3D printing is a process where a three-dimensional object is printed layer by layer from a digital file using materials like plastic, metal, or polymer. Designs are made using 3D scanning or CAD software and divided into layers before being printed through different methods like selective laser sintering which fuses small particles with a laser, fused deposition modeling which heats and deposits melted metal, or stereolithography which uses a UV laser on liquid polymer. 3D printing is used for architecture, fossils, crime scene reconstruction, rapid prototyping, mass manufacturing, and personal use with printer costs ranging from $250 to $2000.
2. What is it?
3D printing is printing a three-dimensional object from a digital image
3. Design
Requires the use of either a three-dimensional scanner or CAD software
Different Software Examples:
4.
5. How It Works
In the printing process, the digital object is divided into hundreds or thousands of layers before it is
printed.
The printer then deposits the material layer by layer in order to form the object.
6. Types
In selective laser sintering (SLS), a high power laser is used to fuse small particles of different
materials to print the object.
7. Types
In fused deposition modeling, a metal is heated, melted, and deposited to form the object, where it
hardens shortly after deposition.
