Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The breakthrough of 3DP printing was its simplicity. Paul Williams' vision
for 3DP was bold, particularly given the state of the art at that time. Paul wrote
in his master's thesis, “The goal of desktop manufacturing is to fabricate parts
at the press of a button, with no further action required.”
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He envisioned 3DP
as a desktop manufacturing system that would be precise, fast, cheap, and
easy to use.
Today, 3DP has lived up to its creator's vision and has become a popular,
low-cost method of 3D printing. Since 3DP printers form layers by squeezing
glue onto raw material to make layers, these machines do not use lasers and
can work with a broad range of raw materials. 3DP printers don't have to sup-
port high-powered components so they are energy eficient to operate. On the
downside, because it's dificult to create extremely thin layers without a laser,
objects created on a 3DP printer tend to have a rough surface.
One of the biggest advantages of 3DP is its ability to print in color. When
glue is deposited, a few additional droplets of colored ink can be ink-jetted
as well, allowing the fabrication of full color 3D models. 3DP processes can
also be used with a variety of powdered materials, ranging from starch-like
material that results in a sandstone-like textured object to powdered clay
that needs to be ired in an oven to harden. Some have used 3DP with glass
powder, ground bones, shredded tires and even sawdust. Some printers use
powdered metal, such as bronze. The glued bronze then needs to be sintered
in a furnace to become solid.
Cleaning up design iles
The printing process begins with a design ile. Like the bulk of an iceberg that
lurks underwater, a substantial amount of preparation involves preparing the
design ile and setting up the printer. During my visit to ABC Imaging John
told me that one of the biggest (but frequently unrecognized challenges) is
helping his clients format their design iles properly.
A design ile must be able to properly converse with the software that's
built into a 3D printer. The printer's built-in software (or irmware) tells the
printer's mechanical components what to do. Preparing a completed design
ile to be 3D printed is not always a straightforward process.
At ABC Imaging, the 3D printing process begins when the company's 3D
clients—mostly architects and engineers—give John a design ile. Most profes-
sions tend to favor a particular type of design software. Many architects design
