3D Printing for Stereolithography and Fused Deposit Modelling

Question: Discuss about the3D Printing for Stereolithography and Fused Deposit Modelling. Answer: Introduction 3D printing refers to all the procedures where the materials are solidified or joined with the control of computer systems for the successful creation of any three dimensional or 3D objects, with all the materials that are being added together (Espalin et al. 2014). The objects in the 3D printing could be of any specific geometry or shapes and are eventually produced with the help of a 3D model or any other electronic data sources like AMF or Additive Manufacturing File. There are several technologies such as DTL or stereolithography and FDM or fused deposit modelling. Hence, unlike the removed material from the stock within the process of conventional machining, the technology or additive manufacturing or 3D printing is responsible for building and constructing the three dimensional object from the CAD model or computer aided design and any AMF file by properly adding the materials one after another (Compton and Lewis 2014). The following report provides a brief discussion on the entire concept of 3D printing. The report highlights various significant features of it with relevant details. The proper and the significant explanation of this particular technology will be eventually given here. Furthermore, the complete working principle of the 3D printing will also be explained here. Definition/ Explanation of 3D Printing 3D printing or the additive manufacturing is the significant procedure by which 3D or three dimensional solid objects are made from any specific digital file. The complete creation of the 3D printed object can be solely achieved with the help of several additive processes. Within any additive process, the object could be created by simply laying down the various successive material layers until this object is being created (Barnatt 2013). Each of every successive material layer could be viewed as finely sliced horizontal cross section of that particular object. It helps in the production of complex shapes by utilizing fewer materials than the traditional method of manufacturing. 3D printing refers to the procedure, which helps in depositing any binder material into the powder bed with the help of heads of an inkjet printer one layer after another. It is utilized in the broad variety of AM techniques. There is a significant difference between additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Th e main purpose of the additive manufacturing is the achieving of mass production; whereas in 3D printing it is rapid prototyping. The processes where all materials are joined with computer systems for successfully creating a three dimensional object is known as 3D printing. The examples of these materials mainly include powder grains or liquid molecules when fused together. The utilization of 3D printing is mainly in the additive manufacturing or AM and rapid prototyping (Campbell and Ivanova 2013). The objects in the 3D printing could be of any specific geometry or shapes and are eventually produced with the help of a 3D model or any other electronic data sources like AMF or Additive Manufacturing File. 3D printing is considered as one of the most advanced as well as enhanced technology in todays world. It was first developed in the year of 1984. It eventually comprises of various significant advantages or benefits. These advantages have made the entire concept of 3D printing extremely popular and well accepted by all users. The most significant advantages of 3D printing mainly include high speed, single step manufacture, cost effectiveness, lack of complexity and easy risk mitigation. It is extremely fast and this makes it extremely popular and advantageous than all the traditional manufacturing methods (Espalin et al. 2014). Moreover, the involvement of several steps is mitigated and the entire process could be executed with one step only. It is extremely cost effective and thus could be afforded by all. The machine operation costs, materials cost and the labour costs are much less than the traditional manufacturing. Furthermore, the design is very simple to make and hence complex ity is absent here. 3D printing is even utilized for customizing each and every item and tools and moulds are not required for this purpose. Due to the lower fixed costs, it is easily acceptable by all. The wastage is less and the speed of prototyping is much more than the traditional additive manufacturing. In spite of having these significant advantages, there are some of the major demerits (Lipson and Kurman 2013). The most significant and important drawbacks of 3D printing mainly include high costs for the larger production runs, limited choice of materials, finishes and colours, higher consumption of energy, lack of user friendliness, lower precision and limited endurance and strength. 3D printing is utilized in any industry or business. Some of the most important sectors where this technology is used for the preferred prototyping of method of manufacturing are as follows: i) Car Manufacturers ii) Doctors Dentists iv) Prosthetics v) Aircraft Manufacturers vi) Aerospace Companies Prop Makers Product Designers ix) Architects x) Students xi) Design Entrepreneurs Engineers Drone Enthusiasts Shoe Manufacturers xv) Consumer Product Makers. These above mentioned industries or sectors are the most important sectors for utilizing 3D printing in their business (Campbell and Ivanova 2013). However, apart from these mentioned industries, few more sector also use 3D printing in their business. The 3D printable models could be created with the help of a CAD or computer aided design through any 3D scanner or with the help of a photogrammetry software or plain and simple digital camera. These 3D models are solely created with the CAD results in the reduction of error and thus could be made accurate before printing and allowing verification within the object design before printing. Operation of 3D Printing The 3D printing has a unique working principle. The steps are given below: Step 1: It initiates with the successful creation of the 3D model in the system. The digital design is the instance of a CAD file. It can be created either with a 3D scanner or 3D modelling software. This is the first and the foremost step in 3D printing (Compton and Lewis 2014). In this particular step, the software eventually provides some of the important hints regarding the structural integrity that is expected from the end product. This is done with the help of scientific data about the various materials, used for creating virtual simulations. These typical simulations are about the behaviour of the object under various conditions. Step 2: The CAD drawing is then converted to the Standard Tessellation Language or STL format. Maximum 3D printers utilize STL files with some of the proprietary types of files like ObjDF by Objet Geometrics and XPR by Z Corporation. Step 3: The third step in this process is the transferring to the Additive Manufacturing Machine and the Manipulation of the STL file (Espalin et al. 2014). This is again one of the most important step as this transfer is done easily and promptly. Step 4: The fourth step is the setting up of machine. All the machines have their own requirements like polymer refilling, usability of consumables and binders. Step 5: The next step is the building of the machine. The procedure of building of the machine is completely automatic and all the layers are about 0.1 mm thick. Step 6: The sixth important step after building in the process of 3D printing is the removal of printed objects (Lipson and Kurman 2013). Various precautions are to be taken for avoiding injuries in this particular step. Step 7: Post processing is the seventh step of 3D printing after removal of printed objects. The brushing off the extra powder and bathing of the printed object for removing water soluble supports are the basic types of post processing. Step 8: The final step in the procedure of 3D printing is the suitable application of the freshly printed objects. References Barnatt, C., 2013.3D printing: the next industrial revolution. Nottingham: ExplainingTheFuture. com. Campbell, T.A. and Ivanova, O.S., 2013. 3D printing of multifunctional nanocomposites.Nano Today,8(2), pp.119-120. Compton, B.G. and Lewis, J.A., 2014. 3D?printing of lightweight cellular composites.Advanced materials,26(34), pp.5930-5935. Espalin, D., Muse, D.W., MacDonald, E. and Wicker, R.B., 2014. 3D Printing multifunctionality: structures with electronics.The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology,72(5-8), pp.963-978. Lipson, H. and Kurman, M., 2013.Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. John Wiley Sons.