3D Printing Definition
3D Printing is referred to the process by which objects are printed just the way they actually are. This printing equipment was made available back in 1986, but it started to be used in 1990. The most commonly used printers are the 2D type that is wide and long and can add height in a similar 3D. The ink that is used in this printer is the one that can fit different angles in materials like epoxy, polyurethane, metal powder which are widely used. 3D Printing can be completed with the help of a material printer.
The basics of addictive manufacturing
3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process of creating solid 3D objects. These objects are first designed and created digitally.
The making of a 3D printed object is done by adding layers of materials one by one until the object is made.
Additive manufacturing essentially means the creation of an object by laying one over other layers of the material sequential till the object is carved out. Every layer is visible like a thinly sectioned cross-segment of an object.
3D Printing is opposite to subtractive manufacturing, which means to hollow out a piece of plastic or metal with any equipment, supposedly a milling machine. 3D Printing allows you to create unique shapes by using lesser materials than the conventional manufacturing procedures.
3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing?
In terms of terminology, there is no such difference between 3D Printing and additive manufacturing. Both these terms are synonyms for just one purpose. Both of them refer to the process of creating parts by adjoining one upon another layer out of a CAD file. This process is just opposite to the conventional manufacturing process, in which a part is created by reducing material from a chunk of material. 3D Printing and additive manufacturing are appropriate t be used irrespective of whether the parts are made of rubber, metal, and plastic.
Though the technology is now aged to almost 30 years, 3D Printing has been recorded and elucidated in the past few years. People often tend to ask about the difference between 3D printing, rapid prototyping, and additive manufacturing.
The term rapid prototyping is dissimilar to additive manufacturing, or 3D Printing, is the process of manufacturing a prototype-like model out of a CAD file. Put simply, additive manufacturing/3D printing is one out of many applications which come under the additive manufacturing or 3D printing umbrella.
What are the advantages of 3D Printing?
This production technique has a lot of advantages to offer when compared to the conventional methods of manufacturing. The advantages are associated with the time, cost, design of the product:
Flexibility in design : 3D Printing enables the print and design to be more complex than those produced by the basic manufacturing processes. The majority of the manufacturing processes keep the designs restricted, which is absolutely not applicable to 3D Printing.
Waste minimization : The production process used for parts usually needs the material that is required in the manufacture of the part, which makes sure that there is almost no or very low amount of wastage in comparison to other manufacturing methods which involve cutting out pieces from large blocks of materials which can’t be recycled.
Cost-effectiveness : 3D Printing is such a manufacturing process that involves just a single step, and that is the reason why it saves a significant amount of costs and time related to the use of various types of machinery and equipment for the manufacture to complete. One can also set a 3D printer up and leave it to get over with its task, as there’s no need for the presence of operators every time the machine is running. This manufacturing process can cut down on material cost too because it uses the right amount of material required just for the part with the minimal amount of wastage.
On-demand Printing : Printing on demand is one of the greatest advantages because it doesn’t require too much space for stocking the inventory, like conventional manufacturing processes. This can also save a lot of space and costs because you don’t have to do bulk Printing unless needed. Files of 3D design can be easily stored in a digital library because they get printed with the help of any 3D model as an STL or CAD file, which can be found and printed whenever required.
3D Printing and sustainability
As people are striving for a sustainable future, business organizations have started to look for ways that can help in optimizing their manufacturing techniques for a reduction in energy consumption and waste production, contributing to the sustainability approach. 3D Printing is mostly considered to be one of the crucial sustainable techniques, mainly because of two advantages, which include the facilitation of efficiency patterns and creating low wastage. There are a lot of reasons to say that 3D Printing is a sustainable manufacturing process.
3D Printing vs. Conventional Manufacturing
Conventional manufacturing is mainly about four methods of subtractive manufacturing, namely, Injection Moulding, CNC machining, plastic joining, and plastic forming, but 3D Printing refers to a process of additive manufacturing that functions through the deposit of different layers of material till the desired object is formed.
3D Printing or Injection Moulding
In Injection moulding, you need to make use of a mould. It is a manufacturing technique in which different parts can be created by injecting liquefied material into a mould. Both of these techniques are used in the production process of plastic components and parts, but every manufacturing technique has its own set of pros and cons and can be put to use together as supportive manufacturing techniques.
The technology of 3D Printing is an additive manufacturing process that is used to design different objects by creating several layers of a material, whereas injection moulding makes use of a mould full of liquefied substance that can cool and harden itself to create various parts. 3D printing and Injection Moulding are both used in prototyping, but both are slightly different from each other.
This is everything you need to know as an introduction to 3D Printing. There are different ways in which 3D Printing can be used to manufacture some of the unique designs you desire.
As people and kids look for more information about 3D printing, our team has shared information about the uses of 3D Printing and the softwares used for designing.
Ever wondered how 3D Printing was invented? Read about this and more on our blog.
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