3D Printing: From The

Ground Up

Advanced Computer Modeling Experts

How 3D printing can impact all walks of life.

ACE Business Solutions

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Contents

3. Executive Summary

4. Introduction: 3D Overview

5. How 3D Printing Works

6. How 3D Printing Can Help

8. The Costs Of 3D Printing

8. How 3D Printing May Not Be The Answer

9. Alternatives To 3D Printing

9. Review: Summary Of 3D Printing Key Points

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Executive Summary

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3D printing has evolved to the point

that now almost anything can be

printed in 3D. Manufacturing,

medical, architectural, clothing, food,

toy and game, and music industries

are just some of the fields where 3D

printing has made a positive impact.

Research and Development used to

take months or years to get a product

from an idea to reality. In today’s

global economy, speed can be of the

essence. The sooner a product can be

brought to market, the sooner a

company can get a jump on the

competition. Thanks to 3D printing, a

product can now be produced in as

little as a few hours.

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Speed of delivery can also be a matter

of life or death. In medicine, 3D

printers can now make personalized

body parts or tissue.2 Prosthetic

parts can be upgraded or replaced in

less than a day.

There are downsides to 3D printing.

Copyright infringement, producing

dangerous items such as guns, size of

items, and limits on manufacturing are

a few downsides that come from 3D

printing.

This paper hopes to provide you with

unbiased information on the topic of

3D printing so that you can decide if

3D printing is right for you.

“If you can draw it, you can make it”. 1

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3D Printing

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An Overview

There are two ways to make a 3D

product: a subtractive process and an

additive process. A subtractive

process starts with a piece of material.

A machine removes excess material in

order to shape the desired product. A

major problem with the subtractive

process is that you cannot hollow out a

ball or similar shape because there is

no way to remove the material from

within.

An additive process starts with nothing

and builds the product from the ground

up. This allows the builder to only put

material where material is needed.

This paper will focus specifically on the

additive process know as 3D printing.

In the early 1980s, Charles Hull

invented 3D printing, which he called

“stereolithography.” Hull founded 3D

Systems. 3D Systems developed the

first 3D printer, which was called a

“stereolithography apparatus.” 3D

Systems introduced the first commercially available 3D printer, the

SLA-250, in 1988.3

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Over the past twenty-five years, 3D

printing has grown considerably.

Manufacturing has used 3D printing to

help get products to market quicker.

Architects build preproduction models

so that they can check for design flaws.

Colleges now have 3D printers for

students to use that make their class

projects a reality.

Today, one of the fastest-growing

segments of 3D printing is in the

medical field. 3D printing has proven

successful with making custom hearing

aids, dental fixtures, and prosthetic

limbs. Companies are now using 3D

printers, called bio-printers, to print

functional human tissue for medical

research and regenerative therapies.3

Continual improvements in technology

will help speed the advancement of 3D

printing in all fields.

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Common Types of 3D Printers and How They Work

There are a number of different technologies

used in 3D printing. The three most common

types are fused deposition modeling (FDM),

selective laser sintering (SLS), and thermal

inkjet (TIJ).

FDM printers use a printhead similar to an

inkjet printer. The difference is that the

printhead puts down beads of heated plastic

as it moves. Every time that the printer head

passes over, the printer head moves up a

fraction of a millimeter so as to put another

layer on top of the previous layer. As the

heated material cools and hardens it creates

the solid object.

SLS printers use a powder of metal, plastic, or

ceramic. The printer uses a laser to draw the

shape of the desired product, which fuses the

powder together. A new layer of powder is

put down and the process is repeated until

the product is completely built.

“TIJ printing is a “noncontact” technique that

uses thermal, electromagnetic, or piezoelectric

technology to deposit tiny droplets of “ink”

(actual ink or other materials) onto a substrate

according to digital instructions. In inkjet

printing, droplet deposition is usually done by

using heat or mechanical compression to eject

the ink drops. In TIJ printers, heating the

printhead creates small air bubbles that

collapse, creating pressure pulses that eject ink

drops from nozzles in volumes as small as 10 to

150 picoliters. Droplet size can be varied by

adjusting the applied temperature gradient,

pulse frequency, and ink viscosity”.2

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+ How 3D Printing Can Help

The greatest advantages of 3D

printing are the cost savings, the

speed and ease that prototypes

can be produced, the

customization of products, and

the breakthroughs in medical

biotechnology.

3d printing allows people to

make objects as needed. For

instance, if you broke a plastic

finger off of a prosthetic hand,

you could simply make the piece

instead of having to order one,

having to wait for it to be made,

and then waiting for it to be

shipped.

Home construction can be more

eco-friendly because each part

can be made to the length

needed. No more needing to cut

2x4’s in half with unused pieces

being scrapped or burnt.

Possibly the greatest use for 3D

printing is in the medical field.

Dental implants and custom

prosthetics have been made with

3D technology for close to fifteen

years.

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3D printing has helped improved process

speeds, enabled the customization of a near

endless list of items, and enhanced people’s

lives through the advancement of medical

breakthroughs.

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It has been said that 3D printing can now

produce bones, ears, exoskeletons, windpipes,

a jaw bone, eyeglasses, cell cultures, stem cells,

blood vessels, vascular networks, tissues, and

organs, as well as novel dosage forms and drug

delivery devices.”2

Using the TIJ 3D printing method described

above is allowing the medical community to

make substantial progress toward decreasing

the number of U.S. patients waiting for organ

transplants. By building replacement organs,

patients would no longer need to wait,

sometimes months or years, for a donor. More

lives can be saved using TIJ 3D printing. TIJ

printing uses cells from the patient to build

replacement organs. This minimizes the risk of

tissue rejection. Building organs with TIJ 3D

printing is also less expensive than traditional

organ transplant surgery.2

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3D printing has brought out a number of concerns. The following is a list of

reasons and brief explanations as to why 3D printing may not be the answer.

3D printers use large amounts of energy. They can use 50 to 100

times more energy than what injection molding uses.

3D printers have emissions similar to burning a cigarette.5

Food that comes into contact with non BPA-free plastic can absorb

some of the toxins of the plastic and create health problems.

Untraceable weapons, including functional guns, have been built.

The secondary problem is that they are undetectable by metal

detectors or x-ray scanners.

Fake or pirated products can be created and sold causing

companies to lose billions.

The Costs Of 3D Printing

Building a prototype using antiquated methods is expensive and

time-consuming. Building a prototype using 3D printing is quicker

and less expensive.4 Typically there are no costs for storage

because 3D printing is done usually on an individual need.6

Setting up a 3D printing site can be expensive, but the long term

cost and time savings offset the startup costs.6

As the costs of 3D printing continue to drop, the more accessible it

will be for consumers. It is now possible to purchase a basic 3D

printer for less than four hundred dollars. Industrial sized 3D

printers are closer to the 30 to 50 thousand-dollar ranges. There

are a few 3D printers that sell for close to one million dollars.

Why 3D Printing May Not Be The Answer

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As stated at the beginning of this paper, there are very few things

that 3D printing cannot print. Almost all fields have a use for 3D

printing. Manufacturing, Architecture, and Medical fields have all

seen significant developments due to 3D printing. Process speeds,

customization, and quality are benefits from the use of 3D printing.

Copyright infringement, producing dangerous items such as

guns, size of items, and limits on manufacturing are a few

downsides that come from 3D printing.

Hopefully this paper has given you the basic information and

knowledge to make an educated decision as to whether 3D

printing is the right answer for you and your organization.

Alternatives To 3D Printing

Current alternatives to 3D printing are LaserOrigami and Cricut

Explore. LaserOrigami uses a laser to heat a sheet of plastic and

either cut or bend the plastic into the desired shape. The laser

process is quicker than 3D printing but is very limited at this time

as to what it can produce.

Cricut Explore is essentially a specialized cutting tool that can cut

various types of material, which then need to be assembled into

the shape and final product. The upside to this is that the cutter

can cut material like leather, felt, cardboard, and vinyl.

Review: Summary Of 3D Printing Key Points

LaserOrigami

Cricut Explore

3D

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