How Does 3D Printing Work?

2D Printing is the process of putting an image on paper, while 3D Printing is the process of making an object out of some materials, often plastics, powders, resins, metal, carbon fiber, graphite, and graphene. It prints one layer, waits for it to dry, and then prints the next layer on top, finally creating a three-dimensional object.

Now, 3D printing has become synonymous with manufacturing. Using a 3D printer, manufacturing companies can quickly build prototypes for testing and quality assurance purposes. While there are many different types of 3D printing processes, though, nearly all of them consist of three basic steps.

Modeling

Before building an object with a 3D printer, a model must be designed. Modeling is the first step of 3D printing. Manufacturing companies typically design object models using a special type of computer software known as a computer-aided design (CAD) package. 3D printed models created with CAD result in relatively fewer errors than other methods. Errors in 3D printable models can be identified and corrected before printing, thus making it possible for higher-quality designs. Plus, CAD software increases productivity effectively – it allows designers to lower production costs, work faster and smarter, and ultimately leads to quicker project completion. This is a huge advantage in the competitive global marketplace.

The manual modeling process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics is similar to plastic arts such as sculpting. 3D scanning is a process of collecting digital data on the shape and appearance of a real object, creating a digital model based on it.

Printing

The second step of 3D printing involves printing, or building, the object.

The object model is usually saved as a stereolithography (STL) or an additive manufacturing file (AMF) format. All we need to do is upload the file to the 3D printer. The 3D printer will then use the instructions in the respective file to dictate where and how the material is deposited.

Most 3D printers build objects by depositing layers of material onto a bed. The 3D printing process turns a whole object into thousands of tiny little slices, then makes it from the bottom-up, slice by slice. Those tiny layers stick together to form a solid object. Each layer can be very complex, meaning 3D printers can create moving parts like hinges and wheels as part of the same object.

3D printers may use different materials to build objects, though thermoplastic is the most common material used for this process. It works by extruding molten plastic through a tiny nozzle that it moves around precisely under computer control. It prints one layer, waits for it to dry, and then prints the next layer on top.

Finishing

The third and final step of 3D printing is to make the final touches on the printed object, namely, finishing. For example, greater accuracy can be achieved by printing a slightly oversized version of the desired object in standard resolution and then removing material using a higher-resolution subtractive process. You can also add solvents to the printed object to eliminate any superficial imperfections while also creating a smoother surface finish. Some printing techniques require internal supports to be built for overhanging features during construction. These supports must be mechanically removed or dissolved upon completion of the print.