Want to learn 3D printing basics? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a college student or a seasoned engineer; knowing or reviewing the foundations of 3D printing is essential. 3D printing is no longer simply a utopian fantasy.
Industrial designers often use 3D printing to generate prototype size models to evaluate their design’s shape, function, and fit before going into full production. Autodesk Fusion 360 is one of the most flexible 3D printing software programs available today.
To begin, most designers have a vision in mind. They can now bring that vision to life with the help of 3D printing. This article explains the basics of 3D printing so that you may get from ‘idea to reality’ in a matter of minutes.
So, let’s get started!
What Are the Types of 3D Printing?
3D printing is transforming the industrial industry. For this reason, various techniques are available for a wide range of materials. The following are some examples.
Stereolithography(SLA)
When it comes to rapid prototyping, SLA does not compromise on precision or accuracy. Instead, it can construct 3D CAD-based things in only a few hours. This method is a 3D printing method that uses photopolymers to create strong 3D objects by converting the fluid photopolymers into sturdy 3D things layer by layer.
The plastic hardens into a solid as soon as it touches the surface. Each of these layers gets created using a powerful laser, which gets directed by two mirrors in the X and Y directions. Each thin layer of gum must be distributed evenly throughout the surface by a sharp, pre-coating recoater before the following process.
Here’s how the printing process works, starting from the bottom and working upwards.
Once the printer completes a 3D component, a fake shower normally removes the leftover materials. In addition, it’s common to cook the material once it’s finished heating. This process improves the product’s stability and grounding.
Many different businesses have backed SLA printing. Other examples include the medical, aviation, and entertainment industries.
Specific Laser Sintering (SLS)
Plastics made from nylon-based powders are softened and strengthened using a process known as “specific laser sintering” (SLS). SLS components are very durable with true thermoplastic material and can withstand live pivots and snap-fits. With SLS, pieces are more grounded but have harsher surface finishes.
SLS does not need support structures. Hence, you can use the whole form stage to consolidate different pieces into a single form. Doing this will make the structure suitable for part quantities greater than other 3D printing measures. For example, when designing infusion-shaped designs, several SLS components are used.
Professionals also use a 3D printing technique known as Power Bed Fusion. For example, people heat Nylon 6, 11, and 12 thermoplastic powders just below their liquefying point. At this moment, the powder is transferred onto the forming stage by a sharp-edged recoating or wiper. The powder is ‘sintered,’ meaning a cross-section of the object hardens using a laser beam.
Galvos are used the same way as SLA to keep the laser-focused on a specific print region. Therefore, repeating the full cycle as often as possible is necessary to finish the item after filtering the entire cross-section. However, with no need for supporting structures, unsintered powder serves as the item’s foundation.
Not many SLS applications are realistic components assembly, intricate ducting that requires empty designs, and low-run production. Two of its strongest usages are producing functional components with high mechanical characteristics and performing intricate calculations. Compared to FDM/FFF, the lengthier lead times and higher cost of SLS limit its use.
Polyjet
PolyJet is a plastic 3D printing measure. However, there is a learning curve. A variety of features, such as tones and materials, may be achieved via the use of this tool. For example, you can prototype elastomeric or over-molded items using this new technology by architects.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
In an FDM printer, plastic fibers are expelled layer-by-layer onto the forming platform. However, delivering real models has never been easier or faster than it is now. For example, you may use FDM for practical testing in rare instances. However, the innovation potential is limited by the components’ often rough surface finishes and lack of robustness.
Material Extrusion is a new 3D printing cycle used in this new 3D printing invention. Material Extrusion is the most accessible and cost-effective. In a 3D printer, you put the filament onto a spool, which you then stack one layer at a time.
As a result of this process, the solidified substance gets removed via a heated funnel. When the ejection head travels in certain directions, the 3D printing material remains in a formative stage where the printer fiber cools and cements, forming a hard item. Then, a new layer gets printed once the previous one is complete until the printed object becomes a whole.
Digital Light Processing (DLP)
It’s faster to print with DLP than SLA since each layer gets exposed simultaneously rather than following a laser’s path over a zone. Models, adornments, dental applications, and amplifiers are among the most common DLP uses. Fine element textures and flawless surface finishing distinguish them. You cannot use them as mechanical components due to their inability to withstand heavy loads.
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
With the help of Multi Jet Fusion, nylon powder gets transformed into useful components. For example, designers use an inkjet cluster to apply melding experts to the nylon powder bed instead of a laser. At this stage, a warming component disregards the bed to mix each layer. Improved surface completeness and more predictable mechanical characteristics are the results of SLS.
Faster fabrication times result in cheaper production costs due to MJF’s cycle. In contrast to conventional 3D printing processes that use the point-wise deposition to deposit, sinter, or cure construction material, MJ uses continuous deposition. For example, a photopolymer is sprayed from the print head, cured by UV light, and solidified when printing.
The build platform lowers its thickness by one layer after each layer is placed and cured to develop the 3D model. There’s another distinction between MJ techniques and 3D printing techniques. The distinction is that instead of depositing built material in a slow, line-wise fashion, MJ machines use a single point to follow a route that defines the cross-sectional layer.
What Are the Basics of 3D Printing?
Here is a complete guide on the basics of 3D printing:
What Is 3D printing?
3D printing is making 3D models from digital models with the help of a 3D printer.
We use Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines to control 3D printers. 3D printing machines are known as additive manufacturing machines because of how they create their finished products. 3D printers are additive manufacturing machines instead of subtractive machines, which produce their output by cutting or drilling pieces out of a block of raw material to make a specific shape. For example, 3D printers are computer-controlled devices that add materials to make the shape you instruct them to generate.
It takes hours for a 3D printer to generate a component. However, other CNC industrial equipment, such as injection molding machines, can produce stronger, more lasting parts in only a few minutes. Most 3D printers generate weak, tiny components because of the method they manufacture the parts, which is a problem for many 3D printers. So why do people use 3D printers?
3D printers are very affordable, so anybody with one can create almost anything they want. Designers can travel from concepts to reality, iterate quickly on designs, and build complex geometries without trouble with these tools. In other words, everything is possible with the simple click of a button.
Rapid Prototyping
3D printers, in contrast to most other CNC equipment, need relatively little setup time or money. One of the finest fast prototyping technologies is 3D printers, which can generate custom-designed components rapidly and inexpensively. As a result, it is more expensive and time-consuming to set up large-scale manufacturing equipment. That’s because in large machines, each new item may need custom molds or fixtures that must be precisely machined.
Designers set up large printing equipment machines to create hundreds or thousands of identical parts, which increases their setup costs and time. With a 3D printer, it is possible to design and produce a component at a low cost and then modify and print the design numerous times until it achieves full production.
Intricate Geometries
With 3D printing, you don’t have to do anything except push a button to have your idea come to life. In addition to using a drill press, a lathe, or a milling machine, the manufacturer must also operate these tools. The workpiece has to be aligned, measured, and machined by the user to produce a finished product without human mistakes.
Thanks to how the machines generate their components, you can now print complex geometries using 3D printers, like prosthetic limbs, animal models, and even copies of buildings. 3D printers enable individuals to produce things they couldn’t previously. Hence, they offer up a whole new world of possibilities for creators.
Customized Content
The preceding section stated that you can quickly alter 3D drawings on the computer before being printed again. Changing the machine’s configuration to print custom files for certain individuals or entities is unnecessary. For example, small-scale manufacturers and producers might benefit from the ability to generate customized content. That’s because it enables them to build designs for particular individuals or even produce designs that others provide. For example, 3D printing allows for creating custom-made jewelry, prosthetics, and even 3D scans of humans.
How Does 3D Printing Work?
There are various 3-D printers on the market, and understanding how they function and how to design for them is essential for anybody interested in 3D printing. All 3D printers build components by creating a material layer and fusing them together to form a solid item, regardless of the materials and procedures used to generate them.
It is possible to employ a variety of 3D printing procedures, some of which are better suited for large-scale production. In contrast, others allow many materials or colors in a single print.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Fused Deposition Modeling is one of the most prevalent sorts of 3D printing, and it’s also the most straightforward. For example, using a printer head, the machine melts down ABS or PLA plastic and then extrudes it onto the printer bed. This method of 3D printing works similarly to how you apply ink to paper in a traditional printer. Then, the extruder head of the printer builds out a 3D object layer by layer, fusing each layer with the preceding one as it cools.
FDM printers are widespread desktop printers due to their low cost and ease of construction. Regarding their accuracy, it all comes down to how well the motors control the extruder head and how delicate the head is when it extrudes material. It is common for printed items to have weak horizontal cross sections since the material is built up layer by layer.
Furthermore, the support material is required to hold up any overhanging areas of 3D printed objects on FDM printers. For example, multiple extrusion FDM printers may print in a chemically dissolvable support material. In contrast, single extruder printers print in a less dense substance you can break when the print finishes. In addition, FDM printers with several extruder heads may print in various colors and materials, increasing their versatility.
Stereolithography (SLA)
In stereolithography, a laser hardens liquid resin using ultraviolet light. SLA printers use a laser beam to slice through the component and cure the liquid resin layer by layer. In contrast, FDM printers use layers of filament to build the 3D model. SLA printers can print from the top down, while most 3D printers print from the bottom up. When printing, the item is attached to a build platform at the bottom, where the laser and resin bath is present.
Due to their work, SLA printers are capable of high speeds and accuracy. The resin, on the other hand, is pricey and necessitates using specialist storage containers due to its photocurable nature. When cured, most resins are very brittle. They cannot sustain much force, making SLA printing effective for prototypes but not for production. Printed parts from SLA printers, like those from FDM printers, require support structures. However, SLA printers can only print in cured resin, unlike FDM printers. They cannot print in multiple materials at once. But the accuracy of SLA printers enables them to produce highly delicate and elaborate designs.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
SLS is comparable to stereolithography in that a laser is used to solidify material and create a solid shape. You may see the differences between the two methods in the use of liquid resin in SLA printing and the use of powdered material in Laser Sintering (LS). You place several powder layers on a print bed, and lasers fix each layer’s particles. You may use it with many different types of materials. Hence, Selective Laser Sintering is an excellent option.
SLS machines can manufacture more complex and accurate components than most other printers because the pieces are submerged in power, eliminating the requirement for support material. However, these devices are mainly in the industry because of their high power requirements and costs.
Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)
A laser or knife cuts slices of the 3D model from sheets of material in the Laminated Object Manufacturing process. Machines execute this process by laying down adhesive on the preceding sheet of material before cutting it out with the cutting tool. As a result, the printer creates stacks of cut-out and fused sheet material. To use a LOM printer, you must first print on a stack of paper (in 2D). You may use these printers to make colored 3D printed objects.
Printing on large quantities of paper or plastic produces very cheap manufacturing costs for these printers. These printers can print flexible and robust pieces because of the sheets’ material qualities. The pieces are sturdy, but since they comprise paper, they wear out quickly, and you can easily rip them apart. For example, you may produce large components on LOM machines with the least amount of minor details. To separate the portion from the surrounding material, you’ll require a significant amount of post-processing for each print. These printers generate much waste because each component is hand-picked from a stack of paper, and the resulting geometry is constrained.
3D Design for 3D Printing
3D printers provide a direct path from conceptual ideas and designs to tangible models for designers. They can only accomplish this using computer-aided design (CAD) software. After designing a component, you may import it into software particular to the 3D printer. The software then slices the part and sends the printer a list of routes and directions to be utilized to construct the part.
A range of CAD (Computer Aided Design) applications are available to create 3D models. Professional engineers use software like SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor to create components and assemblies for production. At the same time, hobbyists may get started with 3D design and 3D printing using free applications like Tinkercad or Autodesk 123D. In the following sections, we’ll go through some things to keep in mind while creating a 3D-printed component.
Part Orientation
You must observe a few design standards and limits while designing for 3D printing, just as there are for any other manufacturing technique. However, you must consider a building face as part of the design process. There are many printers, so knowing which side of the print bed you’re printing from is crucial. Printers have somewhat varied ways of establishing ideal component orientation. Hence, planning to optimize that positioning can save material consumption, print time, and the likelihood that a print will fail.
Reducing Print Time and Support Material
Properly orienting your item may reduce support material use and printing time. To make your item appear like a completed product, avoid using support material since it is difficult to remove and results in a rough surface finish. Components must be polished and sanded down to eliminate the impact of the support material, which may compromise the tolerances of your part if it connects with anything else.
Part Strength
Most desktop printers break pieces along the build plate’s parallel cross-sections. Higher-end 3D printers fuse the layers well, whereas lower-end printers don’t, causing seams along the part’s cross sections. As a result, you can readily crop pieces along these planes. Make sure your component is oriented such that the direction of force is not along those cross-sectional planes if you know how and where the force will be applied.
Build Adhesion
The 3D printed components stick to the build plate when printing on most printers, especially FDM machines. A little contact area may cause the part to slide off the build plate. A printer’s features may modify this, but generally speaking, you’ll want to print on the side of your component with the largest surface area on a single plane.
Overhangs And Arches
Most printers need printed support structures, as previously described, for the flat overhanging characteristics of their components. Most printers (mainly FDM and SLA printers) can withstand overhangs of 45 degrees from the horizontal without needing support. They can also generate features like vertical holes or circular arches with minimum drooping. Identify any flat or low-angle overhangs on your component and ensure they are supported by other parts, like angled overhangs or arches, to reduce the need for support material.
Interfacing With Other Parts
It is common for components to shrink somewhat as they cool down after being heated and melted in 3D printers. Because of this, printing gears, sliders, or holders that interact with other items might be challenging.
Tolerances
It’s important to provide room for error when constructing a portion that will go inside or around another object. For example, you may wish to print off a few test pieces to see whether the fit is correct before making the final product.
Holes
Hole sizes will never match those achieved by drilling or reaming on many 3D printers. Typically, a cartesian-based printer generates a circular hole, and reducing components affects the part’s size. Using a reamer to drill out the hole to the correct size ensures accurate holes on your products. Drill the hole slightly undersized.
Threads
The threads on parts the printer will screw into should not be printed since they may not be as exact as the threads on the components themselves. For example, to attach a screw to a 3D printed product, make the hole slightly smaller than the component’s thread diameter and tap the hole once the print is complete.
Part Corrosion
Due to the necessity to safely heat and cool the plastic, most 3D printers employ materials with low melting points. So, ABS and PLA are the most popular materials for FDM machines. Because they have a low melting point, they corrode extremely readily when subjected to much friction. Because of the resin they need, SLA printers often generate fragile items. Using 3D printed components in high-speed or high-force applications is typically not a good idea because features tend to rub off or pieces shatter. When 3D printing, sliding, spinning, or moving elements may be used, they will eventually wear out.
Related Technologies
CNC Machines
You can classify 3D printers as “Computer Numerical Control” (CNC) machines. Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines are those whose operations are managed by a PC. The PC sends a CAD file to the machine via the controller. The machine then performs a sequence of operations to produce the desired product. For example, it is common for CNC machines to be much more accurate and dependable than human-operated devices. For example, computer-controlled 3D printers are known as additive manufacturing CNC machines because they have an additive manufacturing process and are responsible for adding material layer to build an item. In contrast, machines that remove material from a workpiece to produce pieces have subtractive manufacturing processes and remove materials from a physical object, such as a mill or lathe.
Laser Cutters
Rapid prototyping CNC technology such as 3D printers and laser cutters are examples of this. When working with two-dimensional CAD files, Laser Cutters quickly and efficiently cut or etch flat material using the power of lasers. However, you may also utilize their rastering capabilities to create functioning prototypes from other materials, including wood, plastic, and metal.
3D Scanners
3D scanners are also often used in conjunction with 3D printing. Real-world items may be captured using 3D scanners and turned into digital 3D CAD models. You can scan an item in three dimensions, which may then be produced in three dimensions using a 3D printer or for further design work using a 3D scanner.
Is 3D Printing Easy to Learn?
While 3D printing may not be easy to learn, you can master it with the right mentality and attitude.
Final Words – 3D Printing Basics
We appreciate your time and attention in reading our beginner’s guide to 3D printing. As a result of this article, you should better understand 3D printing and how to start purchasing a printer.
Also, if you are looking for Benefits of 3D Printing specifically, check out our guide!