Research And Describe What Is A 3D Printer And How To Use It

What Is A 3d Printer and How to Use It
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What Is A 3d Printer and How to Use It
There indeed has never been a better time to live like in this day and era. The tech world keeps churning out new and interesting technologies which directly changes the way we live and do things. We have come a long way, and now almost everything seems automatic. Efficiency has indeed been improved, and from the look of things, there is still more to come.
When people hear the word printing or print, some, for example, students will think of assignments which are often submitted after printing, while others will think of the media or newspapers and magazines. The above simply depend on where one is in life, and the exposure one has had in their life. However, if you are living in this era, it is then accurate to say that the definition of printing will soon be revised. Printing has grown, and now people are actively talking about 3D printing and how it is changing the world. 3D printing is the newest form of printing and one that has attracted or gained traction in the world today. However, some people fear technology, are not technologically savvy while others simply have never gotten the chance to interact with new technological innovations. This article, therefore, seeks to examine what a 3D printer is as well as how it is used.
What is a 3D Printer and 3D printing?
To understand what a 3D printer is, one must first of all, understand what 3D printing is. According to 3D Hubs, 3D printing can be defined as “an additive manufacturing process that creates a physical object from a digital design.” Ultimaker provides a similar definition by stating that it “is an innovative technology that lets you create a physical object from a digital model.” The majority of people believe that 3D printing technology is quite recent or that it is one of the revolutionary technologies of the 21st century. However, evidence reveals that this technology is indeed old and has been existence for more than 30 years. However, unlike how the technology is used today, it was only required to “prototype faster and cheaper” (Ultimaker, 2017) when it came out in the 80s. In the 80s, 3D printing was referred to as “rapid prototyping”, and no one had thought of using it for other reasons other than prototyping.
Having explained what 3D printing is, it is then easier to explain or define what a 3D printer is. A 3D printer is, therefore, the tool or the new generation technologies that are used for 3D printing. These printers are indeed remarkable and currently, make anything including metallic machine parts as well as ceramic cups.
However, one may wonder why 3D printing is called printing and typically no ink involved. Walker (2013) from the Independent provides a simple but accurate explanation of why it is considered printing even though ink and paper are not involved. Walker uses the normal printer to show or explain his point. A normal printer does not stain one’s paper but appends letters on the surface of a page. A 3D printer borrows or uses this technology as well, but the only difference is that it adds numerous layers “on top of each other to create a solid 3D model of each letter. The idea of building a physical form out of tiny layers is how the first 3d printers worked” (Walker, 2017). Therefore, the idea of 3D printing is indeed as old as the ink and paper technology.
How Does a 3D Printer Work?
A 3D printer is not a complete machine on its own. It cannot print what it does not know or make up an image or an idea and then print. There has to be something before it prints and this is where the other tools are needed.
3D printing starts with or requires a 3D design of the idea or object one wishes to have printed. This design represents a blueprint which the printer now uses. You cannot print without design, and therefore, you need to start with a design first and then proceed to the printing process. To get or acquire a design, one can use different ways including a 3D modeling software/program like CAD (computer-aided design) or a 3D scanner (scans the object to be printed). Currently, there are also more options to acquire 3D models you wish printed. For example, you can visit a website like Youmagine.com and acquire a model to print. The above entails the first step of 3D printing before proceeding to the 3D printer.
The second step or phase involves the printing process. This step does not entail much, but some simple decisions which you make before you start the process. First of all, at this phase, you need to select the material you will use for the process. This is impor...