It’s been a while since 3D printers became available and started allowing people to create 3D objects in the real world right from their own home.
If you’re interested in getting a rundown of what 3D printers are, how they work, how much they cost, and what you could do with them, you’ve come to the right place.
What is the 3D printer and how does it work?
A 3D Printer is a device which can create physical objects out of a digital file. Plastic is the most common material. This model may be rough-edged and often only one color. Despite those limitations, holding a real-world copy of a 3D model makes it easier to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t.
The best 3D printing machines can produce parts that are durable enough to be used every day. Long-term, the goal of the industry will be to extend the lifespan of consumer products by allowing anyone to create a critical replacement part that a manufacturer no longer stocks.
The 3D printer not only can recreate a broken or missing part, it can also print enough parts to build an entire product. This technology is ideal for rapid prototypes, as it allows quick changes to improve the design before investing in expensive injection moulds for high-volume manufacturing.
In commercial manufacturing, 3D printing is also a viable option. In the case of small-scale production, 3D printing can be a more cost-effective alternative to traditional methods.
How do 3D Printers Work?
Fused Deposition Modeling, the most popular 3D printer technology, is similar to inkjet printing. The FDM printer moves from side to side and deposits material onto a moving platform. Inkjet printers spray ink drops onto paper. 3D printers extrude hot plastic onto glass or metal plates.
Two computer-controlled electric motors control the flow of plastic across the entire length and width, one for each printhead. To add height, a motor raises the rail on which the printhead is positioned.
3D printing, when compared to other manufacturing techniques, is slow. It can sometimes take hours to bring an object into the third dimensional. Extruding material more quickly can speed up the process, but it increases layer thickness and creates a rough print. The vertical curves and angles have steps, instead of the flat surfaces and smooth surfaces of most manufactured products.
This is the second most popular type of consumer 3D printer. Instead of using heat, it uses light to create shapes from plastic. This type of 3D printer is known as a resin one. It uses UV light to create an image on liquid resin, which reacts with the wavelength and solidifies.
The resin 3D printing process is usually faster, as it cures an entire layer all at once. However, UV resin usually isn’t as durable as the thermoplastics used for FDM 3D printing.
FDM filaments are available in a variety of materials, including metal, wood, glass, ceramics, and more durable plastic. The 3D part of the printer takes on some of these materials’ characteristics and appearance. With specialized 3D printers, it’s possible to create objects in a variety of materials, even cheesecake.
What can you make with a 3D Printer?
Commercial 3D printers are capable of producing almost anything. Some 3D printing machines use powerful lasers that melt metal to create strong parts used in rockets and other rugged machinery.
The size and material of consumer-grade 3D printing devices are limited. The size of a build plate determines a part’s maximum length, width, and height. Height of the printer will affect the height.
Most 3D prints can fit into the palm of your hands. Consumer 3D printers that are larger can handle objects up to a cubic feet. It’s also possible to make a large object by assembling several smaller parts.
The most popular 3D products include a whistle and a phone stand with a turntable that allows you to scan objects in 3D. There is also a digital sundial, which uses the sunlight to create a shadow, telling the time with easy-to-read numbers.
The possibilities are limitless. For example, Thingiverse is one of the largest libraries of 3D objects designed for 3D printing, with over 2.5 million digital files — and most are free.
With the rise of generative AI, it’s now possible to create 3D objects with text prompts. At present, AI isn’t creating designs optimized for 3D printing, so you would need to convert the file to a compatible format and process it through a 3D-printing app before use.
How much do 3D printers cost?
3D Printers start at around $100. That’s a great price for a powerful piece of technology. Advanced models are more expensive, but have larger print plates and faster printing speeds.
You can buy a good 3D consumer printer for around $300. If you are a 3D printing enthusiast, you can get a faster and bigger printer for $500 to $1,000. Commercial 3D Printers can cost anywhere from a few thousands of dollars to more than $1 million.
Be aware you’ll need supplies and might want accessories for your 3D printer, so keep a little more in the budget for those added costs. FDM filaments and UV resin are relatively inexpensive, but are sold in bulk, so you’ll spend at least $20 to get the necessary supplies.
Accessories can include enclosures to reduce noise, improved build plates, cooling fan to speed up printing, UV lamps to harden the resin, as well as tools for 3D print cleaning and maintenance. You usually don’t need accessories to get started, and some 3D printers come with a small amount of filament or resin to create the first few prints.
A 3D printer unlocks the potential to inexpensively create replacement parts, duplicate designs that are available online, or prototype entirely new products that don’t yet exist. The technology is not new, but it has only recently become affordable and simple to use.
If you haven’t explored 3D printing recently, it’s time to take another look. If you’re new to 3D printing, now is a great time to get started.
Editors’ recommendations