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The question that is so basic many people are afraid to ask. What is a 3D Printer? Well, there is no shame here, this is the internet for pete’s sake 🙂

A 3D printer is simply a machine that creates 3D objects. There are a couple of ways that this can be done, but I will focus on the kind that is available to most consumers and schools: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).

These machines melt a strand of plastic “filament” and push it through a nozzle which is attached to a system that moves it around in a path. This path traces out and fills in each layer of the model. After one layer is complete, the printer moves the build platform down so that the next layer can be laid on top of it. Slowly but surely, the model is built from the ground up. This is known as “additive manufacturing.”

Additive manufacturing, or AM, differs from more traditional, subtractive manufacturing methods where a large piece of material is whittled down to create the final product. An example of “subtractive manufacturing” that you are probably familiar with is using a cookie cutter on a flat piece of dough. Putting frosting to them after you’re done baking them, however, is an additive process 🙂

I’ve included a video of a 3D printer up close and personal, doing what it does best:

For those of you wondering, the printer in the video is called the Tinkerine Ditto Pro. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to leave a comment!

Before…

and after!

and, as promised, in action!

3D Printed Wrench on the ISS

3D printing has been popping up in major media outlets with increasing frequency, and the latest story to make the rounds carries the headline “Nasa just emailed a wrench to space.” Although I think it’s a bit sensationalist and misleading, it still serves as an excellent demonstration of the potential uses 3D printing could see in the future. Congratulations to the Made In Space team and everyone involved in the Zero-G printer project.

Edited to add link to the stl file below:

NASA_wrench

A couple holiday prints….

Timelapse of another jet engine component. Very excited to see how this all comes together!

This is the first piece of the Jet Engine Model by GE, printed at 140 microns with Z-ABS. The quality is fantastic. Once all the pieces are printed I will upload the assembled model in action. The stl file is available here

I have attempted to compile the specs from all 3D printers that are available on the market today into a spreadsheet. Please bear in mind that these figures are taken from the manufacturer website, so your mileage may vary. I’ve included some conditional formatting to illustrate the relevant differences. Enjoy!

3DPBLv1.2C

Greetings! This site will be a repository for my research and musings on the wild world of 3D printing. I am extremely excited to be a part of this industry and hope that this blog is helpful!