What is 3D printing?
3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive
processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down
successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these
layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the
eventual object.
3D printing, also known as
additive manufacturing (
AM), refers to processes used to synthesize a three-dimensional object
in which successive layers of material are formed under computer control to create an object. Objects can be of almost any shape or geometry and are produced from digital model data 3D model or another electronic data source such as an Additive Manufacturing File (AMF) file.
Modelling
3D printable models may be created with a computer-aided design (CAD) package, via a 3D scanner, or by a plain digital camera and photogrammetry software.
3D printed models created with CAD result in reduced errors and can be
corrected before printing, allowing verification in the design of the
object before it is printed.
CAD model used for 3D printing
The manual modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D
computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting. 3D
scanning is a process of collecting digital data on the shape and
appearance of a real object, creating a digital model based on it.
Though
the printer-produced resolution is sufficient for many applications,
printing a slightly oversized version of the desired object in standard
resolution and then removing material with a higher-resolution subtractive process can achieve greater precision.
Some printable polymers such as ABS, allow the surface finish to be smoothed and improved using
chemical vapor processes based on acetone or similar solvents.
Some additive manufacturing techniques are capable of using multiple
materials in the course of constructing parts. These techniques are able
to print in multiple colors and color combinations simultaneously, and
would not necessarily require painting.
Some printing techniques require internal supports to be built for
overhanging features during construction. These supports must be
mechanically removed or dissolved upon completion of the print.
All of the commercialized metal 3D printers involve cutting the metal
component off the metal substrate after deposition. A new process for
the GMAW 3D printing allows for substrate surface modifications to remove aluminum or steel.