Three D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is revolutionizing how we create objects. This innovative process builds three-dimensional objects from a digital design, layer upon layer. Imagine constructing something not by carving away material, but by precisely adding it where needed. That’s the essence of three d printing.
The beauty of three d printing lies in its additive nature. Unlike traditional subtractive methods, which involve cutting or milling material away from a solid block, three d printing builds objects from the ground up. This is achieved by depositing successive layers of material, each a thin cross-section of the final design, until the complete three-dimensional form emerges.
While layer-by-layer construction is the standard, there’s an intriguing exception: volumetric three d printing. This emerging technology aims to create entire structures in one go, eliminating the need for layering. However, volumetric printing is still largely confined to research labs, hinting at exciting future possibilities.
Three d printing stands in direct contrast to subtractive manufacturing, processes like milling where material is removed from a solid block to shape the desired object. This additive approach offers a significant advantage: the ability to create complex geometries with less material waste compared to traditional manufacturing techniques.
How Does Three D Printing Work?
The journey of a three d printed object begins with a digital blueprint – a 3D model. This model can be created from scratch using specialized software or sourced from online 3D model libraries.
3D Software: Designing Your Digital Blueprint
A wide array of software tools empowers users to design 3D models. For a deeper dive, explore our dedicated 3D software resource.
For beginners, Tinkercad is often recommended. This user-friendly, browser-based software is free, eliminates the need for installation, and includes interactive tutorials. Tinkercad also simplifies the process of exporting designs into printable file formats like .STL or .OBJ.
Once your 3D model is complete and saved as a printable file, the next crucial step is preparing it for your three d printer. This process is known as slicing.
Slicing: Bridging the Gap to Your 3D Printer
Slicing is essentially the process of dividing your 3D model into numerous horizontal layers – sometimes hundreds or even thousands. This critical step is performed using specialized slicing software.
The slicing software translates your 3D model into a language your three d printer understands, generating a file containing instructions for each layer. This sliced file, ready for printing, can then be transferred to your printer via USB, SD card, or Wi-Fi. Your three d printer then works its magic, building your object layer by layer from this digital blueprint.
The Expanding Three D Printing Industry
Three d printing has moved beyond its early adopter phase and is now a mainstream technology. Companies that haven’t yet integrated additive manufacturing into their operations are becoming increasingly rare. Initially used primarily for prototyping, three d printing is rapidly becoming a viable production technology.
Currently, the primary demand for three d printing originates from industrial sectors. Market analysts at Acumen Research and Consulting predict the global three d printing market will reach a staggering $41 billion by 2026.
As the technology matures, three d printing is poised to reshape almost every major industry.
Diverse Examples of Three D Printing Applications
Three d printing encompasses a diverse range of technologies and materials, finding applications across virtually every industry imaginable. It’s crucial to recognize that three d printing is not a monolithic entity but rather a collection of distinct industries with countless applications.
Here are just a few examples of the breadth of three d printing:
- Consumer goods: From customized eyewear and footwear to designer furniture.
- Industrial products: Including manufacturing tools, rapid prototypes, and functional end-use parts.
- Dental products: Aligners, crowns, and surgical guides.
- Prosthetics: Tailored to individual patient needs.
- Architectural models: Detailed scale representations for design and presentation.
- Fossil reconstruction: Bringing extinct life back to a tangible form.
- Ancient artifact replication: Preserving and studying historical treasures.
- Forensic pathology: Reconstructing crime scene evidence.
- Movie props: Creating realistic and fantastical elements for film.
Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing: Speed and Customization
Since the late 1970s, companies have leveraged three d printers in their design workflows to create prototypes. This application is known as rapid prototyping.
The Advantages of Three D Printing for Rapid Prototyping: Speed and cost-effectiveness are key. Transforming an idea into a 3D model and holding a physical prototype can take days instead of weeks. Iterations become faster and more affordable, eliminating the need for expensive molds and tooling.
Beyond prototyping, three d printing is also driving rapid manufacturing. This emerging manufacturing paradigm involves businesses utilizing three d printers for short-run, custom manufacturing, catering to niche markets and personalized products.
Automotive Industry Embraces Three D Printing
The automotive industry has been a long-time adopter of three d printing. Automotive companies are utilizing it for various purposes, from printing spare parts and manufacturing aids like tools, jigs, and fixtures, to creating end-use components. Three d printing enables on-demand manufacturing, leading to reduced inventory and faster design and production cycles.
Car enthusiasts are also using three d printed parts to restore classic vehicles. A notable example is Australian engineers who three d printed parts to revive a Delage Type-C, manufacturing components that had been out of production for decades.
Aviation Soars with Additive Manufacturing
The aviation sector is enthusiastic about additive manufacturing, primarily because three d printing promises lighter yet stronger structures. Recent years have seen a surge of innovation in aviation, with an increasing number of critical aircraft parts being three d printed.
Turbine Center Frame: A Milestone in Aviation Three D Printing
A significant achievement was the three d printing of a turbine center frame by GE, as part of the EU Clean Sky 2 initiative.
This Advanced Additive Integrated Turbine Centre Frame (TCF), a meter in diameter, was printed in nickel alloy 718 by GE in collaboration with a consortium from Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), TU Dresden (TUD), and Autodesk. It stands as one of the largest single metal parts ever three d printed for aviation.
Traditionally, components like this are cast and assembled from numerous parts. The three d printed version, however, was consolidated from 150 parts into a single piece. This innovative approach resulted in a 30% reduction in both cost and weight, and slashed lead time from 9 months to just 10 weeks.
EASA Certifies Three D Printed Metal Parts for Flight
In June 2022, Lufthansa Technik and Premium AEROTEC achieved a breakthrough by creating the first load-bearing metal part approved for aviation use.
This new A-link, produced using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), demonstrated superior tensile strength compared to its traditionally forged counterpart.
Manufactured at Premium AEROTEC’s Varel, Germany facility, numerous test parts underwent rigorous testing to ensure quality and consistent performance for certification.
Hypersonic Fuel Injector: Pushing the Boundaries of Flight
This next three d printed component wasn’t destined for flight, but rather for a ground-based facility simulating hypersonic flight conditions (above Mach 5).
At such speeds, extreme heat and pressure cause air to become chemically reactive, posing challenges for fuel combustion in hypersonic vehicles.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are computationally intensive, so Purdue University researchers opted to physically recreate these conditions. They built a giant burner, essentially a rocket nozzle, placing test components in the exhaust plume to assess their performance under hypersonic conditions.
The three d printed injectors, made from Hastelloy X (a high-temperature superalloy), feed fuel and air into the combustion chamber, creating specific turbulent flow fields and a stable flame. Rapidly printing and testing various injector designs allowed for optimization and performance evaluation.
This innovative approach enables researchers to replicate hypersonic flight conditions on Earth, at a fraction of the cost and risk of actual flight tests, benefiting the development of scramjet-powered vehicles and spacecraft.
Relativity Space: Printing Rockets with Giant Three D Printers
Relativity Space, a US-based rocket company, utilizes massive metal three d printers, including their “Stargate” printer. The 4th generation Stargate can print objects up to 120 feet long and 24 feet in diameter.
This AI-assisted robotic printer achieves rapid print speeds using an innovative multi-wire print head, feeding multiple metal wires simultaneously to increase deposition rates.
Relativity Space successfully launched their three d printed Terran-1 rocket on a LEO test flight in 2023, demonstrating the potential of large-scale three d printing in aerospace.
Construction and Three D Printed Buildings
Can you three d print walls? Absolutely. Three d printed houses are no longer a futuristic concept; they are commercially available. Some companies three d print prefabricated components, while others perform on-site construction.
Most concrete three d printing focuses on large-scale systems with high flow rate nozzles, ideal for quickly laying down concrete layers. However, intricate concrete work demands more precision and finer control.
Consumer Products: Three D Printing for Everyday Life
Back in 2011, when we started blogging about three d printing, it wasn’t yet ready for mass production of consumer goods. Today, numerous examples of end-use three d printed consumer products are readily available.
Footwear: Stepping into the Future with Three D Printed Midsoles
Adidas’ 4D range, featuring fully three d printed midsoles, is produced at scale. As we reported previously, Adidas initially released 5,000 pairs, aiming for 100,000 pairs of these AM-infused shoes by 2018.
With their latest shoe iterations, Adidas has likely surpassed or is on track to exceed that goal. These shoes are now globally accessible through Adidas stores and online retailers.
Eyewear: Personalized and Sustainable
The three d printed eyewear market is projected to reach $3.4 billion by 2028, with end-use frames being a rapidly growing segment. Three d printing is particularly well-suited for eyewear frames because individual measurements can be easily incorporated into the final product, offering customized fit and style.
Beyond frames, did you know lenses can also be three d printed? Traditional lens manufacturing generates significant waste. Approximately 80% of the material from lens blanks is discarded. Three d printing offers a solution, enabling the creation of high-quality, custom ophthalmic lenses with minimal waste.
The Luxexcel VisionEngine three d printer uses UV-curable acrylate monomer to produce two pairs of lenses per hour, requiring no polishing or post-processing. Focal areas can be customized, providing tailored vision correction across different lens zones.
Jewelry: Direct and Indirect Three D Printing
Three d printing offers two pathways for jewelry creation: direct and indirect production. Direct production involves creating the final jewelry piece directly from the 3D design. Indirect manufacturing uses the three d printed object to create a mold for investment casting, especially for metal jewelry.
Healthcare: Transforming Medical Solutions with Three D Printing
Headlines often feature experimental three d printed implants, but three d printing is no longer fringe technology in healthcare. Over the past decade, GE Additive has three d printed over 100,000 hip replacements.
The Delta-TT Cup, developed by Dr. Guido Grappiolo and LimaCorporate, utilizes Trabecular Titanium. This material features a hexagonal cell structure mimicking natural bone, enhancing biocompatibility and promoting bone ingrowth. Some of the earliest Delta-TT implants are still functioning well after more than ten years.
Another widespread yet often unseen three d printed healthcare application is hearing aids. It’s estimated that 99% of hearing aids are manufactured using additive manufacturing.
Dental Applications: Precision and Efficiency in Dentistry
In the dental industry, molds for clear aligners are arguably the most three d printed objects globally. These molds are created using resin, powder-based three d printing processes, and material jetting. Crowns, dentures, and surgical guides are also increasingly being directly three d printed.
Bio-printing: The Frontier of Tissue Engineering
Since the early 2000s, biotech and academic institutions have explored three d printing for tissue engineering, aiming to build organs and body parts using inkjet-like techniques. This process, known as bio-printing, involves depositing layers of living cells onto a gel medium to create three-dimensional biological structures.
Food Industry: Culinary Creativity with Three D Printing
Additive manufacturing entered the food industry some time ago. Restaurants like Food Ink and Melisse utilize three d printing as a unique selling point, attracting global clientele with novel culinary experiences.
Education: Empowering Learning Through Three D Printing
Educators and students have long embraced three d printers in classrooms. Three d printing allows students to quickly and affordably materialize their ideas, fostering creativity and hands-on learning.
While dedicated additive manufacturing degrees are relatively new, universities have integrated three d printers across various disciplines. Courses in CAD and 3D design, essential for three d printing, are widely available.
Many university programs are adopting three d printers for prototyping. Specializations in additive manufacturing are emerging within architecture and industrial design programs. Three d printed prototypes are also common in arts, animation, and fashion studies.
Types of Three D Printing Technologies and Processes
Here’s an overview of six prominent three d printing technologies:
Vat Photopolymerization: Light-Activated Resin
Vat Photopolymerization relies on a container of liquid photopolymer resin, which is solidified by a UV light source.
Stereolithography (SLA): The Pioneer of Three D Printing
Invented in 1986 by Charles Hull, the founder of 3D Systems, Stereolithography (SLA) uses a vat of liquid photopolymer resin and a UV laser. The laser traces each layer’s cross-section onto the resin surface, curing and solidifying the pattern and fusing it to the layer below.
After each layer, the build platform lowers by a layer’s thickness (typically 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm). A resin-filled blade recoats the surface with fresh material, ready for the next layer. SLA often requires support structures, depending on the object’s geometry and orientation.
Digital Light Processing (DLP): Speed and Precision with Light Projection
Digital Light Processing (DLP) is similar to SLA but employs a different light source, often arc lamps or projectors. DLP projects an image of the entire layer onto the resin, curing it simultaneously, making it faster than SLA.
Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP): Continuous and Rapid Printing
Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP), a Carbon proprietary technology, uses an oxygen-permeable window to create a “dead zone” – a thin liquid interface of uncured resin – between the window and the object. This prevents adhesion to the print basin, enabling continuous printing and significantly increasing speed.
Material Jetting: Droplets of Precision
Material Jetting dispenses material in droplets through fine nozzles, similar to inkjet printing. Layers are built by jetting material onto a platform and then curing it with UV light.
Binder Jetting: Powder and Binder Fusion
Binder Jetting uses two materials: a powder base and a liquid binder. Powder layers are spread in the build chamber, and binder is selectively jetted to “glue” powder particles together in the desired shape. Excess powder is removed after printing and can often be recycled. This technology was pioneered at MIT in 1993.
Material Extrusion: Filament-Based Fabrication
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): A Widely Accessible Technology
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) uses plastic filament fed from a spool to an extrusion nozzle. The nozzle heats and melts the filament, extruding it layer by layer onto the build platform. The nozzle’s movement is controlled numerically, building the object layer by layer as the material solidifies.
Scott Crump invented FDM in the late 1980s, founding Stratasys in 1988 after patenting the technology.
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF): An Open-Source Equivalent
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is essentially synonymous with FDM, coined by the RepRap project to provide a legally unconstrained term for this technology.
Powder Bed Fusion: Laser and Powder Precision
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS): Powder Fusion with Lasers
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) utilizes a high-power laser to fuse powder particles into a solid object. The laser selectively scans and fuses powder layer cross-sections. After each layer, the powder bed lowers, a new powder layer is applied, and the process repeats.
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF): HP’s High-Throughput Technology
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), developed by Hewlett Packard, uses a sweeping arm to deposit powder layers and another arm with inkjet nozzles to selectively apply a binder agent. A detailing agent is also applied around the binder for dimensional accuracy and smooth surfaces. Thermal energy then fuses the agents and powder.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS): Metal Part Fabrication
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is similar to SLS but uses metal powder. Unused powder acts as support and can be recycled. Due to higher laser power, DMLS has evolved into a laser melting process.
Directed Energy Deposition (DED): Metal and Large-Scale Applications
Directed Energy Deposition (DED) is primarily used in metal industries and for rapid manufacturing. A multi-axis robotic arm directs a nozzle that deposits metal powder or wire onto a surface. An energy source (laser, electron beam, or plasma arc) melts the material, forming a solid object.
Materials for Three D Printing
Additive manufacturing is compatible with a wide range of materials, including plastics, metals, concrete, ceramics, paper, and even certain edibles like chocolate. These materials are typically available as wire feedstock (filament), powder, or liquid resin. Explore our materials category for more information.
Three D Printing Services
Looking to incorporate three d printing into your production? Request a quote for custom parts or order samples on our 3D print service page.
