Traditional printing includes ideas such as banner printing and stationery printing. 3D printing, however, has opened the door for a whole new world of innovative products. With this, you can create an object in 3-dimension just by using its digital file. Build a 3D model and leave the rest to technology. 51% of enterprises use 3D printing as a major part of their production process.
For beginners
As a beginner, you need to dedicate most of your time to create a model on the computer. While commercial-grade software can cost as much as thousands per year for the license, there is free software available in the market as well. The best part about working on free software is all the features that you get access to – like create a model of your own for free. You have to only pay to get it printed from a 3D printing service. So, 3D printing not only provides opportunities for learning something new but a chance to implement it as well.
Slicing
It isn’t just about creating a model, there is another aspect to 3D printing – slicing. Before feeding your model to a 3D printer, you need to slice it into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers. This needs slicing software, where you need to feed a .sti, .obj or a CAD file. The outcome that you get is what then acts as an input for a 3D printer.
No more just prototyping
3D printing was supposed to be an efficient tool for prototypes when it was introduced to the market. But today, it is more than that. It is one of the major production processes in most industries. Though the demands for 3D printing are mostly industrial in the present-day scenario, it is expected to exceed $15 billion in revenue by 2020 with many households wanting this for domestic use. You could do your own docket book printing from home.
Why is 3 – D printing so viable?
Customisation
This is a scheme where companies allow clients to customise designs as per their needs. This eliminates the need for spending extra on the designing resources of the company. All they have to do is print based on what the customer has created.
Fast
With 3D printing technology, the time taken for a product to enter the market has drastically reduced. If it is implemented as the core technology for mainstream projects, all the parts would be created quickly and thus progress is faster.
Research
One more thing that 3D printing has proven to perform successfully is intricate geometric patterns. In their preliminary stages, it was found out that 3D printing can assist in the production of chemical compounds, where it can not only create reaction vessels but feed the reactants to it as well.
Medically acclaimed
3D printing has been in TV shows where people have created an artificial heart for a transplant. Practically, the technology has allowed patients with rare illnesses to have manufactured patient-specific devices.
Bioprinting
Stem cells are a development of 3D printing, and they are capable of generating tissues as well as organs in humans. They also have the properties of converting into any other cell, which can drastically change the way the medical industry provides its treatments.
3D printing has so much to offer and endless horizons are waiting to be explored. Successful implementation of 3D printing will be the future of humankind. It still has a long way to go, but it is exciting, nevertheless. The future could be far better off with 3D printing technology.