{"id":165902,"date":"2022-10-27T16:15:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T08:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=165902"},"modified":"2022-11-22T16:31:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T08:31:50","slug":"what-is-3d-printing-simply-explained","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/what-is-3d-printing-simply-explained","title":{"rendered":"What Is 3D Printing? \u2013 Simply Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is 3D printing? What\u2019s 3D printing good for? How does 3D printing work? We simply explain this exciting technology in depth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a manufacturing process where a 3D printer creates three-dimensional objects by depositing materials layer by layer in accordance to the object\u2019s 3D digital model.<\/div>\n
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A GIF showing how a 3D printer prints three dimensional objects layer by layer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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What is 3D Printing Used For?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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3D printing enables people like you and me to easily manufacture complex objects from the comfort of our own homes.<\/p>\n

Unlike the behemoth machines installed in factories, modern desktop 3D printers are\u00a0small<\/strong>\u00a0(they\u2019re \u201cdesktop\u201d for a reason),\u00a0cheap<\/strong>\u00a0(you can get the cheapest ones for $100; less than the cost of a smartphone), and\u00a0easy<\/strong>\u00a0enough to install to operate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A 3D printer (machine on the right hand side) easily fits on a study table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Lots of people have already installed a 3D printer in their homes. So what are they doing with it? A lot, it turns out. Your kid wants a new toy? 3D print it! Your door handle has broken? 3D print a new one. Custom design teacup? Why not!<\/p>\n

It is often\u00a0cheaper<\/strong>,\u00a0faster<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0more customizable<\/strong>\u00a0to 3D print something in your home than to buy such sundy items from the store. The technology is already quite mature and the build quality of the fabricated items is constantly improving. It\u2019s not hard to imagine the oft-cited vision of a world where everyone has a 3D printer in their homes. That may never happen, but it is an utterly achievable thing for your home, should you choose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How does 3D Printing Work?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you are familiar with the operation of a normal Inkjet printer (the one that prints documents), then it\u2019s pretty easy to understand a 3D printer.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you want to make something useful, like a\u00a0case for your iPhone<\/strong>. If you had a 3D printer, this is what you would do in order to make it.<\/p>\n

1. Just like a document printer requires a digital document (a PDF or DOC file) for printing, 3D printers require digital design files<\/strong>\u00a0of 3D objects (STL files are the most common). So you would first need to create or\u00a0download<\/a>\u00a0a digital file that encodes the design of the iPhone cover.<\/p>\n

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The design file for the iPhone cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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2. Once you have the digital design saved, your computer will process the file and get ready for printing. You can change settings<\/strong>\u00a0just like you change settings in a normal Inkjet printer.<\/p>\n

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You can change 3D printing settings using software<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Next, you choose a\u00a0material<\/strong> for the iPhone cover (preferably plastic) and load your 3D printer with enough material. In a normal Inkjet printer, you buy and use ink cartridges. In a 3D printer, you buy and use filaments made of different materials. Filaments serve as the \u201cink\u201d for 3D printers.<\/p>\n

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    4. A normal Inkjet printer creates a document by depositing ink on a paper. A 3D printer creates a physical object by depositing many layers of materials on a print bed. When your 3D printer is loaded with materials, the computer will now send instructions to the 3D printer about how to deposit the material layer by layer to recreate a physical copy of the digital design.<\/div>\n
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    Woohoo! The 3D printer is now printing the iPhone cover. It will be ready in an hour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    The 3D Printed iPhone cover in all its glory!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    What Can I Create with a 3D Printer?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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    It\u2019s hard to imagine what you might do if you had a device that could make things. So to get your imagination going, here are some examples of how people might use their 3D printers.<\/p>\n

    Jerome uses 3D printing to make personalized coffee coasters<\/h3>\n

    Jerome is a caffeine fiend. He has a couple of coasters lying around his home and his office, and while they do the job, they look pretty dull.<\/p>\n

    In a coaster-jazzing mood, he decides to get creative with his beverage balancing disks and 3D prints this beautiful blue coaster in the shape of caffeine\u2019s molecular composition. It took him a minute to\u00a0find the design on the internet<\/a>\u00a0and less than an hour print the downloaded file.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Jerome printed this coffee coaster using 3D printing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    The coaster lying on his table now serves as a fun and geeky sign that this table belongs to a Caffeine addict!<\/p>\n

    Linda puts useless jars to use with the help of 3D printing<\/h3>\n

    We all have empty jars lying around in the house. Our hero in this short story is Linda, who decided that she must do something about them. So she designed plastic handles (using software) which fit tightly and securely onto the top of the jars. She then 3D printed the handles and converted the unused jars to functional drinking mugs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Linda converted useless jars to functional mugs using 3D printing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    Philip uses 3D printing to make toys for his son<\/h3>\n

    Joe is 7 years old. He has been bothering his daddy, Philip, to buy him a computer game since the last few months. Philip realized that this is the perfect opportunity to teach his son the value of saving money and patience. He tells Joe\u00a0 \u201cYou can have the computer game, but you need to save up for it. Whenever you see loose change around the house, put it in a piggy bank. When the piggy bank is full, you can open it and use the money to buy the game\u201d.<\/p>\n

    If you were an ordinary parent, you would probably go to a shop at this point and buy an overpriced piggy bank for your petulant progeny. Philip did it differently. Instead of going to a shop to buy the piggy bank, Philip downloaded a\u00a0design file for a piggy bank<\/a>\u00a0from the internet and 3D printed it at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Philip 3D printed a piggy bank for his son Joe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
    Want to know more about how other people are using 3d printing? You can find many more examples in our article\u00a050 Cool Things to 3D Print Which Are Actually Useful<\/a><\/div>\n
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    What Materials are Available for 3D Printing?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    Since all of the above examples uses plastic like materials, you might be wondering if plastic is all that 3D printers can handle?<\/p>\n

    Not quite. Generally speaking, yes, but there are more options than you may think. Using a desktop printer you can 3D print using a wide variety of materials including\u00a0plastics<\/strong>,\u00a0nylon<\/strong>,\u00a0metal<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0wood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Note however that when you buy wood or metal filaments, you are essentially buying a plastic filament which has been coated or fused with metal or wood particles \u2013 it\u2019s not 100% metal or wood. Doesn\u2019t matter much though, because the end product still looks amazing.<\/p>\n

    Here are some examples.<\/p>\n

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    This nut and bolt was printed using black ABS plastic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    This beautiful watch was printed using a composite material containing wood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    This decorative metal piece was 3D printed using Filamet \u2013 a composite material containing metal. The piece was put in fire to produce the end result in the right frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Industrial 3D printers (much bigger and much more expensive) can also print with\u00a0resins<\/strong>,\u00a0ceramics<\/strong>,\u00a0wax<\/strong>,\u00a0paper<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0sandstones<\/strong>. Unless you have a huge wad of cash to burn and an empty room to fill, you cannot use these advanced materials for DIY projects. But you can leverage online 3D printing service such as\u00a0All3DP\u2019s Best Price 3D Printing Service<\/a>\u00a0to get your design printed in such materials and shipped to you.<\/p>\n

    If you are interested in knowing more about the variety of 3D printing materials, you should check out our\u00a03D Printing Materials Guide 2017 \u2013 The Complete Overview<\/a><\/p>\n

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    How do I get Started with 3D Printing?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    3D printing is easy for anyone to learn. But before we hand you a shopping list and dive into nitty-gritty details, it is probably better to first take a brief look at the different steps in the 3D printing process. Once you understand the process well enough, you will be in a better position to start your journey and decide what you want to buy.<\/p>\n

    Step 1 of the 3D printing process : Design<\/h3>\n

    If you want to 3D print any object, you need a digital design file encoding the three-dimensional geometry of the object.<\/em>\u00a0Therefore, design is the first important step of the 3D printing process.<\/p>\n

    So how do you create 3D design files? Do you have to be good at sketching or drawing in order to do so?<\/p>\n

    It turns out that anyone can design 3D objects! There is no drawing or sketching involved at all. You simply use\u00a0CAD (Computer Aided Design)<\/strong>\u00a0software. Using the tools and shapes available in the software, you build up your 3D object.<\/p>\n

    If you have ever worked with MS Paint, GIMP, Inkscape, Illustrator or Photoshop, then CAD software will seem familiar to you. They all feature similar click, select, drag and drop interfaces.<\/p>\n

    Here is a one minute video clip showing the design process for a beautiful ring so you can an initial impression of how it works:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n