3D printing technologies and materials have come a long way since the first desktop 3D printers hit the market in the mid-2000s. Thanks to research and development, new technologies have been introduced constantly over the past few years. The 3D printing industry has become more accessible than ever before, with an increasing number of 3D printing technologies available for home users, tech enthusiasts, and commercial businesses alike. The advancement of these new technologies is also what has led to such rapid growth in this niche field. We’re only at the beginning of a new era for 3D printing, so it’s very likely that we’ll see even greater advancements in future years as well. Powder-based 3D Printing The next big family of printers that we have is not based on filament but on powder. Laser Sintering is used to create 3D prints in Polyamide, Alumide, and Polypropylene. The interior of the printer is heated up to just below the melting point of the powder of your choice. The printer then spreads out an incredibly fine layer of this powder. A laser beam heats up the areas that need to be sintered together just above the melting point. And voila: the parts that were touched by the laser are now fused together while the rest continues to remain loose powder. 3D Printing Technologies: A Layman’s Guide

Printing with Filament

3D printing with filament is when one lays down layers of material to form solid objects. Filament materials are melted and extruded under high pressure to form the layer below (the layer you actually see). 3D printing with filament has become an extremely popular method as it produces professional-looking results and is also relatively inexpensive compared to other technologies in the market. But, filament-based printing is also limited in the sense that it cannot produce parts with a wide range of variables. Moreover, it is also not as precise as laser sintering. However, the quality of a printed object depends on the quality of the filament so it is recommended that users invest in the best quality filament for their 3D printer.

Additive Manufacturing with Filament

This is similar to 3D printing with filament but with one key difference: it is done with a material that consists of a paste-like substance, as opposed to liquid. Like 3D printing with filament, it uses a bed-based system to deposit the paste-based material layer by layer. One of the key differences between 3D printing with filament and additive manufacturing with filament is that the former is done by a printing platform while the latter is done by specialized equipment. This method is relatively new to the 3D printing world and still has a long way to go before the technology becomes more widespread. Hence, it is recommended that you stick to printing with filament for now.

Direct Part Manufacturing

3D printing to produce finished parts has been taking place for a while. However, it was only in the year 2016 that we saw the first 3D printer that was capable of producing a finished part. Simply put, direct part manufacturing uses a 3D printer to produce a specific part from raw materials such as metals and even composites. Such 3D printers work by depositing layers, one above the other, to produce parts. A technician can then remove the part from the printer and, after finishing the desired design, produce the part in different materials. The capacity of such 3D printers is enormous and has the potential to change the manufacturing world by revolutionizing the way businesses design and produce their products.