3D Printer Store » rapid prototyping technology http://www.3dprinterstore.com Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:34:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 New Printer Produces 3D Objects http://www.3dprinterstore.com/2010/07/new-printer-produces-3d-objects.html http://www.3dprinterstore.com/2010/07/new-printer-produces-3d-objects.html#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:34:03 +0000 3D Printer Store http://www.3dprinterstore.com/?p=237 Recent advances in rapid prototyping technology allow engineers to produce plastic objects of their own design right on their desks.  A development attracting the attention of everyone from hobbyists to entertainment and automotive industry professionals. While most printers have cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, newer models, such as 2010’s BFB panther, lower [...]]]> Recent advances in rapid prototyping technology allow engineers to produce plastic objects of their own design right on their desks.  A development attracting the attention of everyone from hobbyists to entertainment and automotive industry professionals. While most printers have cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, newer models, such as 2010’s BFB panther, lower the price to a few thousand. Rapid prototyping technology offers both efficient and cost-saving advantages to the design process.

Engineer Keith Curtis is with Microchip Technology Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer based in Arizona.  The company often needs prototypes to show customers how small items, like some plastic car parts, might work when attached to a larger unit.  He says that the ability to produce an object in the office has enhanced the design process.

Before they had a 3D printer, Curtis says that crafting these objects was complicated, often involving a third-party.

Curtis and his team use one of the least expensive 3D printers, a $1,500 model that requires assembly by the user.  He says learning how to build and best use the machine were the difficult parts, and since then it has operated without malfunction.

Some 3D printers can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Smaller models, like the one Microchip uses, can fit on a desktop, while others span several feet in width and height.

Purple Platypus, a 3D distribution company based in California, carries several printer models.  Its founder, David Cox, says that regardless of their size or expense, most of these printers operate under the same principle.

Inside each printer on display at Purple Platypus, a mechanism feeds extremely thin layers of material, mostly plastic and rubber, back and forth over a base.  Often within several hours, the printer turns a computer-designed image into a 3D prototype from the bottom-up.

Cox says these 3D printers offer several advantages.  First, sending a design to a third party production team usually requires days of waiting for one object.  Second, for businesses with a high demand for prototypes, these in-house machines and their materials are more cost effective.

Current 3D printers do not offer consumers much beyond prototyping, but research into 3D printing technology extends far beyond plastic models.  Joel Johnson is a reporter who has covered rapid prototyping for Gizmodo, an online technology guide.

Bio-engineers are currently researching the machines’ ability to print organic tissue while some inventors are looking into ways to produce large-scale objects for more long-term use.

While many industries are looking into the future of this technology, for the moment 3D printers offer a unique tool for design application.

Via:  www1.voanews.com

]]> http://www.3dprinterstore.com/2010/07/new-printer-produces-3d-objects.html/feed 0 Future of 3D Printing: What’s In Store for the Next Generation http://www.3dprinterstore.com/2009/10/future-of-3d-printing-whats-in-store-for-the-next-generation.html http://www.3dprinterstore.com/2009/10/future-of-3d-printing-whats-in-store-for-the-next-generation.html#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:14:21 +0000 admin http://www.3dprinterstore.com/?p=14 From the world of two-dimensional printing, you are now welcomed into a new technology known as 3d printing. Who would ever imagine that such a breakthrough can happen? When this change was introduced, the life of every industry that depended on fabrication services and production also transformed for the better.

Also known as rapid prototyping, 3D [...]]]> From the world of two-dimensional printing, you are now welcomed into a new technology known as 3d printing. Who would ever imagine that such a breakthrough can happen? When this change was introduced, the life of every industry that depended on fabrication services and production also transformed for the better.

Also known as rapid prototyping, 3D printing is the process by which a computer aided design software is utilized to produce the three-dimensional output. On a simpler definition, the process depends upon the use of a 3D printer and the computer. The technology was created to change the usual fabricating job into a faster phase. You may use it in designing something then get the actual results only after a few hours. The rapid prototyping technology is indeed futuristic.

The future of 3d printing technologies

Just like other products, 3D printers started with a very simple design. In fact, although the gadgets make work faster, the old printers in three-dimensional forms were slower than how you see it now. Therefore, there are still other promises to take note of when it comes to the future of rapid prototyping technologies such as:

1. Speed improvements. As mentioned awhile back, some 3D printers still function slower than the standard required by the industry. If manufacturers would endeavor to produce faster-paced versions, then everything else will be done quickly. Three-dimensional printer companies should not stop developing the output in order to improve its speed.

2. Accuracy and surface finish improvements. The 3d printers of today are accurate in the x-y plane but are not that accurate in the z direction. This somehow defeats the purpose of the 3d technology. With the fusion of laser optics and motor control, accuracy will be increased in all of these planes and directions.

3. The use of other materials. Aside from making use of powdered metal, polymers and paper, there should be an effort to concentrate on other non-polymeric materials for processing of 3d printing outputs. Utilization of materials such as composites, ceramics and metals will be much anticipated for the future of 3d technologies. These materials will produce more functional parts essential to functional testing. 3d printers of today do produce great visuals but fail in the functional testing aspect.

4. Size capacity increase. As of the moment, 3d printers are only capable of machining objects that are less than 0.125 cubic meters. These smaller parts should be joined together in order to produce a larger object. This somehow slows down the entire 3d printing process. Large prototype techniques need to be adapted.
With these future developments in 3d printing, more industries would be able to make use of the technology for their respective needs. This promises a better and brighter future for all industries that also want to produce commodities at a quicker pace. Now, even the US military started experimenting on the use of rapid prototyping for putting broken tanks together and for creating guns and ammunitions. This then marks the beginning of endless improvements for this technology.

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