I have recently become interested in the new technology that is 3D printing. I think it is the idea of creating something on demand in your own home that really appeals. While it isn’t at the Star Trek stage of technology it is still quite a remarkable tool. Imagine being able to design something on a computer and being able to just hit print, wait, and then receive your product. As you can imagine it certainly is a big step forward for manufacturing and designers would be able to move from prototype to production more easily.
What is a 3D Printer?
A 3D printer essentially takes a 3D design from a computer, or scanned into a computer, and creates that products from certain materials. The materials at the moment are usually a plastic, or similar, chord that is melted and formed into layers that eventually becomes a real product. These devices are capable of creating anything within to a hairs width or even thinner for really expensive industrial 3D printers. Check out this short video from Youtube:
What Can You Make?
A 3D printer is only limited to your imagination and, of course, your technical expertise. Many people are using them to create individual components that are then joined together for an object with moving parts. Here is one of the more interesting examples, a printed violin!
Cost Considerations
While most of the really sophisitcated printers are quite expensive, you can get some pretty good kits for around the $1000 mark. Many of them you will have to put together yourself, though, so some skills would be necessary. Try searching things like ‘makerbot’ or ’3D printer kit’ and that will put you on the right track. Have you got a 3D printer? We would lo9ve to hear some of your experiences in the comments below. I will hopefully be adding some more information and links about this subject in the future. I mean, what bachelor doesn’t want their own factory in the house!
Related articles
- What Is A 3D Printer Good For? Stop-Motion Cartoons Featuring Princesses, Of Course! (techcrunch.com)
- MakerBot unveils its new 3D printer, the Replicator (gizmag.com)
- No assembly required for Cubify 3D printer (gizmag.com)
- Cubify 3D Printer Brings High-Precision Prototyping to You (pcworld.com)
- What’s a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic good for? (macleans.ca)
