3D printing

A three-dimensional printer
Timelapse of a three-dimensional printer in action

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.[1][2][3] It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control,[4] with the material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.

In the 1980s, 3D printing techniques were considered suitable only for the production of functional or aesthetic prototypes, and a more appropriate term for it at the time was rapid prototyping.[5] As of 2019, the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing have increased to the point that some 3D printing processes are considered viable as an industrial-production technology; in this context, the term additive manufacturing can be used synonymously with 3D printing.[6] One of the key advantages of 3D printing[7] is the ability to produce very complex shapes or geometries that would be otherwise infeasible to construct by hand, including hollow parts or parts with internal truss structures to reduce weight while creating less material waste. Fused deposition modeling (FDM), which uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material, is the most common 3D printing process in use as of 2020.[8]

  1. ^ "3D printing scales up". The Economist. 5 September 2013.
  2. ^ Gao, Wei; Zhang, Yunbo; Ramanujan, Devarajan; Ramani, Karthik; Chen, Yong; Williams, Christopher B.; Wang, Charlie C. L.; Shin, Yung C.; Zhang, Song; Zavattieri, Pablo D. (2015). "The status, challenges, and future of additive manufacturing in engineering". Computer-Aided Design. 69: 65–89. doi:10.1016/j.cad.2015.04.001. S2CID 33086357.
  3. ^ Ngo, Tuan D.; Kashani, Alireza; Imbalzano, Gabriele; Nguyen, Kate T. Q.; Hui, David (2018). "Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications and challenges". Composites Part B: Engineering. 143: 172–196. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.02.012. S2CID 139464688.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference engineer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Learning Course: Additive Manufacturing – Additive Fertigung". tmg-muenchen.de.
  6. ^ Lam, Hugo K.S.; Ding, Li; Cheng, T.C.E.; Zhou, Honggeng (1 January 2019). "The impact of 3D printing implementation on stock returns: A contingent dynamic capabilities perspective". International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 39 (6/7/8): 935–961. doi:10.1108/IJOPM-01-2019-0075. ISSN 0144-3577. S2CID 211386031.
  7. ^ "3D Printing: All You Need To Know". explainedideas.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference statista1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).