Wednesday, 27 June 2012

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The Possibilities Are Endless With 3D Printers

By Bernard Miner


In times past, taking your product idea and making it a workable model could be a money and time-intensive business. You had to outsource to outside manufacturers to create the physical realization of a pipe dream on paper. This had to be done before even thinking about approaching investors, doing market research with customers and enlisting distributors. Nowadays, with 3D printers, the process is affordable in house and can be ever so much quicker.

This is a young technology, only really born in the 1980s. But over the last decade 3D printing has become far more widely available and the prices have come down through competition and increased sales. The printing machines have become smaller and desktop models are now available. This brings this incredible technology within reach of even smaller companies.

3D printing, to explain it in simple terms, produces 3D models from computer software. It doesn't use print, text, paper and images but a whole range of materials that build up a physical model you can handle. From CAD or Computer-Aided Design software or programs that render animation models, these path-breaking machines reproduce a physical model of what is seen on screen. Layer after layer of the cross section is built, to create very true-to-plan models of the virtual blueprint, whether you want it solid or in rubber form.

Using industrial sized or printers on the desktop, depending on your organization's size and budget, accurate renditions of a concept can be manufactured as three-dimensional prototypes. This proves invaluable to engineers, inventors, students, designers and entrepreneurs. Companies offering this technology will soon become number one competitors in the business market.

As with many technologies, the machines have come down in size - and so have the prices. So even a university department or small to medium-sized enterprise should be able to afford to bring this incredible technology into their buildings, rather than relying on expensive outsourcing. Companies like Objet have brought the know-how bang up to date in recent years.

3D printing has to go hand in hand with the software that designs the product on the computer initially. Find a supplier therefore who is informed, who can supply you with a harmonious package: both CAD software and a printer that works with it to render the most accurate of models. There are reputable companies who will provide advice both before and after sales.

Designers of everything from cars to watches and jewelry, plus many other professionals can make use of 3D printers in their organization to provide a positive boon. You, like them, can employ rapid prototype generation to visions to life quickly and at a reasonable cost. This advanced technology will change the way you see things.




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