3D printing or Additive manufacturing is a process of
making a three-dimensional solid object of any shape from a digital model. It is done using additive process, where
successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes. The primary
advantage of this technique is its ability to create almost any shape or
geometric feature. Today there has been a large growth in the sales of these
machines, and their price has dropped substantially.
The technology is used in the fields of jewelry, footwear,
industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive,
dental and medical industries, geographic information systems, civil
engineering and many others.
To perform a print, the machine reads the design from a .stl
file and lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, paper or sheet material
to build the model from a series of cross sections. These layers which
correspond to the virtual cross sections from the CAD (computer aided design) model
are joined to create the final shape.
Recently researchers from North Carolina State University
have developed a new technique that can be used to print metal in 3D. One of the
world's first 3D printing shops opened in London. Customers would soon be able
to walk into a shop and have their own jewelry, artworks or machine parts
printed.
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