[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_video title=”TOP 10 3D Printed Creations” link=”https://youtu.be/-LOGF3hFxHU”][vc_empty_space height=”32px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]3D Printing
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is any of various processes used to make a three-dimensional object.
3D printing in the term’s original sense refers to processes that sequentially deposit material onto a powder bed with inkjet printer heads. More recently the meaning of the term has expanded to encompass a wider variety of techniques such as extrusion and sintering based processes. Technical standards generally use the term additive manufacturing for this broader sense.
PROCESSES
Several different 3D printing processes have been invented since the late 1970s. The printers were originally large, expensive, and highly limited in what they could produce.
A large number of additive processes are now available. The main differences between processes are in the way layers are deposited to create parts and in the materials that are used. Some methods melt or soften material to produce the layers, e.g.
(SLM) or
(DMLS),
(SLS),
(FDM), or fused filament fabrication (FFF), while others cure liquid materials using different sophisticated technologies, e.g.
(SLA). With laminated object manufacturing. (LOM), thin layers are cut to shape and joined together (e.g. paper, polymer, metal). Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks, which is why some companies consequently offer a choice between powder and polymer for the material used to build the object. Other companies sometimes use standard, off-the-shelf business paper as the build material to produce a durable prototype. The main considerations in choosing a machine are generally speed, cost of the 3D printer, cost of the printed prototype, cost and choice of materials, and colour capabilities.
laminated object manufacturing
APPLICATION
3D Printing has been used in a variety of applications recently, as the process has become increasingly popular over the years.
FASHION
3D printing technology is slowly entering the world of fashion. Big brands such as Nike and Adidas are experimenting with the technique, and artists like Michael Smith, Francis Bitonti and Iris van Herpen use it to try to take garments to the next level. The technique also attracts the youngest among fashion designers.
TRANSPORT
The Strati is the worlds first 3D Printed car, Local Motors took every part of the car that wasn’t mechanically involved and printed it in a single shot during manufacturing. The car took just 44 hours to print during the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, Illinois.
FOOD
Although squeezing out food, layer by layer, from a 3D printer may not yet be particularly efficient—nor sound that tasty—companies are already testing how the Jetsons-esque technology can transform the way we eat. Such old favourites as chocolate, candy, and pasta will take on groovier, sculptured forms when extruded from food printers, and the machines will allow the cooking-adverse to prepare “homemade” ravioli at the push of a button. That should free up more time while the food printer is hard at work preparing dinner. Chocolate, Pizza, Ravioli, Corn Chips and Sugar Candy to name a few.
HOUSES
What if a builder could construct a 2,500sq ft. house for you in 24 hours at a cost of €5,000?
Sounds crazy but the idea is becoming more and more a reality thanks to 3D printing and modular homes, according to James Woudhuysen, professor of forecasting and innovation at De Montfort University in the UK.
Woudhuysen, a futurist who suggested internet TV as early as 1993, and warned about a dotcom bust in 1999, believes 3D printed houses and modular homes built in factories could revolutionize the future of housing, transforming how homes are designed and built.
He says 3D printed homes are not just some future thought, they are here. He points to a company in China – WinSun Decoration Design Engineering – which has already harnessed 3D printing technology to build 10 one-storey houses in a day.
The company built the houses in Shanghai using four giant 3D printers, constructing the walls layer by layer with special quick-dry cement to speed up the process. Each house was approximately 2,100sq ft. and cost less than $4,000(€2.9k) to construct.
ORGANS
Although surgeons are already using 3D-printed metal and plastic implants to replace bones, researchers are looking ahead to printing organs using cells as ‘ink’. 3D bio printing is being applied to regenerative medicine to address the need for tissues and organs suitable for transplantation. Compared with non-biological printing, 3D bio printing involves additional complexities, such as the choice of materials, cell types, growth and differentiation factors, and technical challenges related to the sensitivities of living cells and the construction of tissues. Addressing these complexities requires the integration of technologies from the fields of engineering, biomaterials science, cell biology, physics and medicine. 3D bio printing has already been used for the generation and transplantation of several tissues, including multilayered skin, bone, vascular grafts, tracheal splints, heart tissue and cartilaginous structures. Other applications include developing high-throughput 3D-bioprinted tissue models for research, drug discovery and toxicology.
PROSTHETICS
There are currently between 10 and 15 million amputees in the world. With standard prosthetic hands costing anywhere from several thousand to a hundred thousand dollars, convincing insurance companies to buy new hands and arms for growing kids every couple of months is an impossible task. 3D-printable prosthetics are changing the face of medicine, as engineers and physicians are able to develop prosthetics that are fully customised to the wearer. Consumer 3D printing is leading to an even bigger revolution: “DIY” assistive devices that can be printed by virtually anyone, anywhere.
CONCLUSION
There have been many innovations in the 3D Printing industry recently, from how the machine is created to the processes and applications of the technology. 3D Printing is not just for big companies anymore, Makers and DIY-ers can finally take part. From the Peachy Scanner to the 3 Doodler, there has never been a better time to invest in 3D Printing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
