What is 3D printing and how does it work?

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3D printing is the process of transforming a virtual 3D model into a three-dimensional, physical, tangible object.

This action is carried out through the combination of different types of 3D design software, segmentation programs, and a machine that performs the work of carrying out the orders imposed by said programs.

This machine is popularly known as a 3D printer and is a machine capable of creating three-dimensional objects through a system that deposits the correct amount of material layer by layer, leaving a three-dimensional object as the final product.

Nowadays, 3D printing technologies have advanced so much that they even allow a wide variety of objects to be printed in different materials.

Such as 3D printed foods, cement houses, boats, structures and even technologies are still being developed to print human organs.

Today, 3D printing has become so popular that we will most likely all have a 3D printer on our desks in a very short time.

How does 3D printing work?

The 3D printing process works by taking a model, or computer-made graphic, and digitally slicing it into many layers.

Once this is done, the 3D printer will begin printing by depositing material one layer at a time, layer by layer, until the printing process is completed.

To understand how this technology works, we must divide it into three stages and thus better understand how it works.

Step 1: Creating a 3D design

To be able to print in 3D it is essential to have a 3D model, you can create a model or download one from different internet sites where authors share their work for free or charging for them.

There are various types of 3D design software that are capable of creating a virtual, three-dimensional object designed from scratch by its creator. Many of them are paid, but many others are free.

We can name programs such as: 3Ds Max, SketchUp, Blender, Zbrush, Adobe 3D, Rhinoceros, (among others) and even a free online design program called tinkercad.

What if I don't know how to design in 3D?

If you don't know how to design in 3D, don't worry, there are websites where designers share their creations.

Some of these sites are: thingiverse, Cults 3d, Myminifactory among others, with hundreds and even thousands of 3D models available for download online, always respecting the creators' copyrights.

Once the 3D object has been created (or downloaded), it is called a 3D model and is the first requirement to be able to print it. This file will be saved on our computer in a format called “Stl” and will be the file that we will use with the Slicer.

Stage 2: Segmentation, or cutting by layers.

After obtaining our 3D model we will need a program, known in English as “Slicer” whose function is to cut into hundreds or even thousands of “layers”.

These programs can be downloaded from the Internet for free, from the website of their creators, some of them are: Ultimaker Cura, Prusa Slicer, Creality Slic3r among others.

One of the most used programs for its user-friendly interface is Ultimaker's Cura.

With this software we can open the downloaded or previously created STL file and cut it into layers, so that the 3D printer is able to recognize its language to begin the printing process.

While designing a 3D object is extremely complex for some, using a segmentation program or Slicer is also complex, since the number of variables that these programs have are many and making a mistake in any of them can lead to failure at the time of printing.

But don't worry! At this point there is enough information to learn and get started without making too many mistakes. We will see a lot about this topic in this blog and you are welcome to come back as many times as you like.

Once our 3D model has been segmented or cut into hundreds of layers, the software will save all the instructions in a file called “G-code” so that it can be understood by the 3D printer and thus begin to create, layer by layer, a three-dimensional object that will leave us amazed.

Step number 3: Using the 3D Printer.

At this stage we will no longer use any software of any kind and we will get down to business, configuring and preparing the printer.

3D printers do not work like classic inkjet printers, where you send the file and the machine will carry out the printing process automatically and reliably.

3D printers must be correctly calibrated and leveled before printing.

There are different types of 3D printers, Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printers, Injection 3D Printers, Fused Deposition Machine (FDM) Printing.

How does a 3D printer work?

To understand how it works, we need to know its parts and what functions they perform. In the world of 3D printing, there are different types of 3D printers that work in different ways and use different types of materials.

In this blog we will delve into each of them, but for educational purposes we will use the FDM example, fused deposition printing.

As an example I will use one of the best-selling 3D printers for its price-quality ratio in recent years, the Creality Ender 3.

Parts of a 3D printer (FDM)

1. Structure: It can be made of metal, aluminum or even 3D printed parts and it will be where the other components will be fixed.
2. Coordinate axes: X, Y, Z, are rails that allow the printer to make the movements as necessary on these axes for printing the piece.
3. Extrusion System: It consists of a motor that pushes the filament through a tube called Bowden until it reaches a nozzle where the filament will be melted and deposited on a hot bed.
4. Hotend: It is part of the extrusion system and is a fundamental piece since it is responsible for heating and melting the plastic that reaches the nozzle, for its deposition on the hot bed.
5. Nozzle: It is a metal nozzle through which the molten plastic comes out to be deposited on the hot bed, being cooled immediately afterwards by the fans.
6. Hot bed: This is the surface where the parts will be printed. It is called hot because it increases the temperature so that the material has a better grip, and the part does not rise or come off in the middle of the print.

Once you know its parts, you proceed with the calibration and leveling of the printer, in order to be able to carry out the printing.

Conclusion:

The 3D printing process can take many hours and its success will depend on a correct symbiosis between all the points mentioned above.

• A 3D model design, without flaws.
• Correct use of the slicer program.
• The assembly, calibration and leveling of the 3D Printer.

If any of these processes fail, the final result will undoubtedly have multiple printing failures and the entire process will have to be repeated, having lost all the material that has been used.

If we did things right, once the whole process is finished, we will have in our hands a 3D printed product. A physical object created from the virtual, with infinite applications in the real world.

You can also read: “What to know before buying a 3D printer“