Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
History of 3D printing
The first steps toward 3D printing at its current stage were made in the 80s. American engin-
eer Charles Hull is widely recognized as the most significant pioneer of 3D printing. He de-
veloped stereolithography (SL) and co-founded the company 3D Systems. Already in 1983
he started working on his SL technology in order to come up with a way to make prototypes
faster. In 1986 he patented SL and started 3D Systems together with several partners. 3D
systems also invented the STL file format for transferring data from the CAD-program to
the 3D printer, which is still in use today.
Charles Hull used the term 3D printing for SL already back in the 80s. The hype that is
sometimes associated with 3D printing nowadays existed even back then. In the year of 1989
stereolithography was featured on the TV-show Good Morning America as an exciting new
technology with revolutionizing implications for industry in the future. The 4-minute seg-
ment was littered with phrases like “ 3D-printing is a boon to industry because a prototype
that used to take months to make, will now just take a few hours ”. The then CEO of 3D Sys-
tems Raymond Freed added to the hype by saying
I think the technology is capable of what I call just in time manufacturing…which means
that you would produce the part just as you needed it. We are not there yet and we probably
got five years or more of hard research and development, but think if we could make a whole
car door in less than a minute without any tooling…”.
As shown already then, the concept of 3D printing seems to be prone to hype and unrealistic
promises. In retrospect, 3D printing has progressed, but has not fully delivered on the prom-
ises yet.
In the end of the 80s there were also two other 3D printing technologies being developed:
Fused Deposition Modeling and Laser Sintering. One day in 1988 Scott S. Crump got the
idea of making a toy frog for his daughter. He used a glue gun filled with polyethylene and
candle wax to build up the frog layer by layer. Scott being a true “maker” could not let go
of his hobby project, so he bought digital-plotting equipment for 10 000 USD and contin-
ued his efforts in the garage. In 1989 he patented Fused Deposition Modeling and founded
Stratasys together with his wife Lisa H. Crump. However, it took time, money and effort
to commercialize the technique; Stratasys sold its first FDM machine “the 3D modeler” in
1992. And so the two giants in the market, 3D Systems and Stratasys, were born.
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