3d Printing Has A Reputation For Being A Greener Method Of Manufacturing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital design. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process the desired object is created by laying down successive layers of material (usually molten alloy or plastics) until the entire object is formed. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

With such high demands, the 3D printer market is expected still to grow "as high as 17.2 billion dollars by 2020". Though costs have dropped and are expected to keep decreasing. The first

3D printing uses a process known as "additive" manufacturing. That means that the solid, three-dimensional object constructed will be made by adding the desired material in layers. The first successful outcomes of additive printing occurred back in the 1970’s. One of the advantages of using additive printing is that it takes less time than having to get a big enough piece of material and then making a mold before starting the process.(Additive) Those both also add to cost which is saved using this process. Also, there is a

It gives people power to create anything through knowledge and technology. According to Eddie Krassenstein, a co-founder and director of the largest 3D printing news publications on the web gave background information, on the history of 3D printers. The first 3D printer took 6-8 weeks to print an object, was invented by Charles Hull on March 9, 1983 (Eddie Krassenstein). With the advancement of technology, 3D printers can now printer within hours. As reported by, Robert Green a cadalyst author, a CAD programmer and an expert in CAD management expounds that, Three-dimensional printers are fast and easy to use nowadays. The printers allows people to print within hours instead of waiting weeks for your object to arrive. 3D printers use “plastics, nylon, rubber like materials, etc.” (Green 2). Mashable, a YouTube channel that uploads videos of the latest innovation in technology, global news, entertainment, and more. When we have downloaded the software into the computer and have a “blueprint or downloaded a design from thingiverse, then you can print” (Mashable). Thingiverse is a website where anyone can download free drawings and blueprints to various 3D objects and print them three dimensionally. After all the measurements of the object is correct and the design complete. You can send it or transfer it to the printer to print

Many large corporations use 3D as primary method for finishing projects in order to save money. This shows that this process can produce more with much less. One can see this with the car company Ford as an example. They are using 3D printing to make large selections of its car parts for testing. According to Ford, the company can save up to $493,000 a month of work with this production method.

As a radical innovation, 3D printing has been introduced to market over 30 years since 1980s. This technology revolution doesn’t only change the process of molding; it also adapts its industry to go green by reducing wasting materials. In the contrast, object is produced by traditional technology (subtractive process) generates surplus cut material.

To start off with a basic definition a 3D printer is a machine ranging in size from a pen to that of a tank (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2697306/Oar-Fully-functioning-plastic-boat-created-using-worlds-biggest-3D-printer.html). They create the desired design by continously spraying or to a surgical precision laying layers of material on top of each other layer to form the design that was created through one of the many programs made to create 3D printer designs. 3D printers can use a multitude of sources to create their three dimensional final products. These sources can include but are not limited to plastic polymers, titanium, aluminum, iron, steel, and almost any ductile metal or propane product that can be heated and placed without forming into a gas or melting to a point of no return. Of course these aren’t just typical polymers or metals they have been mixed with other certain chemicals and materials to give the materials new found properties. The cost of these 3D printers can be anywhere from $140 dollars all the way up to $846,000 (3ders.org). These are just the consumer models! Take a second to imagine the industrial and prototype models which are even bigger and more complex. When making the product the 3D printer creates it in a chamber where an arm like machine continuously lays material and forms the

3d printing takes time, the more material required to create something, the more time it takes up. Designers use as less material as possible in their designs to decrease the wait time, unintentionally reducing producing waste too. structures reduce waste up to 80%. In manufacturing industries, 3D printed parts are estimated to save waste by 30%. 3D printing can also help conserve the environment. One major example of this is the coral reefs. Coral reefs are an important part of the marine ecosystems but they are in decline due to climate change and ocean acidification. Corals can be replicated with 3D printing. In 2014, the world’s first 3D printed coral reef was sunk. The reef was printed with sandstone to resemble actual reefs. It has a low carbon footprint and does not produce greenhouse gases until concrete. These artificial reefs not only can provide marine lifes with a home but also prevent coastal

Why go to stores and spend lots of money buying toys, jewelry, cups and many other plastic utilities when you can only press one button and print them out for yourself. This futuristic idea is not only innovating the scientific and technological world, but it is also innovating modern day households. The possibilities of 3D printing are extremely captivating, making this one of the most exciting innovations in recent times. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, makes three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model or command. To picture how this process works, 3D printers use an additive process, where adding layers of a successive material creates an object. Traditional machines, however, uses a subtractive process by

3D Printing is a unique kind of printing system, which takes a 3D image file and creates a physical 3D image. As I mentioned before 3D files are generated from what is called a .stl file, which is a compressed triangular meshed surface. “These .stl files were originally intended for a rapid prototyping process called Stereolithography, and in the beginning were generated by CAD programs; however, because MRI and CT’s are surface scans, they too can generate a .stl file. These .stl files have become a world standard for exchanging 3D mesh type objects between programs” (McNeel, Sep. 2015, par. 3). Since MRI’s and CT’s can be scanned and converted into stl files it has paved the way into many different aspects of the medical and dental industry for 3D printing. When I say the medical and dental industry I am talking about many different avenues within those industries.

3D printing has been used in different aspects of every field but mostly its application has been limited to making prototypes. 3D printing versus Traditional Manufacturing techniques in almost every field is still very debatable.

Given the two types of 3D printers the best printing type to center a business around would be the FDM style printer. These printers overall are simpler in construction, cheaper to build and maintain, and easy to teach to students. The affordability of the printer and materials would make

As with any new technology, 3D printing will encounter competition among vendors and across all tiers of quality. As the product becomes easier to duplicate and manufacture and as equipment costs go down, the number of competitors will increase..

3D printing is a foreign concept to many people, especially those not in the engineering field. Before I go into why it will revolutionize the world, we must first understand how it works. There are 4 basic types of printing: Extrusion, Granular, Steriolithography, Bio-printing. To start I will explain extrusion. Extrusion printing starts by taking a 3D Computer Aided Drafted (CAD) file and divide it into very small slices. The most common file is in the .STL file

3D printing is a technology that was invented in the early 1980s by a man named Charles Hull (Ventola, 2014). Since its creation, 3D printing has branched into many different aspects of the world and is being utilized in fields like the automotive industry, medicine and is even being used for everyday purposes. Later on, Charles Hull founded a company called 3D Systems which developed the first ever 3D printer. In 1988, Hull and his company 3D Systems, put forth the first commercially available 3D printer. From this point on, 3D printing would be advanced and evolved to the point where it would have the opportunity to create a revolutionary impact on the world we