3D Printing Services

You probably heard about this cool printing service commonly known as 3D printing service. Technology is rapidly advancing everyday and you will never know what amazing gadget or equipment is produced the next day. If you haven’t heard anything about 3D printing, it is about time to get yourself familiar with this. You’ll be surprised by the fun things you can create out of it.

Three dimensional printing or 3D printing is the mainstream these days when it comes to creating interesting objects with multiple layers. Unlike before, it was a challenge to get a 3D printer but these days making a purchase for yourself is pretty easy and convenient. Depending on your requirements, you can get one of these from Amazon or Best Buy and other online stores. This printer is not the same with that of your office printer where you get to print out colored or black and white documents.

What is 3D Printing?

3D Printing Services

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3D printing is an additive process where objects, metals or plastics, are put together in order to create a three-dimensional item. Think of printing using ink but in this case, objects in three dimensional forms or multiple layers are manufactured. This is made possible through the use of programs such as computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Is this similar to the traditional kind of printing? We can consider this as an evolution of the kind of printing we used to use. 3D printing is like bringing the printing industry one step higher. With 3D printing, adding multiple layers is made possible thus greatly extending the height or width of an object is possible.

3D Printing Process

3D printing is made possible through the use of technology such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or Fused Filament, digital light projector (DLP) 3D printing, stereolithography and multi-jet modelling. FDM uses filament while DLP uses liquid polymer exposure to light. The stereolithography, on the other hand, uses UV lasers. The multi-jet 3D printing is a printing service which makes a variation of color possible. It uses an inkjet technology to spray color as the 3D objects are being formed.

According to PCmag.com, the first 3D released in the market used FDM in the 1990s. This kind of printer was designed for schools and creates 3D print outs as a hobby.

What makes 3D printing beneficial?

3D Printing Services

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With 3D printing, it is more economical for designers to iterate their designs without having to spend a lot. Quick changes and adjustments are made possible by printing out parts of an object which needs iteration. If materials are not available on the market or currently out of stock online, you don’t have to wait a long time for the next shipping schedule. You can just fabricate the parts that you need. This saves you time and money. It also reduces the headache of you thinking about the missing part being sent out to the wrong address.

For ecommerce, you can create the parts depending on the demands of the market. This avoids overstocking or oversupply. As a shop owner, you can project how long it will take to fabricate an item and you can easily adjust the days of fabrication as the demand increases or decreases. This also saves you money from paying warehouse fees where you need to house all your inventories. You can just create them using your 3D printer as the customer makes the order. 3D printing does not only save you some money, but you could also earn a profit out of it. Hobbyists are creating unique designs out of 3D using raw materials which are upcycled and sell them online for profit. It also saves you the time and energy compared to the normal labor intensive day-to-day job.

Having your own 3D printing at home also saves you from going out of the house. No need to go to the store when you can just manufacture it from your home. Considering the health risk of the pandemic, this is considered a major advantage for you. But of course, the ability of your 3D printer to create complex designs and objects depends on the type of printer you have. If you have special requirements for your design, make sure your printer head and the overall component of your printer is able to do that.

Another advantage of having a 3D printer at home is its ability to quickly churn out objects. No more days of waiting! In just a matter of hours to minutes you can have your parts. Of course, this will still depend on what you are trying to print. If you are 3D printing huge designs or even a house this can take days up to months.

3D Printers: Making Things Possible

3D Printing Services

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These days you can basically print anything in 3D including a car. Yes, that is possible! Strati, an electric car, manufactured by Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory was manufactured using a Large Scale 3D Printer. Manufacturing a car could take up to months to build, but with modern technology it only took 44 hours to manufacture the Strati automobile.

3D printing is becoming larger and printing a house is already made possible. There are plenty of companies in the US which cater to 3D house printing requests. This is made possible through their technology dubbed as Autonomous Robotic Construction System (ARCS). Imagine a 1,500 living space complete with a car garage created by a 3D printer. Pretty amazing right?

Mighty Buildings is also an American-based company which specializes in a more eco-friendly approach through the integration of robots, automation and 3D printing. Their printing service starts from $190,000 and could go up depending on your space requirement. The homes are already pre-fabricated using their 3D which makes the construction time faster and labor cost lower.

There are plenty of players in the field in terms of 3D printing for houses and commercial establishments. You can visit the website of Project Milestone, Icon, and 3 Strands to check their pricing, location and type of service provided. Houses in 3D are not only present in the US but are also taking off in other parts of the world.

3D printing aids in various industries and is not limited in construction and architecture only. These days the medical industry is also investing into 3D printing for various needs such as prosthetic arms and legs. Online entrepreneurs can create original crafts and designs and sell it online. Artists can express their emotions through their craft produced in 3D. If you are a musician, you can even create your own acoustic guitar. Scott Summi made this possible when he created the first functional acoustic guitar.

Parts of an electrical component could easily be replicated and fabricated. There are also shops which specialize in 3D where you can even get a phone case made out of 3D design. If you are planning to gift someone special with a 3D design check out the3Dgift.com for anniversary or birthday gifts. Crystalprints.com is another online store which offers 3D gift options. Whether you are looking for a pendant, a keychain, paperweights, memorial keepsakes and other items in 3D, they can accommodate. Artpix 3D and 3D Innovation are a few other shops you can look into.

If you have small kids who love to draw. Bring those drawings into life through 3D printing. This will not only encourage their creativity but will allow a deeper bonding with your kids. This is one of the best ways to have fun with 3D!

Did you also know that you can create clothing and fabrics using 3D printing? Thanks to Jiri Evenhuise and Janne Kyttanen for making this a reality. With this kind of clothing production, mother nature is less harmed as less carbon footprint is produced. Plus, you get to keep and recycle this kind of clothing for a long time! If you are hitting the beach soon, you might want to get yourself some stylish bikinis printed in 3D. Visit Shapeways.com and pick your choice of beach outfit.

3D Printing Software

There are a lot of 3D softwares available in the market. According to All3DP, if you are a beginner and you are after the design functionality the softwares to get are TinkerCAD, 3D Slash, zBrushCoreMini, and 3D Builder. These softwares are compatible for both Mac, Windows and Browsers. Intermediate users can opt for the Vectary, Figuro, SketchUp Free, Fusion 360, FreeCAD and OpenSCAD. But if you are already a professional Blender and OnShape are the best options. For STL Editor and STL Repair, the recommended software to use are MakePrintable, Meshmixer, MeshLab, 3DPrinterOS and Netfabb.

Disadvantages of 3D Printing

While 3D printing is revolutionizing the business, manufacturing, constructions, medical and other sectors, there are still some disadvantages and limitations in using the technology. First of which is the material which can be used. There is limitation with the use of metals and plastics which can be used because not every type can be used for 3D printing. Also, not all 3D printed are food grade safe. With the availability of 3D technology, it also poses a threat to some job security, especially those in the manufacturing sector. Humans are being replaced with this machine which could produce the same equality if not better. 3D Printing Services are here for the future!