3D printing is the process of making a three-dimensional figure from a single digital file. This can also be called Additive Manufacturing. The making of the object is attained using additive processes. In an additive process layer after layer of material is added until the project is completed.
Certain 3D printers have certain methods for printing. One of the most common methods is the Selective laser sintering method (SLS). This method uses a high powered laser to join particles of plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass powders to make one the thing that was created. The laser selectively blends the powders by scanning the layers from the virtual design. The 3D printer keeps printing the layers until the item is finished.
How do I make something from a 3D printer? Well, you first would need to start with a design, you won't go anywhere without a design. It's like a regular printer, you need to have something (like an essay for example) to print out, or you would just be printing a blank page. Hopefully you've read up on CAD (Computer Aided Design) by now because making your design has to do a lot with this. Your design has to be digital, it can't be on like a piece of paper or something. You need to get on a 3D modeling software to make your virtual design, there are currently 69 commercially available programs. Then you need to make a CAD file and design your item. Then you print it, the time of the print varies, bigger objects get more time, smaller ones get produced in a shorter amount of time.
With every good thing there is usually something bad that comes with it, this is no different. There are cons for 3D printers, but there are a lot more pros.
You don't have to hand - make objects, you can print them You can get your final product in a fairly quick amount of time The speed for manufacturing a lot of products is fast A lot of useful things can be made, especially in the field of health and medicine. One of those useful things are working organs. More engineering jobs - There is an increasing demand for people who can make 3D printers and improve them.
There are fewer manufacturing jobs because the 3D printers can easily perform the task, for a lower price. This will affect countries like China, who do a lot of manufacturing and exporting. -There also aren't many materials for 3D printers to use at the moment. There will be more materials in the future for certain, but as of right now they are very limited. - Currently 3D printers aren't very big, so you can't create huge things, like houses for example. This will be possible in the future, but it isn't right now.