Synopses & Reviews
Learn to:- Use 3D printing software, hardware, and tools
- Work with the different types of 3D printing processes and services
- Follow best practices for 3D printing
- Create your own RepRap 3D printer
3D printing power to the people! Bring your designs to life with this For Dummies guide
Straight from science fiction to your living room! 3D printing is here, and this friendly guide cuts through the technical jargon to show you how 3D printing works, what it can (and can't) do, some great resources, how 3D printing can be used in business, and cool things you can make yourself, even your own RepRap 3D printer!
- Amazing advantages — learn about the efficiencies of scale, personalization options, and green aspects of additive manufacturing
- It's been done — see how 3D printers are already producing prototypes of medical implants, personalized prosthetics, jewelry, and furniture
- The right tool for the job — find out what types of printers are needed for different materials
- What's online — discover sites where you can acquire open source tools for 3D object models
- It's just business — look at the industries being created by the advances in 3D printing, and some that will have to adapt
- Check 'em out — review various consumer-level 3D printers
- Rappin' about RepRap — get a list of components, materials, and software you need to build your own RepRap printer, with step-by-step instructions
Open the book and find:
- Opportunities that 3D printing presents
- A comparison of traditional and additive manufacturing
- The different types of 3D printing
- A few limitations of current technology
- What 3D printing can mean to medicine
- Materials used in rapid prototyping
- Sources for CAD software and 3D scanners
- Some ethical issues about 3D printing
Synopsis
Within a short period of time, 3D printers will print artificial organs, foods and candies, clothing, medical implants, replacement parts for older technologies, and even entire buildings! People who create prototypes with 3D printers today can upload their designs via the web to manufacturing facilities that fashion the designs from plastic, ceramic, stainless steel, gold, silver and many other materials before returning the finished products in a matter of days. Recent versions of 3D Printers have the ability to create objects using multiple materials and in full color, offering a truly transformative opportunity to render any object in 3D solid form - suited to individual taste and adjustable at will – truly the next industrial revolution!
3D Printers For Dummies examines each type of 3D printing technology available today: stereolithography, selective sintering, fused deposition, and granular binding. Readers discover methods for the creation of 3D printable objects using software, 3D scanners including the Microsoft Kinect game controller, and even photographs through open source photogrammatographic software applications like 123D Catch. The book then covers the potential for transformation of production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls and the commoditization of traditional products from magazines to material goods. Coverage includes available 3D production services and their use for personal low-quantity manufacturing and on-demand sales of creative designs.
The final part of the book focuses on self-replicating 3D printers and walks the reader through the process of creating a RepRap printer using open-source designs, software, and hardware. The last chapter in this part addresses limitations of current 3D printing technologies and strategies for improved success in personal rapid manufacturing using the home-built printer.
Synopsis
Get started printing out 3D objects quickly and inexpensively!3D printing is no longer just a figment of your imagination. This remarkable technology is coming to the masses with the growing availability of 3D printers. 3D printers create 3-dimensional layered models and they allow users to create prototypes that use multiple materials and colors. This friendly-but-straightforward guide examines each type of 3D printing technology available today and gives artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and hobbyists insight into the amazing things 3D printing has to offer. You’ll discover methods for the creation of 3D printable objects using software, 3D scanners, and even photographs with the help of this timely For Dummies guide.
- Includes information on stereolithography, selective sintering, fused deposition, and granular binding techniques
- Covers the potential for the transformation of production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls, and the commoditization of traditional products from magazines to material goods
- Walks you through the process of creating a RepRap printer using open-source designs, software, and hardware
- Addresses the limitations of current 3D printing technologies and provides strategies for improved success
3D Printing For Dummies is the must-have guide to make manufacturing your own dynamic designs a dream come true!
About the Author
Kalani Kirk Hausman has spent more than 20 years as an IT consultant, enterprise architect, auditor, and ISO. He currently conducts research on integrating 3D printed materials into educational curricula at Texas A&M University.
Richard Horne (RichRap) has two decades of experience in the electronics industry as an engineer, marketer, and product designer. In his work with the RepRap project, he blogs and shares ideas to make 3D printing easier for everyone to understand.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1Part I: Getting Started with 3D Printing 7
Chapter 1: Seeing How 3D Printers Fit into Modern Manufacturing 9
Chapter 2: Exploring the Types of 3D Printing 23
Chapter 3: Exploring Applications of 3D Printing 41
Part II: Outlining 3D Printing Resources 61
Chapter 4: Identifying Available Materials for 3D Printing 63
Chapter 5: Identifying Sources for 3D-Printable Objects 81
Part III: Exploring the Business Side of 3D Printing 99
Chapter 6: Commoditizing 3D Printing 101
Chapter 7: Understanding 3D Printing’s Effect on Traditional Lines of Business 117
Chapter 8: Reviewing 3D Printing Research 131
Part IV: Employing Personal 3D Printing Devices 143
Chapter 9: Exploring 3D-Printed Artwork 145
Chapter 10: Considering Consumer-Level 3D Printers 157
Chapter 11: Deciding on a RepRap of Your Own 169
Part V: Creating a RepRap 3D Printer 199
Chapter 12: Assembling Structural Elements 201
Chapter 13: Understanding RepRap Control Electronics 231
Chapter 14: Assembling the RepRap Extruder and RepRap Upgrades 265
Chapter 15: Identifying Software and Calibrating Your 3D Printer 295
Part VI: The Part of Tens 331
Chapter 16: Ten Ways That Rapid Prototyping Will Disrupt Traditional Manufacturing 333
Chapter 17: Ten Examples of Direct-Digital Manufacturing and Personalization 339
Chapter 18: Ten Impossible Designs Created Using Additive Manufacturing 345
Index 349