you who don't know what a 3D Printer is or how it works - heres a quick brief.
A 3D Printer (or more correctly - Additive Manufacturing machine) is a device which can build a physical 3D object from a 3D Digital model. This model can be derived from either 3D Scanning (Maybe another thread), Designed in a 3D design package such as Blender, 3DStudio Max, or popular Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages or downloaded from repository websites such as thingiverse.com
Various 3D printers exist using different technologies - but basically they all build an object from what ever material by slicing the 3D object into thin layers and building these layers one on top of the other until the 3D object is formed.
The different technologies include
Plastic Extrusion - or Fused Deposition Modelling
3D Inkjet Printing by laying down a bonding liquid onto a thin layer of powder.
Multi Jet Modelling - large size print head which jets materials
SLA - Stereolithography - a UV laser hardens a liquid resin in a tank
SLS - Selective Laser Sintering - A CO2 laser melts and fuses a powder - either plastics or metals.
3D Printing has been widely adopted by Engineers for prototypes, Architects for architectural models,Animation Studios, marketing houses, artists, jewelers and more recently hobbyists.
I am anxious to here the comments and experiences here.
I am starting a thread to discuss various 3D Printing technologies. I would like to see feedback from people that have had experience with various degrees of 3D Printing - either if you have used a service before - local or international, have a 3D printer in your orginisation or the most exciting ofcourse - has anyone here built there own.
For those of you who don't know what a 3D Printer is or how it works - heres a quick brief.
A 3D Printer (or more correctly - Additive Manufacturing machine) is a device which can build a physical 3D object from a 3D Digital model. This model can be derived from either 3D Scanning (Maybe another thread), Designed in a 3D design package such as Blender, 3DStudio Max, or popular Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages or downloaded from repository websites such as thingiverse.com
Various 3D printers exist using different technologies - but basically they all build an object from what ever material by slicing the 3D object into thin layers and building these layers one on top of the other until the 3D object is formed.
The different technologies include
Plastic Extrusion - or Fused Deposition Modelling
3D Inkjet Printing by laying down a bonding liquid onto a thin layer of powder.
Multi Jet Modelling - large size print head which jets materials
SLA - Stereolithography - a UV laser hardens a liquid resin in a tank
SLS - Selective Laser Sintering - A CO2 laser melts and fuses a powder - either plastics or metals.
3D Printing has been widely adopted by Engineers for prototypes, Architects for architectural models,Animation Studios, marketing houses, artists, jewelers and more recently hobbyists.
I am anxious to here the comments and experiences here.
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