Report Writing

On
3D

PRINTER

Bachelor of Engineering
(Division of Instrumentation & Control Engineering)
By Amardeep Kumar
Roll No: 421/IC/14
Under the Supervision of

NETAJI SUBHAS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Azad Hind Fauj Marg, Sector-3, Dwarka, New Delhi-110 078
Telephone: 2509 9036-42, 250 9 9050, Fax: 2509 9022
Website: http://www.nsit.ac.in

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SUMMARY
3D printing technique was developed in 1984. 3D
computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting.
Before printing a 3D model from any file, it must first be
examined for errors. Once completed, the file needs to be
processed by a software called slicer, which converts the model
into a series of thin layers and produces a G-code file which is
executed by a specific type of 3D printer. Some of the 3D printers
(RepRap) are capable of replicating itself by printing many of its
own (plastic) parts to create more machines. They (Rep Rap) are
able to print circuit boards and metal parts. Some companies
offer on-line 3D printing services to people working on 3D
designs. As 3D printers generally print thousands of items and
hence are cost effective. This technology is likely to revolutionize
every field it touches.

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(RepRap)

CONTENT
1.0 WHAT IS 3D PRINTER
2.0 PRINCIPLES
2.1 Modeling
2.2 Printing
2.3 Finishing
3.0 TYPES OF PROCESSES
4.0 USES
4.1 Industrial Use
4.2 Consumer Use
5.0 CLOUD BASED AM
6.0 FUTURE

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(i) WHAT IS A 3D PRINTER

3D printing (additive manufacturing) is a process of
making three dimensional solid objects from a digital
file. In the process an object is created by laying down
successive layers of material until the entire object is
created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thin
sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.
With the help of internet, it may eventually be possible to send
a blueprint of any product to any place in the world to be
replicated by a 3D printer with "elemental inks" capable of being
combined into any material substance of any desired form.
Construction of a model with contemporary methods may take
anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on the
method used, size and complexity of the model.

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(A 3D Printer)

2.0 PRINCIPLES
2.1 Modeling
3D printable models may be created with a computer
aided (CAD) package, via a 3D scanner or by a plain digital
camera. 3D printed models created with CAD results in reduced
errors and can be corrected before printing, allowing verification
in the design of the object before it is printed. The manual
modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer
graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting. 3D scanning
is a process of collecting digital data on the shape and
appearance of a real object, creating a digital model based on it.

2.2 Printing
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Before printing a 3D model from an STL file, it must be examined

for errors, as the original model needs to be fixed. Generally STL
obtained through 3D scanning has more of these errors.
Once completed, the STL file needs to be processed by a piece
of software called a slicer, which converts the model into a series
of thin layers and produces a G-code file containing instructions
to a specific type of 3D printer. This G-code file can then be
printed with 3D printing software.
Printer resolution describes layer thickness and X-Y resolution
in micrometers (m) or dots per inch (dpi). Typical layer
thickness is around 100 m or 250 DPI, although some
machines can print layers as thin as 16 m or 1,600 DPI.
Construction of a model with contemporary methods can take
anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on the
method used, size and complexity of the model.

2.3 Finishing
Printer-produced resolution is sufficient for many applications,
printing a slightly oversized version of the desired object in
standard resolution and then removing material with a higherresolution subtractive process can achieve greater precision.
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) allows the surface finish to
be smoothed and improved using chemical vapor processes.
Additive manufacturing techniques are capable of using multiple
materials in the course of printing parts.

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Commercialized metal 3D printers involve cutting the metal

component off the metal substrate after deposition. A new
process for the GMAW 3D printing allows for substrate surface
modifications to remove aluminum or even steel.

3.0 Types of process

Type

Extrusion

Technologies

Materials

Thermoplastics, eutectic metals, edible

Fused deposition
materials, Rubbers, Modeling
modeling (FDM) or Fused
clay, Plasticine, Metal clay (including
Filament Fabrication (FFF)
Precious Metal Clay)

Robocasting or Direct Ink

Writing (DIW)

Ceramic materials, Metal

alloy, cermet, metal matrix
composite, ceramic matrix composite

Stereolithography (SLA)

Photopolymer

Light
polymerized Digital Light
Processing (DLP)

Powder Bed

Photopolymer

Powder bed and inkjet

head 3D printing (3DP)

Almost any metal alloy, powdered

polymers, Plaster

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Electron-beam
melting (EBM)

Almost any metal

alloy including Titanium alloys

Laminated

Laminated object
manufacturing (LOM)

Paper, metal foil, plastic film

Powder Fed

Directed Energy
Deposition

Almost any metal alloy

Wire

Electron beam freeform

fabrication (EBF3)

Almost any metal alloy

4.0 USES
4.1 INDUSTRY USE
Around two-thirds of industrial manufacturers use 3D
printing. Nature of their use as per a survey by PwC is as
follows. 30% of companies are still experimenting with
the technology. Another 25% are using it for prototyping
alone. Only 10% are using it for both prototyping and
production. 3% companies surveyed are building
products that couldn't be made with traditional methods
and 1% are using it for final products or components.
As of October 2012, additive manufacturing systems in the
market ranged from $2,000 to $500,000 and were employed in
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industries like aerospace, architecture, automotive, defence, and

medical replacements, among many others.

4.2 Consumer use

Several companies are making efforts to develop affordable 3D
printers for home desktop use. Much of this work has been
driven

by

Manufacturers,

enthusiasts

and

early

adopter communities, with additional ties to the academia

and hacker communities.
RepRap Project is one of the longest running projects in the
desktop category. The RepRap project aims to produce a free
and open source hardware 3D printer, which is capable of
replicating itself by printing many of its own (plastic) parts to

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create more machines. RepRap have already been shown to be

able to print circuit boards and metal parts.

5.0 Cloud based AM

Cloud-based additive manufacturing refers to a service-oriented
manufacturing model in which consumers are able to build parts
through Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-aService (PaaS), Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), and Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS). Distributed manufacturing as such is
carried out by some enterprises. There is also a service like 3D
Hubs that brings people needing 3D printing in contact with
owners of printers. Some companies offer on-line 3D printing
services to both commercial and private customers, working
from 3D designs uploaded at the company website. 3D-printed
designs are either shipped to the customer or picked up from the
service provider.

6.0 FUTURE
Three-dimensional printing is the cheapest way to create single
items to produce thousands. It may have a significant impact on
the world. Just as nobody could have predicted the impact of
the steam engine in 1750, or the printing press in 1450, or
the transistor in 1950, it is impossible to foresee the long-term
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impact of 3D printing. But the technology is coming, and it is

likely to revolutionize every field it touches.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
What is 3D printing?
http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/
3D Printer Technology Animation of layering
http://www.createitreal.com/index.php/technology/process

The rise of additive manufacturing

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/issues/24-may-2010/the-rise-of-additivemanufacturing

Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Stereo

lithography
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=HvcN0w1VyxwC&redir_esc=y

Model Repair Service

https://modelrepair.azurewebsites.net

Explaining the future

http://explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html

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