Multidimensional

I despise printers. They’re finicky, they’re expensive to run, and they encourage wasteful behaviors such as printing documents which could more conveniently remain digital. There is a type of printer however which I do have a self-professed soft spot for. It allows you to print objects, shapes, artwork; almost anything providing it’s small enough for your machine to handle. 3D printers are much, much more interesting, as with a 3D printer we’re able to do more than simply make physical copies of things you’re going to email anyway. Now way beyond an expensive novelty, let’s look at how 3D printing can be useful as a mainstream technology for everyone.

While there are lots of different types of 3D printing, there are three types used most commonly. FDM, also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), is the most widely used 3D printing technology. It works by melting and extruding a plastic filament through a nozzle and depositing it layer by layer to create the final object. It’s relatively cheap from both a materials and equipment standpoint, as well as being fairly accessible and forgiving to learn. The most common plastic used in FDM printing is called PLA, which is non toxic and has a reasonably low melting point. This low melting point does make it unsuitable for many applications, but outside of that it’s quite a versatile material.

Meanwhile, stereolithography or SLA printing uses a liquid resin which is cured with a laser to create the object layer by layer. The resin is contained in a vat and a platform is lowered into the vat to begin the printing process. The resin in its uncured state is pretty nasty stuff, but these prints are highly accurate, durable and have a better resolution (think surface smoothness) than their FDM counterparts. There’s a little more work involved, as SLA prints typically must be cured and washed using special stations, but the payoff is the ability to print amazing models and strong, functional prototypes.

Less commonplace is SLS or selective laser sintering. SLS uses a laser to selectively melt and fuse together layers of powdered material, such as nylon or metal, to create the final object. As each layer is melted, a new layer of powder is added on top until the object is complete. SLS machines are prohibitively expensive for most of us, but the resulting parts are capable of being incredibly durable and comparable in quality to a conventional injection moulded part. The material cost is quite low considering how good the end product is, and this type of printing is often offered by dedicated manufacturing outfits for short-run, or bridge production.

Feeling inspired? Want to get started and try your hand at 3D printing? Thankfully, there are all kinds of resources available for those wishing to learn. A decent starter FDM printer and some filament to run through it doesn’t have to cost more than around $200. For just starting out, you don’t even really need to learn 3D modeling, with thousands of prints available online for free download. It’s tons of fun, genuinely useful when you need just the right-sized drawer caddy or phone holder, and a great skill which only sets to grow in scope as the technology improves and becomes more accessible.