3D Printing Technologies

With modernization, a rapid growth of newer technologies is capturing all the aspects of human life. Starting from food and things of daily uses to vehicles and introduction of various technologies like the computers and related mechanical transformations of the communication medium – the trajectory of modern life is speeding upwards, with us needing to keep pace with it.

As everywhere, there has been a rapid growth in printing technology as well. Printing has developed over the ages to what has now been called the 3-dimensional printing. Printing has come out of its age-old forms and has introduced new technologies for innovations in the field.

While discussing the 3D printing technologies that are introduced in the present period, certain aspects related to printing need to be addressed. They are - i) three dimensional printing and 3-d printers, ii) other type of rapid prototyping technologies, for stereolithography, selective laser sintering and the fused deposition modeling; lastly, and, iii) rapid protective engineering and development.

There are various projects undertaken by different companies or groups that have brought about revolutionary changes in the printing technology. They have been briefly discussed here.

• RepRap 3D printing quality development: The RepRap is the project that developed the 3D printing technology and went on a step further to develop the technology chronologically. They presented the photographs of door handles that are taken at different times with different printing technologies. The photographs showed marked difference in the printing texture and dimension of the print out.

• In the 2007 Extreme Redesign Contest, the challenge was on the 3D dimension printing where there were various people who presented their designed models for example the 3D Brain Lamp. There were also many students who created their own 3D design under the contest named Extreme Redesign. The students presented various types of 3D printed models like the Rubix Cube for the blinds and the design of a Solar-Powered Water Desalination Unit.

• The Nanofactory 3D printing technologies are introduced that are related to the nanotechnologies. Nanofactory is actually the ultimate expression of the versatile potential of the nanotechnology. Thus, by tapping the nanotechnology, the experts have developed a 3D printing technology that is known for its precision and fine quality.

• The 3D Systems Corporation, which is a leading provider of 3D images and models, has introduced a Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing solutions. The company announced that the new V-Flash Desktop Modeler that they created newly for the revolutionary 3D printing is just the perfect for the high quality printouts having three-dimensional feel. The new product is capable of building three-dimensional printing within a short notice and is helpful to a large number of people belonging to different professions. It helps the designers, students, hobbyists and engineers to print their imagination on paper and design and build up their ideas on desks.

There are many 3D printers in the market that are made such that the users are easy on the usability of the printers and the manufacturers must make sure that the proceedings are easier and the users are comfortable and familiar with the basic factors of the 3D printing.