As a student or professional who is working on various projects, manufacturing methods for making your prototypes has come a long way. Additive manufacturing or commonly known as 3D printing is a new way of making your project prototypes. These parts are used for IoT projects, Robotics projects, spare parts, replacement parts, etc.
In the 3D printing process, the object is cut into multiple layers or slices which are used by the 3D printing machine to make objects. These 3D printed parts are post processed to make the final part. In many cases the 3D printed part is used for direct application.
Now, we will discuss 3 most commonly used 3D printing technologies which are easily
available to you,
1. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)- Fused Deposition Modelling or Fused Filament
Fabrication is the cheapest and most easily available 3D printing method among 3D
printing processes for your projects and prototypes. FDM uses filaments which are
wires of plastic polymers. Polymers also known commonly as plastics are used to make
the parts. Commonly used 3D printable plastics are PLA (Poly Lactic Acid), PETG
(Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), flexible polymer TPU (Thermoplastic
Polyurethane) and many more.
2. Masked Stereolithography Apparatus (MSLA)- Masked Stereolithography
commonly known as MSLA is a method of 3D printing where the material used is
Photosensitive Resin. Resin is any liquid which through a chemical process can be
converted to hard solid. This resin is hardened with UV (Ultra Violet) light . This process
of hardening the resin with UV is also known as curing. This process gives glass-like
finish to objects and is a good choice for idols and miniatures.
3. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) - Selective Laser Sintering as the name suggests involves a laser which sinters the required area of plastic to form the object layer. Sinter refers to heating a material to the point where the particles bind together without forming a liquid. Here the polymer is used in powder form. The sintering process gives goods trength and finish to the parts. This 3D printing method uses no support structures hence also known as supportless printing.
3D printing technologies such as FDM, MSLA, and SLS offer versatile solutions from rapid prototyping to intricate miniatures and robust functional parts. Tailored capabilities meet specific project demands, fostering efficiency and creativity in manufacturing and innovation, ensuring precise alignment with diverse product development needs.
Comments