3D Printing

3D Printing

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing is a process of making any 3 dimensional shape by printing multiple layers of material successively. This is done by using a virtual model of the required shape.

This process is a practical example of mathematical integration in which an equation of two variables is integrated along the third variable. In the same way, the 3 dimensional printing machine lays down thin layers of material successively, one after the other to produce a volume of desired shape. This can be easily understood with the example of a book whose pages have been pasted to each other. 3D printing is opposite to other machining processes in which material is removed from a block to produce a desired shape. The advantage with 3D printing over other processes is that it can produce even the most complicated shapes with extremely high accuracy and unlike other processes, no further machining is required in this case, however complicated or intrinsic the shape may be.

A 3D printer is a type of industrial robot that is used for additive manufacturing using a computer generated 3 dimensional models. This can be done by employing various modeling tools available in the market such as CATIA, PRO-E, Solidworks, Delmia, Delcam, UG, AutoCAD, etc. these tools also simulate the whole process virtually and also generate codes to instruct the machine to perform the additive operation.

3D printing was first introduced in 1980 and now it has various important uses in fields such as architecture, construction, dental, industrial designing, eyewear manufacture, ornaments making, jewelry, footwear making, chip making, automotive and aerospace designing, tissue replacement, artificial tissue making, geographic information systems, mask making, etc.

A 3D printing machine is categorized according to the layer thickness laid by the machine which defines the accuracy of the machine and 2 dimensional resolutions i.e. number of dots per unit area that defines the strength to job produced by the process. A 3D machine is also capable of laying different materials and different colors as per the requirement.

In some cases, where the accuracy produced is not sufficiently high then the object is produced slightly oversized and then the extra material is removed by further machining with a machine with the required accuracy.

Some common types and technologies which are available for additive manufacturing-

1.         Wire type machine uses Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication Technology for all metal alloys.

2.       Granular type machine is available which uses technologies such as Direct metal laser sintering, Electron-beam melting, Selective laser melting, Selective heat sintering, Selective laser sintering and can process all alloys, thermoplastic powders, metal powders and ceramic powder.

3.       Powder bed and inkjet head 3D printing uses Plaster-based 3D printing technology for Plaster.

4.       Laminated type machine uses laminated object manufacturing technology for paper, metal foil and metal film.

5.       Light polymerization machine uses digital light processing and Stereolithography technology an can manufacture objects using photopolymers.

6.       Extrusion type machine uses fused deposition modeling to print objects of thermoplastics, edible materials, eutectic metals, rubber, modeling clay, plasticine, RTV, silicon, metal clay, proclaim, etc.