3.7 - 3D Printers

Question 1

3D printers

Answer 1

• “Print” in three dimensions
  – Create a 3D item based on an electronic model
• Additive manufacturing
  – Build in layers to create the object
  – No machining process required
• Rapid prototyping
  – Design and create relatively quickly and inexpensively
• Deploy designs anywhere in the world
  – Or into space

Question 2

Filament printing

Answer 2

• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
  – Melt filament to print 3D objects
  – This is probably the printing type you’ve seen
• Print a layer, move up, print another layer
  – Watch the printer create the object
• Good all-around printer
  – Larger print bed than resin printers
  – Easy to manage filament
  – Minimum of mess
  – Fewer disposal issues

Question 3

Resin printing

Answer 3

• Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing
  – Smooth and finely detailed 3D prints
• Resin is hardened using a light source
  – Ultraviolet light or a laser
  – Layers are added to the bottom
  – Entire print hangs from the build platform
• Resin must be handled properly
  – Wear protective gear
  – Take unused resin to your local
  hazardous materials disposal

Question 4

The print bed

Answer 4

• A flat adhesive surface
  – The foundation of a 3D print
  – Everything builds on that first layer
• Needs to be level and clean
  – Prints “stick” to the bed
• Filament printing
  – The print bed is the printing surface
  – Many different print bed options
• Resin printing
  – The “bed” is the location where the resin is
  hardened by the UV light