3d PrintingBY AARON ALLISON & GERSON MOUZINHO

Beginnings

Earliest use of 3d printing was for quickly producing prototypes during the late 1980s

This allowed companies to have a working prototype in hours instead of days or even weeks

This allowed companies to design and redesign much faster resulting in cheaper research and development costs along with better products

Origins

Early 3d printing equipment was invented by Chuck Hall who would later create the 3d systems corporation.

Chuck Hull invented a process known as Stereolithography

Stereolithography works by using a UV laser to harden a photopolymer layer that has been printed

Each layer is hardened to build an object resulting in a 3d printed object

Today the process is a lot faster taking minutes rather than hours and is mostly automated

Current Challenges

Current state of metallurgy and chemical engineering is unable to create strong enough components to use in a 3d printer for many everyday applications

Designers often have to use extensive engineering to overcome this but it is still over not enough to overcome these challenges

Polymers are undesirable over a longer period of time because they deteriorate much easier and faster than metals from various temperature extremes and exposure to elements and chemicals

Current challenges cont

Lack of practical everyday applications Products need further sanding Products need protective coatings Plastic injection molding currently offers a more

efficient way to manufacture goods

Opportunities

Ability to replace current inefficient manufacturing methods of milling, stamping and event casting

End out sourcing with manufacturing Custom parts will become much cheaper to produce

Opportunities cont.

ConvenienceEfficienciesLogistical

Designing a 3d image

autoCAD

multi-industry use

offers the most flexibility with design creation

like photoshop is it difficult to use initially as well as many people attend schools and course just to learn how to use it

Niagara College offers 2 courses on how to use this software

Expensive software

Can be used through the College’s educational software licensing system

DEMO

Tinkercad.com

3d scanners

3d scanner uses lasers to copy a 3d object 2 main kinds (rotating plate & standalone

version) Scanners can also pick up colour Many scans are needed to create a complete

3d image

Average cost of a 3d printer

Cost range of a 3d printers is around $800-3000 Printers can be wifi compatible Printers range use polymer cartridges Price will reflect the features of the printer’s

capabilities Cost of printer’s polymer cartridges should be

examined as well

Outsourcing

Fiverr.com All contracts are initially $5 Option to add more services for a fee Odesk.com (over 180,000 experts, hourly rate) Elance.com (over 1millon US based freelancers) Freelancer.ca (Canadian based)

Further reading

3ders.org