People seemed to be really hyped up about 3D printing. But what actually is 3D printing? And how does 3D printing or a 3D actually work? Here’s how.
Creating three-dimensional objects from any digital file is called 3D printing. They are renowned for their ability to create any object in any form, shape or size. And all of this is done by one single machine.
The creation of the objects is made possible by using the additive process which is basically the process of creating an object by adding different materials, layer upon layer. It is the opposite of the subtractive method which removes layers to create an object.
The best 3D Printers can create pretty much any given object ranging from ceramics, vases, machine parts, children’s toys etc. These machines will probably replace the traditional factory production Lines in the near future.
How does a 3D printer work?
Everything begins when you design a 3D model in your PC. You have to connect it to a 3D printer and just press the start button. After that, you just have to watch and the printer will do the rest.
What the printer does is basically convert the object into slices and then it starts printing the object from the bottom up, layer upon layer and these layers stick on top of each other to make the object.
All the layers are complex and the printer is able to create moving parts of the same object. You can create a 3D model of a bike if you wanted to. It would have everything that a real bike has. While making this you just have to make sure to leave gaps in the right places.
After creating your design, you need to prep it in order for it to become printable. The first thing you need to do is slice your 3D model in order for it to become printable.
This can be achieved with the help of slicing software. Slicing is the process of separating the model into many horizontal layers.
A 3D file can sometimes be sliced by the printer or inside the modelling software. After the model has been sliced, it is now ready to be fed to the printer. This is achieved by using Wi-Fi, USB or via an SD card. Now after this has been done, the object is now ready to be printed.
There are a lot of 3D modeling software which the 3D printing industry uses and they are available in many forms. Industrial grade software is something which many industries use but there’s also open source 3D modeling software available.
The software programs are designed to match the need for a user’s industry. This is why there are a lot of options and this might overwhelm you a bit when you’re just starting out. You can choose a simple one that’s free and get started. This will be the best choice for you as you’re just a beginner. It’s also free which means that you don’t have to spend a single penny.
But before you start thinking you need to know how everything works and for that you need to ask yourself what really interests you, the hardware or creating a 3D model.
This will help you in many ways and especially when you will buy a printer for yourself. There are many ways to learn 3D printing as it is a rapidly growing industry, many online workshops are being conducted on a daily basis and this is probably the easiest way to learn about 3D printing and the additive process and manufacturing.
Another great platform where you. can learn for free is YouTube. There a lot of YouTubers who make a living by creating online tutorials or by giving online classes. You can be sure that you’ll learn a great deal from them.
And the best part is all this is for free which basically means that the only time you have to spend any money is when you decide to buy a 3D printer and a good 3D modeling software.
The great thing about owning a 3D printer is that you can create a model of almost anything. This can be really useful when you have to design something for your college, work etc.
You can also use this to gift your friends a few 3D models of themselves and they are going to love those. This will be possible once you get to know everything about a 3D printer and how it works.