What is 3D printing? Everything you need to know

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, has become over the years a reliable manufacturing method and used in many sectors. But do you really know what 3D printing is, how it works and what are the possible applications?

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing is an increasingly used manufacturing technique today for proofs of concept, prototypes and finished products. Companies are implementing 3D printing at different levels of their production, rethinking their business strategy with this competitive advantage. 

Engineers, designers and hobbyists are developing innovative applications using this technology. 3D printing is a technique for building objects layer by layer, from a 3D file. The process literally transforms the digital version of an object into a physical version.

How It Works?

There is no one and only way to 3D print. Indeed, when thinking of 3D printing, many people still think of FDM printing. But 3D printing is much more than that. There are currently several techniques for creating parts additively. The choice of material and technology will be determined according to the nature of your project. What properties do you need? What resistance? Here’s how the main 3D printing technologies work.

3D Plastic Printing

The Sintering Selective Laser, or SLS: This 3D printing technique created objects by sintering the powder inside the printer using a laser. During a layer-by-layer process, the powder bed is preheated and a laser sintered the powder according to the 3D file to create a solid object.

Filing or FDM: This 3D printing method is well known to amateurs, but also to the education community. FDM 3D printers use one or two print heads for the deposition of molten material. The material is melted and extruded through the printing nozzle, to create the desired object, layer by layer. FDM printing is mainly known to be a plastic 3D printing technique, but it is now possible to use it in order to print metal.

3D Resin Printing

CLIP, or DLS: DLS technology is developed by Carbon and works by projecting a continuous sequence of UV images, generated by a digital light projector, through a UV-transparent glass behind a resin bath. The dead zone created above the glass maintains a liquid interface behind the part. Above the dead zone, the hardened part is extracted from the resin bath.

Polyjet: This resin 3D printing technology projects layers of curable photopolymer liquid onto a print bed. The software calculates the placement of the photopolymers and the support material during the pre-process step. Then, during the resin 3D printer printing projects and processes with UV small drops of liquid photopolymer.