In Pictures: 3D printing: How does it really work? Here are the nine most common 3D printer technologies By Julie Sartain http://www.arnnet.com.au/slideshow/541272/pictures_3d_printing_how_does_it_really_work_/?image=1 Three-D printers are the hottest thing on the IT landscape. Everyone — users and vendors alike — wants a piece of this pie and, with many 3D systems now printing candy and food, they could get their wish; that is, an actual, edible piece of pie. 3D printers are the 21st century version of Star Trek's replicators and they can, literally, print (or replicate) anything from a piece of pumpkin pie to a full-blown multi-story house. But 3D printing is not just one thing – there are many ways to do 3D printing. This slideshow illustrates the nine most common 3D printer technologies .... Technology No. 1: FDM What it is: Fused Deposition Modeling (patented additive manufacturing method trademarked by Stratasys, Inc.) Inventor: Scott Crump Year: Late 1980s Materials: Plastics are most common, but other compound materials are also used. Process: Material is extruded through a nozzle that moves over a build platform, which is lowered as each layer is added; that is, fine lines of molten thermoplastics are extruded onto a platform following a 3D design pattern. The material solidifies when deposited. Price Range: $200 to $18,000 Systems Sold by: Stratasys, Makerbot, 3D Systems, Fab@Home, Solid Concepts ---------------- Technology No. 2: FFF What it is: Fused Filament Fabrication (similar process to FDM, but not trademarked) Inventor: Scott Crump Year: Late 1980s Materials: Plastics are most common, but other compound materials are also used. Process: Material is extruded through a nozzle that moves over a build platform, which is lowered as each layer is added; that is, fine lines of molten thermoplastics are extruded onto a platform (following a 3D design pattern), which solidify when deposited Price Range: $200 to $18,000 Systems Sold by: Stratasys, Makerbot, 3D Systems, Fab@Home, Solid Concepts ------------------- Technology No. 3: SLA What it is: Stereolithography (high-quality surface finishes and design accuracy). Also known as DLP: Digital Light Processing, a similar process that uses digital light processors instead of a laser to cure the resin.) Inventors: Chuck Hull, 3D Systems Year: 1984 Materials: ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PC (polycarbonate), and PP (polypropylene) plastics plus other materials such as clear and high-heat materials. Process: An ultraviolet laser travels across a tray of liquid curable photopolymer resin. One thin layer at a time solidifies to the next layer as the build platform rises up from the tray. After object is printed, it's cleaned in a chemical bath and cured in a UV oven. Price Range: $600 to $50,000 Systems Sold by: 3D Systems, Formlabs, Envisiontec (DLP) and ZCorp (DLP) -------------------------------- Technology No. 4: DLP What it is: Similar to SLA but uses digital light processors instead of a laser to cure the resin. Featured Printer: Solidator DLP Desktop 3D Printer Company/Founders: tangible engineering; President & CEO Tim Fischer Printer Cost: $4,950 Software: Solidator Studio Operating Systems: Windows XP/7/8, MAC OS X, Linux Connectivity: Wireless LAN, Ethernet, USB Solidator Materials: Solidator custom liquid plastic resin materials (similar to nail polish) with approximately the same value as PLA (about 85D), harder than ABS (about 75D), and harder than POM (about 80D). D stands for durometer, which is measure of hardness. Cost about $50 a liter, and prints approximately 28, eight-inch Eiffel Towers. --------------------------- Technology No. 5: SLS What it is: Selective Laser Sintering Inventors: Dr. Carl Deckard and Dr. Joe Beaman developed and patented at the University of Texas at Austin. Startup company DTM, purchased by 3D Systems in 2001 Year: Mid-1980s Materials: Powder materials including polymers such as nylon (neat, glass-filled, other fillers); polystyrene; metals (steel, titanium, alloy mixtures); composites; green sand Process: High-powered laser fuses small powdered particles into three-dimensional objects. Cross sections are scanned, then layers are fused together. Base lowers as each new layer is added. Price Range: Up to $250,000 Systems Sold by: EOS and 3D Systems ------------------------- Technology No. 6: DMLS What it is: Direct Metal Laser Sintering (generic term: MLS: Metal Laser Sintering) Inventors: EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems founded by Dr. Hans J. Langer, Dr. Hans Steinbichler Year: 1989 Materials: stainless steel, maraging steel, cobalt chromium, inconel 625 and 718, and titanium Ti6Alv4 Process: Fiber laser melts fine metal powder that pushes materials over the base, fusing each layer to the next layer, which builds up the object. Base lowers as each new layer is added. Price Range: Up to $600,000 Systems Sold by: EOC, 3D Systems --------------------------- Technology No. 7: SLM What it is: Selective laser melting Inventors: Dr. Dieter Schwarze and Dr. Matthias Fockele of F&S Stereolithographietechnik GmbH; and ILT researchers Dr. Wilhelm Meiners and Dr. Konrad Wissenbach Year: 1995 Materials: Stainless steel, tool steel, cobalt chrome, titanium, aluminum in atomized form Process: A high-powered fiber laser beam fuses fine metallic powders together to create three-dimensional metal parts. Although known as laser sintering, this SLM process actually fully melts the metal into a solid homogeneous mass, which is more similar to Electron Beam Melting (EBM), which uses an electron beam as the energy source. Trade names include DMLS and LaserCusing. Price Range: up to $500,000 Systems Sold by: ReaLizer, Renishaw -------------------------------- Technology No. 8: SHS What it is: Selective heat sintering technology Inventors: Blueprinter ApS; Danish start-up company with patent SHS (selective heat sintering) technology. Year: 2009 Materials: Thermoplastic powder optimized to work with SHS technology Process: Sintering using a thermal printer head; that is, printer spreads thin layer of plastic powder across the build chamber, then thermal printer head moves and melts picture of cross section into a plastic powder layer. Object is built inside chamber surrounded by unmelted powders. Price Range: Up to $25,000 Systems Sold by: Blueprinter ApS --------------------------------- Technology No. 9: PolyJet 3D printing Inventors: Objet; Rami Bonen, Gershon Miller and Hanan Gotaiit; merged with Stratasys Year: 1998 Materials: Seven different materials; printer with clear transparent, high temperature and rigid opaque polypropylene-like materials -- four rigid opaque materials in a variety of colors plus transparent material (VeroClear), high temperature material (RGD525), and polypropylene-like material (DurusWhite) Process: Similar to inkjet document printing, but instead of ink on paper, layers of liquid photopolymer spill onto a build tray, which are then cured with ultraviolet light. Fine layers build up until object is created. Price Range: $15,000 - $750,000 Systems Sold by: Stratasys ------------------------- Cheers, Stephen "Look round the habitable world: how few Know their own good, or knowing it, pursue."John Dryden (1693) _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
