3D Printing Genius Teams up again with WOESOUNDS to create a cool 3D printing playlist, we know we missed you last week so we added a co...
You bought a 3D printer, you want to make a 3D printed shoe, but
you ask yourself what type of materials I
should use to ensure my shoes are durable.
No problem, I will break it down for you.
There are mainly four type of plastics used for home 3D printers
ABS, PLA, and PVA.
ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic
is the same plastic that Legos are created from which means ABS are a bit
strong, resistance to chemicals, heat and impact. ABS is also used to create
luggage, camera bodies and battery cases; most importantly, ABS is affordable.
The Cons of ABS:
It is a petroleum-based non-biodegradable plastic, but it can be
recycled.
Creates mild fumes which may irritate sensitive people
Can deteriorate by prolonged exposure to sunlight
Note: since ABS attracts moisture, ensure that it’s stored in an
airtight container.
PLA (Polylactic acid or polylactide) is
a biodegradable thermoplastic which is created from renewable resources, such
as cornstarch, sugar cane, tapioca roots or potato starch. These ingredients
gives PLA a candy smell when it melts and makes it the most environmentally
friendly solution for 3D printing.
PLA is used in surgical implants, food packaging, bags, disposable
tableware, upholstery, disposable garments, hygiene products and even diapers.
PLA is therefore considered as pretty safe and these characteristics has made
it popular in the printing community.
Cons for PLA:
PLA is tough, but becomes brittle once it cools down.
PLA is slow to cool
It cannot stand too much heat and becomes soft around 50°C.
As with ABS, PLA does also attract water molecules from the air
and it will become (more) brittle and sometimes difficult to print with, ensure
that it is stored properly in an airtight container.
PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) is a special plastic
that is water-soluble. It’s mainly used as paper adhesive, in packaging film,
in feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products, or in children’s play
putty or slime.
Cons for PVA:
The finished object can be put into water until the PVA has
completely dissolved…not what you want
Ambient air moisture will deteriorate the filament very quickly.
High priced
Once you have chosen the appropriate material, you should check
whether the filament diameter is compatible with your printer before
ordering. The two standard diameter sizes for filament are 1.75mm or 3mm.
Hopefully this post was helpful in educating you on the different
plastics used in a 3D printer. Depending on your project ABS, PLA, and PVA are
the main plastic materials you will encounter during your 3D printing creation
process.
You bought a 3D printer, you want to make a 3D printed shoe, but you ask yourself what type of materials I should use to ensure my shoes a...
Want to
buy a 3D printer…Yes?
Ok, which
one?
There are
thousands of 3D printers available for sale, but which ones are rated with top
customer reviews? 3D hubs thankfully created a 2015 Best 3D print buying
guide which was based on 2279 reviews of 300,000+ 3D printers.
I will
just break down the top three. Here is a list of the top 3 best rated 3D-printers
The
rating of each 3D printer included an overview of rint quality, ease-of-use,
build quality, reliability, failure rate, noise level, customer service support,
community, running expenses, openness, software and value.
Makergear M2
The
Makergear M2 is a well-designed, reliable 3D printer and a top pick for
fanatics.
This
machine comes equipped with a heated platform which uses ABS (Acrylonitrile
Butadiene Styrene plastic filament) or PLA (Polylactic Acid plastic
filament, smells like candy when you print) to build objects with a maximum
dimension of 203 x 254 x 203 mm. The 3D printer comes in either kit form
or assembled. Users can also customize the machine with on board controls and
interchangeable nozzles. Makergear recommends the use of Simplify3D software,
but is flexible to allow users to choose their own software. With plentiful
online tutorials and an active online community rates Makergear as one of the
top 3 manufacturers in customer support.
The
downsides? Makergear uses 3D printed parts which have been known to cause minor
issues….oops, even so this high rated 3D printer basic kit starts at $1475.
Zortrax M200
Zortrax’s
M200 is among the top choices for easy to use “plug n play” and reliability.
The M200’s owners reported the fewest failed prints, with more than 96% of M200
owners recommending their printer. Even so when problems do arise, their online
community usually has a quick fix.
The M200
only prints with ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene plastic filament), and
has a 200 x 200 x 185 build platform which is perforated to ease the material’s
tendency to warp. The printer comes assembled with a full range of accessories
for just under $2000.
Printrbot Simple Metal
Printbot
Simple Metal is 3D printing without breaking the bank!
The new
Simple Metal is the upgraded version of the entry level Printrbot Simple and
comes with a powder-coated steel frame and an aluminum extruder (where the
cooking process takes place). It features an auto-leveling probe that largely
simplifies Z-axis calibration. The maximum build volume is 150mm x 150mm x
150mm. The standard version prints only with PLA (Polylactic Acid plastic
filament, smells like candy when you print), but is upgradeable with a Mic 6
Aluminum, which works well for ABS too.
The
Simple Metal is also open source and the most upgradeable 3D printer on the
market. Users can choose from wide array of add-ons and open source software.
The
downside? The Metal Simple is not the easiest printer to use and not the most
reliable. Initial setup and calibration takes a few hours and several users
experienced minor issues, including nozzle jams and feeder issues.
For
newcomers and students it's a great platform to start learning the different
aspects of 3D printing. For a mere $599, the Simple Metal offers a great pack
of features.
This is my small take on the top 3 best rated 3D-printers
that you can buy, do more search, read more reviews, check them out, go to info
sessions to ensure you purchase the correct printer for your needs!
Want to buy a 3D printer…Yes? Ok, which one? There are thousands of 3D printers available for sale, but which ones are rated w...
3D Printing Genius Teamed up with WOESOUNDS to create our next 3D "Smooth" Printing playlist, "Automatic Printing 0.2". The playlist mainly features artist from Canada such as Lyer from Bedroomer, Neon Dreams and DVBBS.
Start the 3D Printer and listen to these tunes
3D Printing Genius Teamed up with WOESOUNDS to create our next 3D "Smooth" Printing playlist, " Automatic Printing 0.2...
You have
googled it, asked around and even tried to calculate results in your head, how
can small businesses make money in the 3D
printing industry?
There are
many ways to make money 3D printing if you are a small business.
1. Create products with your 3D
printer
Before you start printing any and everything search for niche
markets within the 3D printing industry that are in demand. Search on google or
use google keyword planner to refine your search, search 3D printing forums,
Etsy etc.
Once you have found a market that’s in demand, setup shop and sell
on platforms such as Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Shapeways, or create your own
website. If you’re a jewelry designer, customers will search for your products
on a jewelry marketplace. If you want to sell Toys, then you need to find
a platform where Toys are sold.
2. Create products for others
using your 3D printer
There are a lot of designers, but a limited amount of 3D printer
owners and businesses. Earn income by allowing other designers to use your 3D printer. The best part about this idea is that there are many networks
that can connect you to designer. Check out 3D printing networks such as
3D Hubs has over 10,000 different 3D printers available
in more than 80 countries and it’s a great place to share your 3D printer.
Through 3D Hubs you will have direct communication with the 3D designer, choose
between meeting face to face or virtually and choose wither the final product
can be picked up or sent by mail. 3D Hubs takes 15% commission, which is
added to the price you charge so you don’t lose money.
MakeXYZ allows
designers to find a local 3D printer and calculate pricing based on the volume,
this doesn’t include materials, machine time or set up fees. MakeXYZ takes 15%
commission, which is added to the price you charge so you don’t lose money.
This sounds great right? But what If you don’t own a printer,
how else can a small
business make money in the 3D printing industry? Lend you design expertise and
be a 3D print designer
2. Design
products for others using your expertise and offer multiple materials
Shapeways
Shapeways is a New York City based premier
online 3D printing service. The company offers a selection of 22 materials
ranging from plastics ceramics to gold and platinum, in addition to expertise to help you in the
design and creation of your product.
Shapeways customer service for technical issues is responsive
which makes the printing process easy.
i.Materialise
i.Materialise is a Belgian based 3D
printing service that offers a selection of over 17 materials including
precious metals and ceramics, over 20 years of experience and is seen as a
high-quality 3D printing option ($$$ high priced). They offer over 70
combinations of materials and finishes for both individual and personal
applications and easy options to uploading and adjusting your model.
Sculpteo
Sculpteo is a France based 3D
printing service that serves makers in both North America and Europe. The
service is fast, affordable and high quality with a wide selection of materials
offered. The services includes a 3D Printing Cloud Engine that lets you produce
short series from 1 to 500 objects of everyday life products in less than a
week. They also offer a Rapid Prototyping services that allow you to
print a prototype in 3 days.
Ponoko
Ponoko is a New Zealand based 3D
printing service that offers laser-cutting, 3D printing and CNC cutting. With
Ponoko makers also has access to fabrication machines all over the world which
can help markers complete any type of project. Makers has a choice of selling
their products either via the Ponoko site, or their own retail outlets.
There are many ways to make money to make in 3D printing industry
as a small entrepreneur, look for next week's post for finding specialize
printing jobs.
You have googled it, asked around and even tried to calculate results in your head, how can small businesses make money in the 3D pr...
3D Printing Genius Teamed up with WOESOUNDS to create our first 3D "Smooth" Printing playlist, "Automatic Printing 0.1". The playlist mainly features artist from Canada such as ONY, Noahplause and McCallaman with some international artist as GoldLink.
Start the 3D Printer and listen to these tunes
3D Printing Genius Teamed up with WOESOUNDS to create our first 3D "Smooth" Printing playlist, " Automatic Printing 0....
How does 3D printing work? Well it
is not as complicated as you think. 3D printing also called additive
manufacturing involves creating a solid object by layering it with thin slices
of material, plastic or metal.
1. You create a 3D image of an item
you want to print using CAD software program
2. The CAD program then converts
the drawing into a STL file (Standard Tessellantion Language)
3. The file is then copied to the
computer that controls the 3D printer
4. Once the machine is setup the
building process is automatic, all you have to do is watch the printer work.
That is just a quick take on how 3D
printing works; however, there are 6 different 3D printing technologies
Stereolithography (SLA) is a 3D printing method which is explained
above. The printer requires computer aid design (CAD) file to process the
object. The whole process consists of consequent printing of layer by layer.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, is used to print prototype
and final end use products. Pieces printed using this technology has a
good quality that allows companies such as BMW or Hyundai to use printed pieces
for testing of prototypes.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a technique that uses laser as a power source
to form solid 3D objects using powdered material to construct its objects
Selective Laser Melting (SLM) uses a high-powered laser beam that fuses and
melts metallic powders such as steel, titanium, cobalt chrome and aluminum.
Selective Laser Melting is mainly used in the aerospace and medical
orthopedics industry
Electronic Beam Melting (EBM) is
another type of additive manufacturing for metal parts, the main difference
between SLM and EBM, is EBM uses an electron beam.
Laminated object manufacturing
(LOM) is a rapid
prototyping system that fuses layers of adhesive-coated paper, plastic or metal
together using heat and pressure. Then the printer cut "to shape"
with a computer controlled laser or knife. The LOM method is seen as faster and
more affordable.
With most of the important
technical items addressed, "how 3D printing works", the next post
will be about how to profit from the 3D printing industry, how can you save
money and can 3D printing benefit your business?
How does 3D printing work? Well it is not as complicated as you think. 3D printing also called additive manufacturing involves creat...
