3D PRINTING

                                          3D PRINTING

 A large number of competing
technologies are available to
do 3D printing

3D printing is a form of additive
manufacturing technology
where a three dimensional
object is created by laying
down successive layers of material.
3D printers are generally faster,
more affordable and easier to use
than other additive manufacturing
technologies. Advanced 3D printing
technologies yield models that
can serve as product prototypes. A
large number of competing technologies
are available to do 3D
printing.

 

 Their main differences
are found in the way layers are built
to create parts. Some methods use
melting or softening material to
produce the layers. In the case of
lamination systems, thin layers are
cut to shape and joined
together.
Each method has its
advantages and drawbacks,
and consequently
some companies
offer a choice
between powder
and polymer as the material
from which the object
emerges. Generally,
the main considerations
are speed,
cost of the printed prototype,
cost of the 3D printer, choice
and cost of materials and color

  

3D printing technology is currently
being studied by biotechnology
firms and academia for possible
use in tissue engineering applications
where organs and body parts
are built using ink jet techniques.
Layers of living cells are deposited
onto a gel medium and slowly
built up to form three dimensional
structures. Several terms have
been used to refer to this field of
research: Organ printing, bioprinting,
and computer-aided tissue
printing among others. 3D printing
can produce a personalized hip
replacement in one pass, with the
ball permanently inside the socket,
and even at current printing resolutions
the unit will not require
polishing.