3D printing

For methods of transferring an image onto a 3D surface, see pad printing. For methods of generating autostereoscopic lenticular images, see lenticular printing and holography.

Timelapse of a three-dimensional printer in action
Part of a series on the
History of printing
Techniques
Woodblock printing200
Movable type1040
Intaglio (printmaking)1430
Printing pressc. 1440
Etchingc. 1515
Mezzotint1642
Relief printing1690
Aquatint1772
Lithography1796
Chromolithography1837
Rotary press1843
Hectograph1860
Offset printing1875
Hot metal typesetting1884
Mimeograph1885
Daisy wheel printing1889
Photostat and rectigraph1907
Screen printing1911
Spirit duplicator1923
Dot matrix printing1925
Xerography1938
Spark printing1940
Phototypesetting1949
Inkjet printing1950
Dye-sublimation1957
Laser printing1969
Thermal printingc. 1972
Solid ink printing1972
Thermal-transfer printing1981
3D printing1986
Digital printing1991

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.[1][2][3] It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control,[4] with the material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.

In the 1980s, 3D printing techniques were considered suitable only for the production of functional or aesthetic prototypes, and a more appropriate term for it at the time was rapid prototyping.[5] As of 2019, the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing have increased to the point that some 3D printing processes are considered viable as an industrial-production technology; in this context, the term additive manufacturing can be used synonymously with 3D printing.[6] One of the key advantages of 3D printing[7] is the ability to produce very complex shapes or geometries that would be otherwise infeasible to construct by hand, including hollow parts or parts with internal truss structures to reduce weight while creating less material waste. Fused deposition modeling (FDM), which uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material, is the most common 3D printing process in use as of 2020.[8]

  1. ^ "3D printing scales up". The Economist. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  2. ^ Gao, Wei; Zhang, Yunbo; Ramanujan, Devarajan; Ramani, Karthik; Chen, Yong; Williams, Christopher B.; Wang, Charlie C. L.; Shin, Yung C.; Zhang, Song; Zavattieri, Pablo D. (2015). "The status, challenges, and future of additive manufacturing in engineering". Computer-Aided Design. 69: 65–89. doi:10.1016/j.cad.2015.04.001. ISSN 0010-4485. S2CID 33086357.
  3. ^ Ngo, Tuan D.; Kashani, Alireza; Imbalzano, Gabriele; Nguyen, Kate T. Q.; Hui, David (2018). "Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications and challenges". Composites Part B: Engineering. 143: 172–196. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.02.012. S2CID 139464688.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference engineer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Learning Course: Additive Manufacturing – Additive Fertigung". tmg-muenchen.de. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  6. ^ Lam, Hugo K.S.; Ding, Li; Cheng, T.C.E.; Zhou, Honggeng (1 January 2019). "The impact of 3D printing implementation on stock returns: A contingent dynamic capabilities perspective". International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 39 (6/7/8): 935–961. doi:10.1108/IJOPM-01-2019-0075. ISSN 0144-3577. S2CID 211386031.
  7. ^ "3D Printing: All You Need To Know". explainedideas.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference statista1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).