3D printing is very much in the spotlight right now. It’s used in applications across the board, from the obvious consumer sector to the not-so-obvious automotive and medical markets. What exactly is this new technology, and do you need to be aware of it? The best way to make that determination is to attend a live Design News Radio Show on Tuesday, June 12, at 2:00 p.m. EST.
One way to explain the concept of 3D printing is to say it’s an enabling technology. It allows designers to see things in three dimensions, providing insight into product design. As a result, time to market and costs are reduced, and the product is delivered with fewer iterations.
The radio show is titled "3D Printing: Accessibility Grows Markets." Click on the link to register. It will be hosted by Brian Bailey of Design News. Jon Cobb, a vice president at Stratasys, and Todd Grimm, an expert on rapid prototyping, will cover topics such as the basic technology behind 3D printing, industry trends, some of the markets using 3D printing today, the use models for engineers, and recent product introductions.
gsmith120, I have actually seen a demo. The students did an interesting thing. They made the device out of plexiglass so you could see what was going on inside. They actually make the image from the bottom up. The interesting thing is the process. They use a regular projector, like one you would project your PC slides with. In fact, what they do is project a PowerPoint presentation on material. The background is black. The part image is what will be cured for that slice. Each slide represents a very thin slice. So, part of their project was going from the CAD drawing to the images for the slices. The electronics in the device coordinate all this. It is a small device (it was a student Project Lead the Way project). They showed us basketball hoop (with backboard and pole) and a model of the school as examples of what they had done. It was all very interesting.
Developments in materials have made a big difference in driving forward the 3D trend, as we've covered at DN: http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=237571 http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=236261 I don't think it's going to remain on the sidelines much longer, although I'm not how long cloning kittens will take...
Beth, yes the cost is coming down. Our school district bought one for our STEM program. I think it cost about $30K. What is interesting is that one of the student projects this year is a 3D printer. Yes, the students made one of their own. It is intersting to see how it works.
This is one of those technologies that will linger on the periphery for awhile, until more applications start springing up. Then we'll see an explosion in the use of 3-D printing.
Hey Rich. I believe it. I read they print in .007" layers. I am not sure what that adds up to in total tolerances, but being an ex-machinist I do know that a lot of "common" parts were +-0.010"...so that's 0.020" range. If they can hold that...very cool!
I think part of what is happening is that people are finally understanding the concept of 3D printing, thus are able to see all the different possibilities for applications, from early concepting to full production prototypes. Just a few years back, the costs for this technology were so high, it was really relegated to specific pockets in an organization and it didn't have much exposure beyond that small cadre of users. Also, without actually seeing the technology at work, it's really hard to conceptualize how you print a physical object. I agree with you, Rich, once you see the possibilities, it's pretty amazing.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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