Printers for three-dimensional printing or 3D printers are devices for producing three-dimensional models. Devices of narrow specialization have limitless possibilities and today are used in every area of life of a modern person. A few years ago, 3D printers became available for home use, simultaneously reaching some small businesses.
The history of the creation of such technology dates back to the mid-80s of the last century, but the weak development of computer technology “frozen” the active introduction of three-dimensional printing into everyday life and production.
3D printers received a noticeable start only in 2005, along with the improvement of computer capabilities. Then the first three-dimensional printer was presented to the public, which printed in color. Subsequently, the technology has undergone many changes, and modern software has been developed to control the printing process. As a result, users have access to a functional unit capable of “printing” phone cases or new 3D printers.
First 3D printer
How it works
The general principle of operation of a three-dimensional printer is simple and clear in theory. An object or part of it is created in a 3D modeling program (large models are divided into several elements). The file is then sent for processing by a specialized program (to generate G-code), after which the technology comes into play. G-code divides the digital model into hundreds of horizontal tracks, setting the path for the print carriage. Molten material is applied layer by layer to the base, creating a completely tangible object.
Schematic representation of a 3D printer
There are seven main technologies used for 3D printing, but most of them are used only for industrial purposes. Relatively compact and inexpensive devices have been developed for amateur “plastic printing” and small businesses.
- Technology FusedDepositionModeling(aka FDM printers) have become widely used for three-dimensional modeling and cooking. The material is heated and fed to the platform through the print head nozzle. The object “grows” on the plane, and its dimensions are limited by the parameters of the platform.
- Technology Polyjet developed in 2000 and today owned by Stratasys. Three-dimensional objects are created by polymerizing a photopolymer under the influence of UV radiation. Photopolymer is an expensive and fragile plastic, which is why such printers are practically not used in everyday life, but thanks to the precise modeling detail, the devices are used in medicine and industry (for creating prototypes).
You can learn everything about how modern printers for 3D “plastic printing” work from a thematic video, for example, this one. They also often demonstrate how the machine works with various materials to make an object.
Print process management
Typically, the user needs to make a number of settings immediately before printing.
- The equipment is connected to the PC via a USB cable.
- Calibrating the movement of the nozzle relative to the platform.
- Setting and controlling the heating of the platform and dispenser nozzle.
- Temperature ratio monitoring.
- Control of the printing process (extruder) - setting the material feed speed, replacing plastic reels.
Printing is controlled via a PC. To create an object from idea to result, the user needs special 3D modeling programs and device control.
Modern technologies do not yet make it possible to create a printer where all operations are carried out by pressing a couple of keys, therefore it is necessary to master many specific programs and the basics of modeling.
Before printing starts, the operator calibrates the printer, adjusting it relative to the platform table. The printer's basic firmware provides a series of default settings, with the user making more precise settings depending on the material used. Thus, to create three-dimensional elements based on ABS or PLA, different melting temperatures are set. During the printing process, the operator monitors the work through the software. The entire process of creating a model can take from several hours to a day; the key factor here is the accuracy of execution: precise objects with detailed drawings take longer to produce than rougher ones.
Where can you use a 3D printer?
The scope of 3D printers is quite wide: from amateur crafts to business. Entrepreneurs, along with architecture students, were the first to notice the enormous potential of “plastic printing.”
Also, volumetric modeling is used in the jewelry industry and all areas of design and engineering.
If previously printing was carried out using plastic, today the variety of materials is impressive. Manufacturers make various bases, for example, imitating natural wood. In addition, you can choose not only polymers, but also nylon as a printing material. This idea was very quickly picked up by designers and created entire clothing collections.
Gambling collectors will fully appreciate the potential of “plastic printing”, because now it is possible to recreate any object: aircraft models, famous characters, objects of art. Rare collectibles can be quite expensive, as can a very good printer for the home, and here the choice is clear.
To take or not to take: advantages and disadvantages of equipment
The use of 3D printing provides users with extensive options. The key advantage of the technique is the reproduction of any three-dimensional object, and there are practically no exceptions here. Everything that can be made of plastic can be “printed”, be it an original expensive bumper from a foreign car or a design for a future shopping center at an architects’ exhibition. The decisive factor will be the size of the equipment, or more precisely, the size of its desktop.
The potential of 'plastic printing' is complicated labor-intensive preparation process and management requiring highly specialized knowledge. An inexperienced user will not always be able to design even a simple geometric figure in 3D-MAX, not to mention his own portrait. To use technology, you need to master it, and this will take some time.
The second disadvantage of a 3D printer is its dimensions. Compact models are also available for sale, but their maximum print sizes are too modest, although they are quite suitable for the phased production of installations or architectural projects.
Of course, it is irrational to purchase a 3D printer as a toy; the average cost of models in the low-cost segment exceeds 30,000 rubles. The purchase will be profitable if the equipment will perform a specific task: generate profit, develop skills, get an education, engage in creativity, help in work.
We can expect new developments in this area in the near future. Today it is already possible to print a real residential building from ordinary building mixture. Naturally, such equipment is not available for household use, but the very fact of using new printing materials promises a methodical expansion of the possibilities of volumetric printing at home.
Since the beginning of the new millennium, the concept of “3D” has become firmly established in our daily lives. First of all, we associate it with cinema, photography or animation. But there is hardly a person now who has not heard about such a new product as 3D printing at least once in his life.
What is it and what new opportunities in creativity, science, technology and everyday life do 3D printing technologies bring us, we will try to figure it out in the article below.
But first, a little history. Although there has only been a lot of talk about 3D printing in the last few years, this technology has actually been around for quite some time. In 1984, Charles Hull developed 3D printing technology for reproducing objects using digital data, and two years later named and patented the technique of stereolithography.
At the same time, this company developed and created the first industrial 3D printer. Subsequently, the baton was taken up by the company 3D Systems, which in 1988 developed a printer model for 3D printing at home SLA - 250.
That same year, fused deposition modeling was invented by Scott Grump. After several years of relative quiet, in 1991 Helisys develops and markets technology for the production of multilayer objects, and a year later, in 1992, the first selective laser soldering system is launched at DTM.
Then, in 1993, the Solidscape company was founded, which began mass production of inkjet-based printers that are capable of producing small parts with an ideal surface, and at relatively low cost.
At the same time, the University of Massachusetts patented 3D printing technology, similar to the inkjet technology of conventional 2D printers. But, perhaps, the peak of development and popularity of 3D printing still occurred in the new, 21st century.
In 2005, the first one capable of printing in color appeared, this is the brainchild of the Z Corp company called Spectrum Z510, and literally two years later the first printer capable of reproducing 50% of its own components appeared.
Currently, the range of possibilities and applications of 3D printing is constantly growing. Everything turned out to be subject to these technologies - from blood vessels to coral reefs and furniture. However, we will talk about the areas of application of these technologies a little later.
So, what is 3D printing?
In short, this is the construction of a real object based on a 3D model created on a computer. Then the digital three-dimensional model is saved in the STL file format, after which the 3D printer, which outputs the file for printing, forms the real product.
The printing process itself is a series of repeating cycles associated with the creation of three-dimensional models, applying a layer of consumables to the working table (elevator) of the printer, moving the working table down to the level of the finished layer and removing waste from the surface of the table.
The cycles continuously follow one after another: the next layer of material is applied to the first layer, the elevator is lowered again, and so on until the finished product is on the work table.
How does a 3D printer work?
The use of 3D printing is a serious alternative to traditional prototyping methods and small-scale production. A three-dimensional or 3D printer, unlike a conventional one, which displays two-dimensional drawings, photographs, etc. on paper, makes it possible to output volumetric information, that is, to create three-dimensional physical objects.
At the moment, equipment of this class can work with photopolymer resins, various types of plastic thread, ceramic powder and metal clay.
What is a 3D printer?
The operating principle of a 3D printer is based on the principle of gradual (layer-by-layer) creation of a solid model, which is, as it were, “grown” from a certain material, which will be discussed a little later. The advantages of 3D printing over conventional, manual methods of building models are high speed, simplicity and relatively low cost.
For example, creating a part by hand can take quite a long time - from several days to months. After all, this includes not only the manufacturing process itself, but also preliminary work - drawings and diagrams of the future product, which still do not provide a complete vision of the final result.
As a result, development costs increase significantly and the time from product development to mass production increases.
3D technologies make it possible to completely eliminate manual labor and the need to make drawings and calculations on paper - after all, the program allows you to see the model from all angles already on the screen, and eliminate identified shortcomings not in the creation process, as is the case with manual production, but directly during development and create a model in a few hours.
At the same time, the possibility of errors inherent in manual work is practically eliminated.
What is a 3D printer: video
There are various 3D printing technologies. The difference between them lies in the method of applying layers of the product. Let's look at the main ones.
The most common are SLS (selective laser lamination), NRM (molten layer deposition) and SLA (stereolithography).
The most widely used technology, due to the high speed of constructing objects, is stereolithography or SLA.
SLA technology
The technology works like this: a laser beam is directed at a photopolymer, after which the material hardens.
A translucent material is used as a photopolymer, which is deformed under the influence of atmospheric moisture.
After hardening, it can be easily glued, machined and painted. The work table (elevator) is located in a container with photopolymer. After the laser beam passes through the polymer and the layer hardens, the working surface of the table moves down.
SLS technology
Sintering of powder reagents under the influence of a laser beam - also known as SLS - is the only 3D printing technology that is used in the manufacture of molds for both metal and plastic casting.
Plastic models have excellent mechanical properties, thanks to which they can be used for the manufacture of fully functional products. SLS technology uses materials similar in properties to the brands of the final product: ceramics, powder plastic, metal.
The structure of a 3D printer looks like this: powder substances are applied to the surface of the elevator and sintered under the action of a laser beam into a solid layer that corresponds to the parameters of the model and determines its shape.
DLP technology
DLP technology is a newcomer to the 3D printing market. Stereolithography printing machines are today positioned as the main alternative to FDM equipment. Printers of this type use digital light processing technology. Many people wonder what the 3D printer of this sample prints with?
Instead of plastic filament and a heating head, photopolymer resins and a DLP projector are used to create 3D shapes.
Below you can see how the 3D printer works video:
When you first heard about a DLP 3D printer, what is it – a completely reasonable question. Despite the intricate name, the device is almost no different from other desktop printing machines. By the way, its developers, represented by the company
QSQM Technology Corporation has already launched the first samples of high-tech equipment. It looks like this:
EBM technology
It is worth noting that SLS/DMLS technologies are far from the only ones in the field. Currently, electron beam melting is widely used to create three-dimensional metal objects. Laboratory studies have shown that the use of metal wire for layer-by-layer deposition in the manufacture of high-precision parts is ineffective, so engineers have developed a special material - metal clay.
The metal clay used as ink during electron beam melting is made from a mixture of organic glue, metal shavings and a certain amount of water. In order to turn ink into a solid object, it must be heated to a temperature at which the glue and water will burn out and the shavings will fuse together into a monolith.
EBM 3d printer: how it works
It is noteworthy that this principle is also used when working with SLS printers. But unlike them, EBM devices generate directed electronic pulses instead of a laser beam to melt metal clay. It must be said that this method provides high quality printing and excellent rendering of small details.
Today, only industrial printers using EBM technology are sold. Here's what one of them looks like:
The video below clearly demonstrates the capabilities of a 3D printer adapted for electron beam melting:
HPM technology (FDM) HPM
Makes it possible to create not only models, but also final parts from standard, structural and high-performance thermoplastics. This is the only technology that uses production-grade thermoplastics to provide unparalleled mechanical, thermal and chemical strength to parts.
HPM printing is clean, easy to use and suitable for office use. Thermoplastic parts are resistant to high temperatures, mechanical loads, various chemicals, and wet or dry environments.
Soluble auxiliary materials make it possible to create complex multi-level shapes, cavities and holes that would be problematic to achieve using conventional methods. 3D printers using HPM technology create parts layer by layer by heating the material to a semi-liquid state and extruding it according to computer-generated paths.
For printing using HRM technology, two different materials are used - one (the main one) will consist of the finished part, and an auxiliary one, which is used for support. Filaments of both materials are fed from the bays of the 3D printer into the print head, which moves depending on the change in X and Y coordinates, and fuses the material, creating the current layer, until the base moves down and the next layer begins.
When the 3D printer has completed creating the part, all that remains is to separate the auxiliary material mechanically, or dissolve it with a detergent, after which the product is ready for use.
Interestingly, these days not only automatic desktop HPM printers are popular, but also devices for manual printing. Moreover, it would be correct to call them not printing devices, but pens for drawing three-dimensional objects.
The pens are made in the same way as printers using layer-by-layer fusion technology. The plastic thread is fed into the handle, where it melts to the desired consistency and is immediately squeezed out through a miniature nozzle! With proper skill, you get the following original decorative figures:
And of course, just like the technologies, the printers themselves differ from each other. If you have a printer that works according to SLA, then it will be impossible to use SLS technology on it, i.e., each printer is created only for a specific printing technology.
Color 3D printing
This technology is the only one of its kind, which allows you to obtain objects in the entire available range of shades. It is noteworthy that the coloring of products occurs directly during their manufacture. With its help, photorealistic objects are obtained. This is what arouses genuine interest in it on the part of designers.
Often, gypsum-based powder is used as the starting material. Brushes and rollers form a not very thick layer of consumables. Next, using a movable head, microdrops of an adhesive-like substance are applied to the required areas (before this, it is painted in the desired color). It resembles cyanoacrylate in its composition. A finished multi-colored object is created layer by layer. The final treatment of the product with cyanoacrylate provides it with shine and rigidity.
Industrial and desktop color 3D printers
The modern market offers various multicolor 3D printers. With their help, colorful objects are created at home. Most units are intended for professional use.
Professional color printing on a 3D printer is carried out using:
1. Zprinter rulers from the famous brand 3D Systems. These devices can create large, multi-colored objects. Equipped with 5 cartridges and an automatic powder loading system. The technology is almost 100% automated, so setting up or controlling the printing process is not necessary. The models weigh about 340 kilograms. Cost ranges from 90-130 thousand dollars.
2. Full-color 3D printer Мсor Iris. Multi-colored products are created by gluing together individual pieces of paper. This unit from Mcor Technologies Ltd creates three-dimensional photorealistic models with good strength indicators. Can generate up to a million colors. Costs 15 thousand dollars.
Desktop models for home use:
1. Color 3D printer 3D Touch. This unit operates using FDM technology. The model can be equipped with one, two or even three extrusion heads. Works with ABS or PLA plastic. Weighs no less than 38 kilograms. Cost - about 4 thousand dollars.
2. Three-color 3D printer BFB 3000 RANTHER - the first color printer that was released onto the market. Today its value is about 2.5 thousand dollars. A standard plastic thread is used as the working material. To work you will need a thread of three colors.
3. One of the cheapest models is РroDesk3D. A system of five cartridges is used to create products. It is possible to work with PLA or ABS plastic. The printer is equipped with an automatic adjustment system. It costs only 2 thousand dollars. Unfortunately, it cannot boast of high print resolution.
Applications of 3D printing
3D printing has opened up great opportunities for experimentation in such areas as architecture, construction, medicine, education, clothing design, small-scale production, jewelry, and even in the food industry.
In architecture, for example, 3D printing allows you to create three-dimensional models of buildings, or even entire neighborhoods with all the infrastructure - squares, parks, roads and street lighting.
Thanks to the cheap gypsum composite used in this case, the cost of finished models is ensured. And more than 390 thousand CMYK shades allow you to realize in color any, even the most daring, imagination of an architect.
3D printer: application in construction field
In construction, there is every reason to assume that in the near future the process of constructing buildings will become much faster and easier. Californian engineers have created a 3D printing system for large-sized objects. It works on the principle of a construction crane, erecting walls from layers of concrete.
Such a printer can build a two-story house in just 20 hours.
After which the workers will only have to carry out finishing work. 3D House 3D printers are gradually gaining a strong position in small-scale production.
These technologies are mainly used to produce exclusive products such as art, role-playing game figures, prototype models of future products or any design parts.
In medicine, thanks to 3D printing technologies, doctors have the opportunity to recreate copies of the human skeleton, which allows them to more accurately practice techniques that increase the guarantee of successful operations.
3D printers are increasingly used in the field of prosthetics in dentistry, as these technologies make it possible to produce dentures much faster than with traditional manufacturing.
Not long ago, German scientists developed a technology for obtaining human skin. In its production, a gel obtained from donor cells is used. And in 2011, scientists managed to reproduce a living human kidney.
As you can see, the possibilities that 3D printing opens up in almost all areas of human activity are truly limitless.
Printers that create culinary masterpieces, reproducing prosthetics and human organs, toys and visual aids, clothes and shoes are no longer a figment of the imagination of science fiction writers, but the realities of modern life.
And what other horizons will open up for humanity in the coming years, perhaps this can only be limited by the imagination of the person himself.
Innovative 3D technologies, which became a sensation in the recent past, have now become firmly established in our everyday lives. 3D films, special glasses and everything else are no longer considered something so outlandish. A three-dimensional image captures attention, envelops and makes the viewer feel as if inside it - this is certainly more interesting than the usual format. Manufacturers of modern printing devices are not standing still either. A striking example of this is 3D printers. We will tell you what it is and how a 3D printer works in this article.
The main task of these devices is to print three-dimensional models from various materials: paper, plastic or even light metal alloys, the layers of which are superimposed on one another and glued together. The thickness of one layer is about 0.1 mm. According to the technical characteristics of printing, 3D printers can be divided into laser and inkjet, like conventional printers.
Laser 3D printing
Laser technology is based on stereolithography (SLA), which allows 3D models to be printed from CAD drawings. The principle is as follows: the watery photopolymer is illuminated by an ultraviolet ray, and the thinnest layer hardens almost instantly. A special computer program divides the three-dimensional model of an object into hundreds of thousands of such layers, and they are laid one on top of the other, glued together with a special glue, hardened, and again the next layer according to the given parameters. This is how the finished model grows layer by layer; at the end of the process it is cleaned of excess polymer, washed and dried. Laser 3D printing technology allows you to reproduce three-dimensional models up to 75 cm in height.
Inkjet 3D printing
Inkjet 3D printing technology is similar to the working principle of a conventional inkjet printer. Instead of paint, a special plastic is used, which is first heated and melted, then applied to the base in a microscopic layer, and hardens very quickly. This printing method is usually called laser sintering (SLS), and along with being more cost effective than SLA technology, it has the advantage of being able to make 3D models from metal. The operating principle of a 3D printer based on sintering technology makes it possible to use various polymer materials, as well as ceramics or glass, as a powder base. Another advantage of this method is that some printer models allow you to add paint to the glue used, which allows you to create multi-colored models.
Innovation and constant development of 3D printing creates additional opportunities not only for designers, but also for various fields of medicine, industrial production and many others. After all, with the help of such a device, any idea can be translated into a real model or prototype.
Today we can safely say: it is impossible to imagine modern civilization without 3D printing technology, and it is hardly possible to name another technology that is developing so rapidly.
Through the pages of history
According to many computer experts, the Englishman Babbage became the founder of 3D printing and the developer of the first conventional printer. In 1822, he began to create the so-called “large difference engine”, designed to perform calculations and print them. Like all great things, Babbage's ideas were far ahead of their time and, after 20 years, the project was never implemented and was closed.
Babbage's Great Difference Engine
More than 100 years passed before a second, this time more successful attempt to create a printer was made. The first black and white printer was released in 1953. Another 23 years have passed and IBM creates the first inkjet color printer. Today, the number of printers in offices and other organizations is second only to the number of computers.
In the second half of the 80s, another technological breakthrough occurred. In 1986, American Check Hull formulated the concept of three-dimensional printing, and two years later his compatriot Scot Crump, based on it, developed FDM technology - molding through decomposition of melting material. All currently operating three-dimensional printers owe their appearance to it.
How does a 3D printer work?
Compared to a printed printer, which transfers electronic text onto flat paper, a 3D printer deals with three-dimensional information. In a word, it recreates the object as it is.
How does a 3D printer print? First, a digital model of the object is created on a computer using a special program. It kind of “dismembers” the model into layers, after which the printer comes into action. Like its printing “brother,” the 3D printer has its own ink, although it consists of a composite powder.
About 10 years ago, only one type of “ink” was used - ABC plastic. Today there are already more than a hundred of them - polypropylene, concrete, cellulose, nylon, metal powders, gypsum, chocolate and many others.
During operation, the starting material is transformed into a mass, which is applied layer by layer to the working surface through a special nozzle. After applying the next layer, an adhesive coating can be applied on top of it, then another layer of “ink”. And so on until the object is completely reproduced. You can watch the 3D printer in action in the video.
But this is the general principle of operation of a 3D printer, the so-called rapid prototyping technology. Several methods have been developed based on it. Here are just a few of them.
Stereolithography (SLA)
One of the first 3D printing technologies. The building material used is a mixture of liquid polymer with a hardening agent, somewhat similar to epoxy resin. Polymerization and subsequent hardening of the mixture occurs under the influence of an ultraviolet laser.
The model is formed in thin layers on a movable substrate with holes attached to a micro-elevator, which moves up or down to the depth of one layer. During immersion in the liquid polymer, the laser beam is fixed on the areas to be cured. Once one layer is formed, the workpiece will rise (fall).
This technology was developed by 3D Systems. It has a lot in common with inkjet printing technology. The peculiarity of the device and the operating principle of this 3D printer is that it uses several (up to several hundred) nozzles arranged in rows on the print head.
The ink becomes liquid by heating and, after layer-by-layer application to the work surface, hardens at room temperature. The head moves in a horizontal plane, and the vertical displacement as each new layer is formed is carried out by lowering the work table.
Selective laser sintering (SLS)
A real breakthrough was the introduction of 3D printing technologies into metalworking. How does it work? A special feature of this technology is that the function of the working fluid is performed by a composite powder consisting of particles with a diameter of 50 to 100 microns. The powder is applied horizontally in uniform thin layers, and at the final stage, certain areas are sintered with a laser beam.
One of the main advantages of laser sintering is its unique cost-effectiveness and almost complete wastelessness compared to traditional mechanical methods of metal processing - drilling, milling, cutting, casting and others, as well as minimal finishing.
A necessary condition for laser sintering is a nitrogen environment with a minimum oxygen content, since the process takes place at high temperatures.
The list of 3D printing technologies is far from limited to this. It is complemented by layer-by-layer film gluing, layer-by-layer fusing, layer-by-layer printing with molten polymer thread, and ultraviolet irradiation through a photomask.
What else should I print?
Having figured out how a 3D printer works, it’s time to talk about what can be done with it today. Like fashionable and very comfortable clothes, it is “tried on” by representatives of various areas of science and industry. As it turns out, you can print almost everything from consumer goods made of plastic to solar panels, parts for jet engines and medical prostheses.
The military and builders have their eyes on 3D printing technology. Not long ago, a 3D printer developed for NASA was delivered on board the ISS, with the help of which several necessary tools were manufactured in zero gravity conditions. It is quite possible that in this way, during a future Mars mission, individual spare parts will have to be manufactured directly on board the spacecraft.
The option of constructing Martian houses using 3D printing is also being considered, for which special construction printers will be delivered there from Earth. The basis of the “ink” for them will be Martian soil.
At the very beginning of this century, 3D became an integral part of our lives. Initially, it evoked associations with the world of cinema, cartoons or photographs. But we doubt that in our time there is at least one person who has not heard what 3D printing is.
What kind of new term is this, how it can affect Budyonny’s life, production and science, we will see in this article.
At the very beginning, we offer you a short excursion into history. Although 3D printing has only started to be widely talked about in recent years, it has actually been around for quite some time. Back in 1984, the Charles Hull company developed 3D printing, the source of which was binary data, and 2 years later received a patent for an invention called stereo lithography. In the same year, engineers managed to produce the world's first industrial 3D printing device. Some time later, the company 3D Systems took up the development of a promising area; back in 1988, it created a sample printer for 3D printing at home, namely SLA - 250.
Within a short period of time, the Scott Grump brand was able to implement fused deposition modeling. After a couple of years of silence, in 1991 the Helisys company invents and introduces to the general public the latest multilayer printing technique, and a year later, in 1992, one of the first selective laser welding systems sees the light of day at DTM. After which, in 1993, the Solidscape organization was created and engaged in the mass production of inkjet printers, which have the ability to recreate various objects with an almost ideal surface, and at the same time have relatively low costs. At the same time, the Massachusetts Institute showed its 3D printing technology, somewhat similar to that used in standard inkjet printing devices. But still, the greatest peak in the development of 3D printing falls in the 21st century.
In 2005, a 3D printer was released that not only created parts, but made them colored. The Z Corp product was named Spectrum Z510, and almost a couple of years later a printer appeared that could recreate up to 50% of all the elements from which it was made. Today, the environment for using 3D printing is steadily expanding, because with its help, as it turns out, you can create almost everything, from the internal organs of living beings to banal furniture. But we will mention the areas of use of 3D printers below.
3D printing how it works
Essentially, 3D printing is the exact recreation of a computer-modeled part using a special printing device. Initially, a digital model is an STL document, and only then a 3D printer makes a real object from such a file. The printing process itself is a periodically repeated application of layers onto the desktop (elevator), with its gradual movement downwards, and subsequently the removal of excess printing mixture. Printing cycles monotonously replace each other, and with each of them the elevator moves down to a given height, and in this way the part itself is created.
How does a 3D printer work?
As it turns out, 3D printing can perfectly replace small-scale prototyping of parts. Unlike a regular printer, which can only recreate photographs, a 3D machine makes real objects. Today, such devices are capable of working with photopolymer resins, plastic wires of different thicknesses, ceramic powder and metal clay.
What is a 3D printer?
This device is based on the gradual reconstruction of an object from a file, with layer-by-layer application of the substance. In essence, the part seems to grow and, eventually, finishing its growth, turns into a finished product. The advantages of 3D printing include the simplicity of the process, its low cost and, most importantly, high speed. For example, in order to create any complex part by hand, it may take a lot of effort and time - up to months. In addition, with the traditional method, it is first necessary to create drawings and check them. As a result, the manufacturer has higher development costs and a long time for it.
3D technology is completely devoid of the above-described disadvantages, especially when using it, various issues and problems that may arise are eliminated during the development process, and not during manufacturing, as with manual design. Also, when computer modeling a part, the engineer can test it at the first stage and examine it from all angles, and if deficiencies are found, immediately eliminate them. That is why the presence of errors in printed parts is completely excluded.
Today there are several different 3D printing methods, and they differ precisely in the method of applying layers. Let's talk about the main ones. The main 3D printing technologies are SLS (selective laser interlacing), NRM (fusion layering) and SLA (stereolithography). The most popular technology, due to its high speed, is SLA technology.
The laser beam is directed at the photopolymer, thereby allowing the applied material to harden. A translucent substance is used as a photopolymer, which is capable of deformation under the influence of atmospheric moisture. After hardening, such material can be easily glued, processed and painted. The desktop itself (elevator) arrives in a container filled with photo polymer. After applying the next layer, the laser beam passes through it, making it hard, and the work table moves down.
This is the so-called sintering or fusion of powder-type compositions, SLS is one of the few techniques capable of producing molds for both plastic and metal casting. Plastic objects have excellent mechanical properties, which is why they can easily be used to create full-fledged mechanism parts. SLS takes materials that are close in their parameters to finished products, such as ceramics, plastic or metal.
The printer itself is built as follows: the powder is applied to the surface of the elevator and, under the action of a laser, is sintered into a solid layer that meets the necessary requirements.
DLP technology has been present on the three-dimensional printing market relatively recently. Stereolithographic printing devices are now positioned as an alternative to FDM models. Such devices use light processing techniques. Unlike analogues where plastic wires and heating elements are used for printing, here photopolymer resins are used in conjunction with a DLP projector. Despite the intricate name, the DLP 3D printer is practically no different from any other serial counterparts. It should also be noted that developers from QSQM Technology Corporation have already begun to create the first devices in this series.
It should be noted that SLS/DMLS techniques are not the only ones capable of printing with metal. Today, electron beam melting is also used for such purposes. As tests in the laboratory have shown, applying layers of metal by melting wire is ineffective, which is why a special material was developed - metal clay.
Metal clay acts as ink during electron beam surfacing; it is made from a combination of glue, metal shavings and water. To convert the ink into a solid, it must be heated to a temperature at which the water and adhesive mixture evaporate and the metal shavings fuse together.
How does an EBM 3D printer work?
Exactly the same option is used when working with SLS printers, with the only difference being that EBM models create ordered electrical pulses, rather than a laser beam, for melting clay metal. This approach allows us to achieve excellent quality of manufactured objects and excellent detailing. Today, only industrial devices using EBM technology are on sale.
HPM technology (FDM) HPM
This technology can produce not just models, but completely finished parts from various types of plastic. Its advantages include the possibility of using industrial raw materials, while this is not possible with other devices. Parts created using HPM (FDM) technology have excellent resistance to any type of impact, as well as high strength.
Printing using HPM technology has good surface smoothness, easy operation and ability to work in the office. Objects made from thermoplastic have good resistance to elevated temperatures, mechanical stress, various chemical reagents, as well as wet and dry environments.
Soluble accompanying materials make it possible to produce quite complex multi-level shapes, as well as cavities and holes that are very difficult to obtain by conventional means. HRM printers produce parts by depositing a series of layers, one on top of the other, while the metal is heated to a semi-liquid state and extruded through a nozzle into specific locations programmed on a PC.
To print using the NRM technique, two different materials are used at once, the main one is needed to create the part itself, and the additional one is needed for support. Threads of both metals are fed into the head of the device, which moves and adjusts the metal, forming a layer. After completing the next layer, the platform is lowered and the head is taken over the next layer. When the 3D printer has finished producing the part, you need to separate the auxiliary metal, or dissolve it with a detergent. The product is ready for use.
Today, not only automatic HPM devices are very popular, but also their manual versions. Such devices are essentially pens for making 3D objects. Such pens are made like automatic printers, with the only difference being that a person holds their head in his hand and dispenses the material to be deposited.
Naturally, like the technology, the devices themselves also differ from each other. If you have an SLA type model, then it will not be able to work using the SLS method, that is, any of the printers is capable of processing parts only using its own individual technology.
Applications of 3D printing
3D printing has opened new horizons in industries such as construction, medicine, education, clothing, manufacturing, jewelry, and even in the food industry.
For example, in architecture, 3D printing can create models of houses, or entire microdistricts, with all their features. For such work, a cheap gypsum mixture is used, which makes the cost of the models very low. The widest color gamut of 390 thousand CMYK shades makes it possible to easily implement absolutely any, even the most unusual, idea of an architect.
3D printer for architecture
Today we can safely assume that a gigantic breakthrough will soon occur in the construction industry. Engineers from California have managed to create a unique system for 3D printing life-size objects. It acts like a crane that builds the walls of houses. For example, in order to print a full-length two-story house, the printer needs only 20 hours. After which the builders will only need to finish the walls. 3D House is becoming more and more popular.
Other applications
Already today, leading medical workers are able to use a 3D printer to recreate individual sections of the human skeleton, thanks to which it has become much easier to perform operations, and the implants themselves take root better. Printing technologies are also widely popular in the dental field; implants produced in this way are of higher quality.
Relatively recently, scientists from Germany managed to print human skin. The raw material for its creation is a gel made from donor skin. Back in 2011, specialists were lucky enough to produce a living human kidney using a 3D printer.
As can be seen from the above, the capabilities of 3D printers have enormous potential. Devices that prepare delicious dishes, make prosthetics and internal organs of people, toys and operating instructions, shoes and jackets - this is no longer science fiction - but our present. And what awaits us in the near future, only a science fiction writer with a good imagination can probably answer this question.
Our goal is our own FabLab in St. Petersburg!
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