3D Printing: The History, Present Effects, and Future of 3D Printing
3D Printing: The History, Present Effects, and Future of 3D Printing
3D printing has been around for almost as long as 2D printing. The first patent for a 3D printer was filed in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the last few years that 3D printing became a common sight in many offices and homes. There are many different types of 3D printers, but they can be broadly categorized into two types: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) and SLA (Stereolithography).
In this blog post, we look at the history of 3D printing, the effect it is having on our world today, and its potential future in the world of manufacturing.
3D printing is a highly versatile technology, with applications including art, prosthetics, scientific research, and even food. 3D printing can be used to print anything from a simple prototype to an entire house. There are even companies that are using 3D printers to print a new type of concrete that can be used as a building material on its own or as an additive for traditional concrete mixtures. 3D printing is being used in many different industries including aerospace, healthcare, and consumer products. It has been predicted that the market for 3D printers will reach $7.5 billion by 2022 (Statista).
A Short History of 3D Printing
In 1779, a man called Friedrich Wöhler discovered that living organisms turn crystals into liquid. This process, called liquid phase change, is what you see when ice melts into water or boiling water turns into steam. The concept of 3D printing was first patented in 1941 by a squabble between two scientists. In the early years of 3D printing, the technology was largely used for engineering prototype models. 3D printing was not considered useful for mass manufacturing until the 1980s. In 1986, the first commercial SLA 3D printer was introduced.
The technology became more accessible in the 2000s when 3D printers started to become popular among hobbyists and artists. Nowadays, 3D printing is used in many industries, from architecture to healthcare.
A few years ago, it was predicted that by the year 2020, 10% of manufactured goods will be made using 3D printers. However, scientists now say that this prediction is too conservative and that it will actually be closer to 100%. The reason for this change in prediction is because the technology is advancing at an extremely rapid pace.
For example, the price of SLA printers has dropped from $14 million to $8 million in just seven years. This means that SLA printers are becoming more affordable and accessible to homes and small businesses. With the development of new materials such as metal and concrete, 3D printing is set to become even more useful than before. It is also used by individuals to make a variety of products from custom-designed jewelry to spare parts for broken appliances.
The first patent for a 3D printer was filed in the 1940s by Charles Hull (U.S. Patent 2,292,387), who built an additive manufacturing machine called the “Stereolithography Apparatus” (SLA) which he patented on May 17th, 1946 (US Patent 2,417,085). The SLA was one of many different types of early rapid prototyping machines that were developed during this time period; however it was not until the 1980s that there was another major leap forward in the development of 3D printers when Chuck Hull invented stereolithography and founded “3-dimensional Systems” (3DS). In 1986 he filed two patents for stereolithography: US Patent 4,575,330 and US Patent 4,575,331. These patents were used to take 3D Systems public in 1988.
Then the next advancement in the development of 3D printers was in 1993 when S. Scott Crump invented fused deposition modeling (FDM) which he patented on August 11, 1993 (US Patent 5,597,520). FDM is a process used by many 3D printers today that involves extruding a stream of molten material through a nozzle to create an object. FDM is one of the most popular processes used by desktop 3D printers today.
The first commercial FDM patent was filed by Stratasys in 1989 and granted in 1991 as US Patent 4,897,251 (FDM). This invention was called “Apparatus for Production of Three-dimensional Objects by Stereolithography” and was based on Chuck Hull’s SLA patent from the 1960s.
In 1988 Scott Crump founded Solidscape which is now a leading manufacturer of FDM based manufacturing equipment for industrial applications including production-scale parts for aerospace and medical industries. In 1996 Stratasys filed another patent for fused deposition modeling technology: US Patent 5,871,752 which became a huge success for the company and helped them build up their market share over competitors like Z Corporation who also made their own SLA machines during this time period (the ZPrinter 650).
In 2003 Stratasys filed another patent related to fused deposition modeling technology: US Patent 6,788,777 (FDM). The patent was titled “Apparatus and Method for Controlling the Temperature of a Fused Deposition Modeling Apparatus” and is often referred to as the “tunable temperature patent”. This patent allowed Stratasys to expand their market as it enabled them to make parts with different material properties using the same printer.
The next big step in FDM technology took place in 2008 when Stratasys launched their patented Objet Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D printer which allowed users to print in up to 6 different materials simultaneously. The printer was based on Stratasys’ patented Micro-Particle Deposition technology which uses tiny particles of photo-curable resin that are fused together one layer at a time by the UV laser. In 2009 Stratasys filed another FDM patent: US Patent 7,479,746 (FDM) titled “Method for Producing Parts by Deposition of Filamentary Materials” which describes a method for printing parts with multiple materials within one layer. This method is used on most commercial FDM desktop printers today.
In 2013 Stratasys acquired MakerBot Industries and began integrating their innovative technologies into their own product line. The new MakerBot Replicator+ is based on a modified version of the fused deposition modeling process called continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) which allows printing at much faster speeds and higher resolutions than FDM.
In 2014 Stratasys acquired Objet Ltd., the makers of the world’s first multi-material 3D printer, the Objet Connex3. The new printer is called the Objet Eden260V and brings even more functionality to printers with multiple materials including a new PolyJet material that hardens in UV light. The Eden260V is capable of printing up to 10 materials simultaneously and can be used for creating prototypes, manufacturing tools and end-use parts.
The Present Effects of 3D Printing
The biggest advantage of 3D printing is that it can make almost anything you want. But to truly understand the present effects of 3D printing, you must also know what it can’t do. The great thing about 3D printing is that you can create almost any product, as long as that product uses the same materials as the printer itself. So, you can’t just make anything – you need to own the printer and the materials. The materials that are commonly used for 3D printing are thermoplastic and thermoset.
Thermoplastic, as the name suggests, can be melted and reshaped into different products. Thermoset, on the other hand, remains in its original shape. Therefore, you can’t use a thermoplastic 3D printer to print items made of thermoset materials.
A lot of people are still unacquainted with the concept of 3D printing. So, let’s say that you want to make a product that is made of a different material than your printer can use. You can either buy the product from a store or ask someone to make it for you. But what if there are no stores near you selling the products you want?
Or what if the products are too expensive for you? This is where 3D printing comes in handy. Not only can it produce almost any product, but it can do so at an affordable price.
3D printing is also environmentally friendly because it doesn’t create waste like traditional manufacturing does. It uses less power and water than other methods of producing goods as well as making them at a lower cost than traditional manufacturing methods.
The only real problem with 3D printing is that its technology is still in its early stages, so not everything printed using this technology turns out as planned or expected.
Another problem with 3D printing is that its materials aren’t always recyclable, so they have to be disposed of after they are used up.
However, even though this could be seen as a disadvantage, some people see this as an advantage because they don’t have to worry about disposing of their trash properly and responsibly because the trash can be recycled into new materials for 3D printing!
However, these problems will soon become resolved when more research and development into better.
The Future of 3D Printing
The future of 3D printing is closely tied to the development of 3D scanning technology. One of the biggest problems with 3D printing is that you first need to create a digital model of what you want to print. If that model has errors, your 3D printed product will also have errors. The ideal situation is to collect measurements and create a 3D model that is ready to be printed.
The technology behind 3D scanning is already quite advanced – there are even portable scanners that can scan a product in a minute or less. However, there are still limitations to the technology that need to be resolved before they can be used in the home.
One of the main limitations is speed. Some 3D scanners can scan an object in a few minutes, but others take more than 30 minutes to complete a scan. This is because most scanners use lasers, which can’t scan an object in one go – the laser has to move along its surface and create thousands of tiny pictures that are then put together into one big picture. This means that it takes a long time for each object to be scanned and then processed into a 3D model.
The good news is that there are already some new 3D scanning technologies being developed that will allow much faster scanning of an object so that you could potentially print your object within a few hours after it is scanned!
Another limitation of 3D scanning technology is its resolution – or how detailed it can make the digital model of what you want to print. The higher resolution your scanner has, the more detailed your printed product will be, so there is plenty of room for improvement here!
There are also other limitations with current 3D printing technology – such as the size and shape restrictions – but these too will soon become resolved as people figure out how to overcome them!.
Owning a 3D Printer Today
You can buy a 3D printer and start printing your own products. The 3D printer market is still in its infancy and there is a wide variety of options available. You can find a 3D printer in any price range, as long as you are willing to put in the effort and time to learn how to use it. You should keep in mind that 3D printing is a bit different from what you see in the movies. Instead of pressing a button and getting your product immediately, you first need to create it digitally. And even then, the printer will take hours to finish the product.
You can find 3D printers on Amazon and eBay, but you will have to do your homework and research the brands, models and prices of different printers before you make a decision. There are also many tutorials online that can help you understand how to use your new 3D printer. Just remember that there is a learning curve involved before you can really get creative with your designs and start printing what you want.
If you are looking for a great way to get started with 3D printing, then I recommend getting a printer kit instead of a fully assembled model. You will save money by buying the components separately – like the frame, motors, electronics and software – but it will take time to assemble them together.
This is actually an educational exercise in itself as it helps you understand how all the parts fit together. And once it’s assembled, then you can start experimenting with different materials and see how they print out!
Here’s a great 3D printer kit that I recommend for beginners. It’s called the Wanhao Duplicator i3, and it is an open source 3D printer that comes with everything you need to get started. The kit comes with a dual extruder, which means you can print in two different colors at the same time! The Duplicator i3 is also very easy to assemble, and you can complete the entire process in just a few hours.
Conclusion
3D printing has been around for almost as long as 2D printing. The first patent for a 3D printer was filed in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the last few years that 3D printing became a common sight in many offices and homes.
There are many different types of 3D printers, but they can be broadly categorized into two types: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) and SLA (Stereolithography). In this blog post, we look at the history of 3D printing, the effect it is having on our world today, and its potential future.
We hope that this article has given you a better idea of what 3D printing is, how it came to be, and where it’s heading in the future.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email info@mitchellsson.co.uk..
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