Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Until Recently Commercial 3D Printing Devices Were Not Convenient For Home Use

By Randy Corzine


It defies the imagination to consider how the new technology of 3D printers will affect the world. This is expected to impact every field of enterprise in the future. This is due to the fact that it will be as inexpensive to produce one single item as to produce a hundred or even a thousand.

Techniques make it possible to turn a two dimensional image into a three dimensional one on the surface. It is a method called pad printing. Other techniques are holography, lenticular and stereograms, which are 2D parallax stereograms the the individual perceives as 3D.

Turning a 2D image into a 3D solid object is an additive process that uses a digital model. Materials are laid down successively to achieve this. It was back in 1984 that this kind of digital technology was created for the first time. Sales of the machines providing this technology has grown considerably since the year 2000.

Many fields of endeavor can make use of this technology including construction, architecture, engineering and aerospace. It is becoming a mass marketing item. Purchases will be made for consumers at a lower price, which is always an advantage.

The process involves an inkjet 3D printer spreading a layer of powder in this system. Another layer and another are spread on top to facilitate the full color prototypes. These bonded powders used can be made stronger by adding wax which enhances them.

A lamination process uses sheet metals or thin plastic to produce the effect. Digital light processing and multiphoton photopolymerization are done using a block of gel. That produces objects that are ultra small. A liquid is used to produce solids in the process known as photopolymerization.

All these technologies are complex and an explanation in depth is beyond the scope of a generalized article. One important fact is that the machines that perform all these processes are now focusing on development of an affordable for use at home printer. The cost is to be under a thousand dollars.

This inexpensive version of the 3D printer is being customized specifically for domestic uses. The price is decreasing as the adaptability is increasing. These inexpensive units will be capable of achieving high-definition and high speed printing in 3D.

The speed of these home use models will not be as rapid as standard printers. It will, however, be more rapid than the large industrial models. It is expected that the 3D printers will continue to decrease in price. They will also have an ever-increasing impact on manufacturing developmental plans in a large number of fields.




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