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3d Printing
3d Printing
POLYJET
material jetting, a 3D printing technology, by US-Isreali-
based company Stratasys. Although not technically a
distinct category of 3D printing, PolyJet has several
unique features that set it apart from other processes.
The most distinguishing, of course, is full color.
• There are only a handful of full-color, multi-material 3D
printing processes on the market, and PolyJet is likely the
most popular. It’s offered by dozens of 3D printing
service bureaus, including Craftcloud, and it’s the go-to
method for full-color product prototypes for a long list of
manufacturers. Looking at some of the PolyJet product
photos in this article, it’s almost hard to believe that
these are not assembled, dyed, or painted — they pretty
much come out of the printer this way (after you take off
the support layers).
• But PolyJet isn’t just about color. Although it’s easy to be
dazzled by the colors and textures of PolyJet prints, the
technology is used for rugged industrial parts and
biocompatible dental products.
• We go into the techy details below, but the bottom line is
multi-material, finely detailed, durable, and life-like parts
from your 3D printer for use as product prototypes,
medical models, fashion products and apparel, molds,
manufacturing tools, dentures, surgical guides, and much
more.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)/
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
• An FDM printer works by expelling a plastic fiber layer-by-layer onto the
forming stage. It’s a savvy and fast strategy for delivering actual models.
There are a few occasions when FDM can be utilized for practical testing
however the innovation is restricted because of parts having generally harsh
surface completes and lacking strength. It is a 3D printing innovation that
utilizes a cycle called Material Extrusion. Material Extrusion gadgets are
accessible and reasonable of all. They work by a cycle where a spool of a fiber
of strong thermoplastic material (PLA, ABS, PET) is stacked into the 3D
printer. It is then pushed by an engine through a warmed spout, where it
liquefies. The printer’s expulsion head at that point moves along explicit
directions, keeping the 3D printing material on a form stage where the
printer fiber cools and cements, shaping a strong item. When the layer is
finished, the printer sets out another layer, until the item is complete. Basic
applications for FDM incorporate electrical lodgings, structure and fit
testings, jigs and fixtures, and investment casting patterns. The best part
about FDM is that it offers the best surface completion in addition to full tone
alongside the reality there are different materials accessible for its utilization.
Digital Light Process (DLP)
• The manufacturing process that uses high-powered lasers to melt metal powder is actually known
by several names. Some 3D printer makers specializing in this technology call it direct metal laser
sintering (DMLS) while others call it selective laser melting (SLM). You might also hear it called
direct metal laser melting (DMLM), and if you ask one of the inventors of the process, Wilhelm
Meiners, he calls it laser powder bed fusion (LPBF).
• More often today, perhaps because of the various terms and its growing popularity, the technology
is commonly referred to as just metal sintering.
• This metal additive manufacturing, or 3D printing method, is a highly precise method of 3D printing
commonly used for both prototyping and production of end-use, complex metal parts for
aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial applications. It makes everything from tools and
spare parts to rocket engines and hip implants.
• The reasons behind its rapid growth and adoption are many. First, with an in-house metal 3D
printer, companies can produce their own metal prototypes and parts far faster and cheaper than
having them made and shipped from overseas, especially in low volumes. Even ordering parts from
a metal sintering service is faster than traditional manufacturing.
• Next, metal sintering can produce parts with complex internal channels, lattice-infilled walls, and
shapes simply not possible with any other manufacturing method, which leads to better, lighter,
and more efficient parts.
• Another benefit of metal sintering over traditional manufacturing is sustainability. Especially when
printing with high-cost materials, such as titanium or silver, metal sintering 3D printers use just the
material required to build the parts, and the rest can be reused.
Electron Beam Melting (EBM)
• Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is a 3D manufacturing process in which a
powdered metal is melted by a high-energy beam of electrons. An
electron beam produces a stream of electrons that is guided by a
magnetic field, melting layer upon layer of powdered metal to create an
object matching the precise specifications defined by a CAD model.
Production takes place in a vacuum chamber to guard against oxidation
that can compromise highly reactive materials. Electron Beam Melting
is similar to Selective Laser Melting (SLM), as they both print from a
powder from the 3D printer’s powder bed, but EBM uses an electron
beam instead of a laser.
• EBM builds high-strength parts that make the most of the native
properties of the metals used in the process, eliminating impurities that
may accumulate when using casting metals or using other methods of
fabrication. It is used to print components for aerospace, automotive,
defense, petrochemical, and medical applications.
Principle Of FDM
Fused Deposition Modeling
(FDM) works on the
principle of heating the
material which is generally
in the form of a
thermoplastic filament or
metallic wire to its melting
point and then to extrude it
layer by layer to
manufacture a 3D part
How does FDM 3D printing work?
• An FDM 3D printer works by depositing melted filament material
over a build platform layer by layer until you have a completed part.
FDM uses digital design files that are uploaded to the machine itself
and translates them into physical dimensions. Materials for
FDM include polymers such as ABS, PLA, PETG and PEI, which the
machine feeds as threads through a heated nozzle.
• To operate an FDM machine, you first load a spool of this
thermoplastic filament into the printer. Once the nozzle hits the
desired temperature, the printer feeds the filament through an
extrusion head and nozzle.
• This extrusion head is attached to a three-axis system that allows it
to move across the X, Y and Z axes. The printer extrudes melted
material in thin strands and deposits them layer by layer along a
path determined by the design. Once deposited, the material cools
and solidifies. You can attach fans to the extrusion head to
accelerate cooling in some cases.
MATERIALS USED IN FDM
Composites (carbon fiber, kevlar, Rigid, strong, or extremely tough Functional prototypes
fiberglass) Compatibility limited to some expensive industrial FDM 3D Jigs, fixtures, and tooling
printers
Types of FDM 3D Printers
• Cartesian
• Delta
• Polar
• Scara(Robotic)
• Co-ordinate Systems
• This is a universal geometrical term and not necessarily
connected to 3D printing but it becomes important to
understand this 3D printing concept to understand how a
3D printer works.
• According to Britannica, a coordinate system is an
arrangement of reference lines or curves used to identify
the location of points in space. In two dimensions it is
generally represented by horizontal (X-axis) & Vertical (Y-
axis) while in three-dimensions it adds a third direction that
is perpendicular to both the horizontal and vertical
direction, the Z-axis.
• So depending on how the 3D printer identifies the different
points on the build platform to print the exact design, the
3D printers are called so.
• https://manufactur3dmag.com/understanding-the-four-
types-of-fdm-3d-printers-cartesian-delta-polar-scara/
Cartesian 3D Printers
• This is the most common type of FDM 3D
printer. Cartesian 3D printers are the most
popular type of FDM 3D printers across the
world. A huge majority of 3D printer
manufacturers use the Cartesian coordinate
system as it one of the most fundamental
coordinate systems used in a wide range of
industrial and academic applications.
• In a Cartesian 3D printer, three numbers are
used to define the position of a point in space
represented by X, Y & Z. The X & Y-axis
represents the lateral and longitudinal position
of a point, while the Z-axis represents the
elevation of the point.
• Being the most popular type, Cartesian3D
printer owners can easily find experts to learn
more or get professional help or troubleshoot
their 3D printers. It also becomes easy to find
replacement parts or a relevant community that
own a Cartesian 3D printer like the one the user
owns to share resources.
• From a user’s point of view, having a Cartesian
3D printer secures you of a lot of stress that 3D
printer owners go through during their early
learning phase.
• For a learner, the Cartesian 3D printer is
comparatively easy to learn and easy to build
and the structure is quite easy to understand.
• Cartesian 3D printers have applications in
almost all types of product manufacturing
barring applications that are long or tall in size.
Delta 3D Printers
• Delta 3D printers are the second most popular type of FDM 3D printer. They can be
easily distinguished from a Cartesian 3D printer due to their tall appearance. The
unique structure as well is quite intriguing to look at and it’s a joy to watch the Delta 3D
printer in action.
• The printhead is connected to the three arms of the printer and they all operate in sync
to print the layer of the object. The delta 3D printer works in a triangulation
configuration and since the three arms work simultaneously, the build volume of the
printer is not a cube but a cylinder and the base is a circle.
• Instead of positioning the print head according to x, y, and z positions, each of the
three arms changes its angle to position the print head on the build platform according
to the model. Hitting the precise location is done by a series of trigonometric functions
that consider the angle of all positioning arms.
• The biggest benefit of a Delta 3D printer is its speed. The high speeds are possible as
the extruder does not carry the weight of the stepper motor and this weight reduction
is translated into increased speed.
• Another advantage of the Delta 3D printer is its height. It is tailor-made for creating
objects that are taller and so manufacturers rely on the delta coordinate system when
they want to build a 3D printer for manufacturing objects that have a higher Z-axis.
• However, delta 3D printers do have a lot of problems. They cannot be used with
Bowden extruders and so it limits the use of flexible materials. They also have a smaller
base limiting the lateral size of the object to be manufactured. Besides, due to their
size, they tend to be delivered in kits and new users find it hard to assemble such kits
thereby keeping them away from this type of 3D printer.
• Delta 3D printers have applications in building tall products like columns in architecture
models, etc.
• Some popular examples of Delta 3D printers are Kossel – RepRap, Anycubic Delta,
DeltaWasp, etc.
Polar 3D Printers
• Polar 3D printers are not popularly used
but still, they offer quite an interesting
design. In a Polar 3D printer, the position
of a point is defined only by two numbers
i.e., an angle in 3D space and the
separation distance (or radius) from a pre-
defined centre. As a result, they use a
circular grid instead of a square in a
Cartesian 3D printer.
• The build platform of a Polar 3D printer
can move left to right – back and forth
and can also rotate while the arm
(printhead) only moves in the Z-direction.
This way, much larger objects can be
made in a smaller space.
• Polar 3D printers have applications in
building tall products like columns in
architecture models, etc.
SCARA(Robotic) 3D Printers
-Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm
• SCARA or Selective Compliance
Assembly Robot Arm is a popular
coordinate system employed in
industrial robots. A SCARA 3D printer
resembles the industrial robots and
offers greater freedom and flexibility
when printing as it is not limited to a
build platform and can move in all
possible directions making it easier to
print geometrically complex parts.
Scara 3D printers move in the most
similar way to human hands and print
faster than Cartesian printers.
• Currently, they have applications in
the construction of structures like
bridges, buildings, and even large
scale industrial projects.
What is 3D Filament?
Below are the 3D Printer Filament Types that we are going to cover in this
blog.
• ABS Filament • Metal Filament
• PLA Filament • HIPS Filament
• PET Filament • Magnetic Iron Filament
• PETT Filament • Conductive Filament
• Nylon Filament • Carbon Fiber Filament
• PVA Filament • TPE Filament
• Sandstone Filament • Glow in the Dark Filament
• Wood Filament • Amphora Filament
1. ABS 3D Filament
• ABS is popular for it’s toughness and impact-resistant properties. This strength and moderate flexibility that makes
it such a great choice for printing in 3D.
• ABS 3D filament
3D PRINTED
FINAL PRODUCT