3D Printers: A Beginner's Guide, 2nd Revised and Expanded Edition: All of the Design and Technical Basics You Need to Use Any 3D Printer

CHAPTER 1

What Is 3D Printing?

If you have ever watched Star Trek, you know about the Replicator. It is the machine which produces everything that the crew wants just by speaking to it. Certainly, 3D printing so far is not the same thing, although the idea behind it seems similar. The US 3D printer company Makerbot actually named their 3D printers Replicator.

In science fiction programs, these replicating machines can build anything, but today it is only possible to produce things from of a limited range of materials, although in such a way that it is still revolutionary. Almost every machine tool works in a so-called subtractive way, which means that a lathe or a milling machine removes material from a larger block to make the part. 3D printers work in a totally different way. They build the part, layer by layer, in an additive way until the part is complete. (Illus. 02.01), (Illus. 02.02)

This additive process has some advantages over the subtractive process, in which a lot of material is lost during production. Of course, this material can be recycled, but for the component manufacturer, it is gone; they have paid for a lot of material which will never be used. In the additive production method, only the material needed will be printed onto the part, which means it will use considerably less material to make it.

02.01 During subtractive production processes, like this milling process, waste material will be removed.

02.02 During additive production processes, like this 3D printing process, material will be built up.

In an additive building process, you can build parts that are not possible to make in a subtractive process. For example, it is possible to make parts in on piece that include undercuts! With subtractive machining, many parts were not possible to make and had to be made as multiple parts and fixed together after machining. (Illus.