One of the most exciting technological advances in modern history has been the introduction of 3d printing technology. It’s opening pages has allowed for an entirely new level of cost effectiveness and quality to enter into the printing process. 3d printing, also known as “umbrella printing” or “cloud printing,” has literally revolutionized industrial printing. The advantages of this form of printing are numerous, but we’ll only be looking at a few of them here. In fact, understanding just how this form of printing came to be can help you make an even better decision about what type of printers are right for your business.
To understand what 3d printer history is all about, you first have to understand how rapid prototyping and other similar technologies came to be in the first place. Rapid prototyping, which was born out of the realization that using computer aided design, or CAD, for designing actual physical products, could cut production costs. After the advent of rapid prototyping, additive technology was used to create physical prototypes. These were designed and tested over a period of time until the desired end product was finally acceptable. Once the product was approved, production could begin.
Rapid prototyping, like 3d printing, was the brainchild of hackers. These creative individuals had been exploring the possibility of using computer aided design programs, or CAD, to construct products in real life. What they found was that they could apply these programs to many different forms of art and get highly complex structures like furniture or car parts to appear more life-like through the use of digital designs. Because of their success in accomplishing these goals, they were able to apply CAD to manufacturing, and thus the birth of the modern 3d printer. They used these new tools to construct actual parts of products, and to test them for quality before they went on to sell them.
In addition to using rapid prototyping to help create parts of items, architects and designers also turned to this technology for helping them visualize their final product on a piece of real property. When designing an interior design or layout for a building or room, an architect may use 3d printing to create the topographical details of the room. The topography can be viewed in a 3d format and can be projected onto a wall, or else be printed on a piece of transparent plastic or acrylic. The effect is of a three dimensional image, which is much more realistic than the flat image produced by a computer. This kind of image can then be composited with photographs for creating a virtual preview of the finished product.
The concept of using plastic filament was also developed during the beginnings of 3d printing technology. By using two pieces of thin filament, printed with different thicknesses, an observer can create a silhouette of any shape. In the case of this printer history, this effect was used to create parts of a model, like the nose, mouth, and horns of a motorcycle. The effect was achieved by heating the two pieces of filament in a heated dryer until they printed with identical thicknesses.
Before the advent of this type of printer, engineers and designers needed to rely on a variety of tools and techniques to generate accurate slices. One such method was to manually flip the filament over to check for any imperfections or raised areas. Another method was to determine the center point of the object by raising the ink needle to the exact middle and inspecting the area that are between the nozzle and the surface of the object. One potential drawback of this method was that it required the operator to move the printer closer or further from the surface that requires inspection, potentially causing user fatigue. This is a minor drawback when one considers the level of accuracy that can now be obtained from digital printers.
This brings us to the final component of the 3d printing process, the layer. The layers are constructed of a variety of materials ranging from plastic, ceramic, wood, and metal to name a few. They are fused together using a particular type of fusion paper which provides the support, adhesion, and heat resistance necessary to hold the objects in place. In the past, layering was accomplished by cutting individual layers from sheets of tracing paper, although this method often resulted in a paper lighter than the surrounding layers. After several layers had been fused together, the layer referred to as the topmost layer served as an additional barrier to retard any further bonding occurring and to prevent smoke from escaping from the printer.
This revolutionary technique called solid-state electronics allowed for a significant increase in the quality and accuracy of products produced by modern 3d printers. The introduction of electronic chips also dramatically changed the economics of 3d printing. The advent of plastics produced a profound change in the marketplace; plastics are widely considered to be the most cost effective of all 3d printer material. In addition, the onset of computer numerical controlled (CNC) technology has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. These technologically advanced machines permit the designing and production of intricate works of art and other materials.
MakerPi is providing Best 3D Printer 2020 under $500 to consumers around the world.