3d Printing for Dummies

3D printing is one of the coolest inventions we've seen in our lifetime, and now you can join the ranks of businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists who use it to do everything from printing foods and candles to replacement parts for older technologies—and tons of mind-blowing stuff in between! With 3D Printing For Dummies at the helm, you'll find all the fast and easy-to-follow guidance you need to grasp the methods available to create 3D printable objects using software, 3D scanners, and even photographs through open source software applications like 123D Catch.

Thanks to the growing availability of 3D printers, this remarkable technology is coming to the masses, and there's no time like the present to let your imagination run wild and actually create whatever you dream up—quickly and inexpensively. When it comes to 3D printing, the sky's the limit!

• Covers each type of 3D printing technology available today: stereolithology, selective sintering, used deposition, and granular binding
• Provides information on the potential for the transformation of production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls, and the commoditization of products
• Walks you through the process of creating a RepRap printer using open source designs, software, and hardware
• Offers strategies for improved success in 3D printing

On your marks, get set, innovate!

Richard Horne (RichRap) has worked as an engineer, marketer, and product designer. He blogs and shares ideas on making 3D printing easier for everyone. Kalani Kirk Hausman has experience as an IT consultant, enterprise architect, auditor, and ISO. He conducts research on integrating 3D-printed materials into educational curricula.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with 3D Printing 5

Chapter 1: Seeing How 3D Printers Fit into Modern Manufacturing 7

Embracing Additive Manufacturing 8

Defining additive manufacturing 9

Contrasting with traditional manufacturing 10

Understanding the advantages of additive manufacturing 13

Exploring the Applications of 3D Printing 17

Working with RepRap 18

Chapter 2: Exploring the Types of 3D Printing 19

Exploring Basic Forms of Additive Manufacturing 19

Photopolymers 20

Granular powders 24

Laminates 27

Filament-based production 28

Understanding the Limitations of Current Technologies 29

Considering fabrication rates 29

Exploring size constraints 30

Identifying object design constraints 30

Understanding material restrictions 31

Chapter 3: Exploring Applications of 3D Printing 33

Looking at Current Uses of 3D Printing 34

Rapid prototyping 34

Direct digital fabrication 35

Restoration and repair 36

Designing for the Future with 3D Printing 39

Household goods 39

Buildings 40

Bridges 43

Examining Molding and Casting through 3D Printing 43

Lost-material casting 43

Sintered metal infusion 44

Applying Artistic Touches and Personalization 44

Medical implants 44

Biological implants (organs) 46

Item personalization 46

Clothing and textiles 46

Customizing Designs on the Fly 48

Military operations 48

Space 49

Part 2: Outlining 3D-Printing Resources 51

Chapter 4: Identifying Available Materials for 3D Printing 53

Exploring Extruded Materials 54

Thermoplastics 55

Experimental materials 59

Extruded alternatives 59

Identifying Granular Materials 61

Plastic powders 61

Sugar and salt 61

Metal powders 62

Sand and natural granular materials 63

Exploring Photo-Cured Resins 64

Understanding Bioprinting 65

Bioprinting food and animal products 66

Replacement tissues and organs 67

Identifying Other Uses for Materials 67

Recycling materials 68

Producing food 68

Caring for people 69

Chapter 5: Identifying Sources for 3D-Printable Objects 71

Exploring Object Repositories 72

Vendor repositories 72

Community repositories 74

Designing in the Computer 75

Scanning Objects 78

Capturing Structure from Photographs 82

Preparing Models for Printing 85

3D model viewers 86

Mesh modelers 86

Mesh repairers 86

Part 3: Exploring the Business Side of 3D Printing 87

Chapter 6: Commoditizing 3D Printing 89

Democratizing Manufacturing 89

Derived designs 90

Curated artifacts 90

Expanded opportunities 91

Establishing Personal Storefronts 94

Creating a unique design 94

Fabricating a unique product on demand 96

Creating “Impossible” Objects 98

Building New Tools 99

Moving beyond solid blocks 99

Creating the tool that will create the tool 100

Chapter 7: Understanding 3D Printing’s Effect on Traditional Lines of Business 103

Transforming Production 103

Displacing the production line 104

Abbreviating the manufacturing chain 105

Providing local fabrication 106

Eliminating traditional release cycles 107

Challenging Intellectual Property Laws 107

Threatening IP protections 108

Assigning legal liability 110

Leveraging Expired Patents 110

Working around patents 111

Protecting intellectual property rights 112

Imposing Ethical Controls 113

Chapter 8: Reviewing 3D-Printing Research 115

Building Fundamental Technologies 115

Crafting educational tools 116

Expanding 3D-printing options 118

Creating 3D-printed electronics 119

Creating Functional Designs 119

Drones, robots, and military applications 120

Von Neumann machines 121

Expanding Material Selection 122

Supporting Long Space Voyages 123

Creating Medical Opportunities 125

Part 4: Employing Personal 3D-Printing Devices 127

Chapter 9: Exploring 3D-Printed Artwork 129

Adorning the Body 129

Personalizing Your Environment 131

Incorporating Individualism in Design 132

Visualizing the Abstract 134

Sharing Art 136

Chapter 10: Considering Consumer-Level 3D Printers 139

Examining Cartesian 3D Printers 140

Exploring Delta Options 143

Understanding Polar Fabrication 146

Getting to Know SCARA and Robot Arm Motion 147

Building Emerging Alternatives 148

Open innovation and community designs 151

Examining Printers for Flexible Materials 152

Understanding Shore ratings 152

Printing with soft filaments 153

Sampling 3D Food Printers 154

Going beyond RepRap 159

Prusa i3 MK2 159

Sigma 160

Printrbot Simple Metal 161

LulzBot Taz 6 161

Ultimaker 3 162

MakerBot 163

Chapter 11: Deciding on a RepRap of Your Own 165

Evaluating Your 3D Printing Needs 166

Do you want a RepRap or another 3D printer? 166

Do you buy a ready-built 3D printer or use a kit? 167

Licensing and Attribution 168

Selecting a 3D Printer Design 171

RepRap designs 171

Home 3D printer kits and self-sourcing 176

Experimental designs 179

Choosing Print Media 181

Thermoplastic 181

PLA/PHA plastic 183

ABS 185

PET 185

Composite or filled materials 186

Paste 187

Identifying Components 189

Structural framework 189

Extruder 189

Build plate 193

Control electronics 194

Software 195

Simplify3D 197

Part 5: Creating a RepRap 3D Printer 201

Chapter 12: Assembling Structural Elements 203

Locating Materials 203

Kits 204

Self-sourcing 206

Printing your own 207

Ask the community 207

Online marketplaces 207

Obtaining Printed Parts for Machine Assembly 208

Understanding the Machine Motion 209

Z-axis motion 210

X and Y motion 212

Building the Frame Structure 214

Assembling the Prusa i3 Y-Axis Frame 219

Assembling the Moving Axis 220

Assembling the Prusa i3 moving Y axis 223

Assembling the Prusa i3 moving Z and X axes 224

Joining the Z, X, and Y axes 227

Sensing the Home Position 228

Chapter 13: Understanding RepRap Control Electronics 231

Understanding RepRap Electronics 231

RAMPS 232

RAMBo 232

Sanguinololu 234

Minitronics 234

RUMBA 235

Elefu-RA V3 235

Megatronics 236

Adding Electronics to Your RepRap 3D Printer 238

Preparing for electronics assembly 238

Fitting the positional sensors to the frame 239

Fitting the heated bed to the Y carriage 241

Preparing and fitting the main electronics 242

Preparing and connecting the power supply 243

Connecting the motor and position-sensing wiring 244

Adding Modular Components, Sensors, and Motors 246

Printing without a computer 246

Installing stepper-motor driver modules 246

Selecting position-sensing modules 249

Identifying power-supply requirements 250

Installing add-ons 253

Connecting RepRap Wiring 255

Configuring Firmware 256

Configuring Prusa i3 firmware 258

Uploading Marlin firmware to RAMPS electronics 263

Chapter 14: Assembling the RepRap Extruder 265

Thermoplastic Extrusion 265

Filament drive mechanism 266

Idler wheel 270

Prusa i3 Extruder and Hot-End Assembly 273

Fitting the filament drive to the motor shaft 273

Assembling the extruder idler pressure bearing 273

Fitting the J-head hot-end 274

Fitting the assembled extruder to the X carriage 274

Wiring the extruder to RAMPS 275

Multicolor Print Methods 279

Toothpaste effect 280

Three-way color mixing 280

Two-color printing 281

Layer-selective color printing 282

Cut-and-follow-on printing 283

Extruder Operation and Upgrades 286

Fixing a blocked hot-end or extruder 288

Acquiring an assortment of extruders 289

Cooling extruders with fans 291

Chapter 15: Identifying Software and Calibrating Your 3D Printer 295

Finding 3D Design Software and Models 295

Using design software 301

Verifying models with Netfabb 303

Working with Slic3r 305

Configuring Slic3r 305

Processing models with Slic3r 308

Calibrating Your 3D Printer 315

Leveling your print bed 316

Tuning your hot-end temperature control 318

Calibrating extruder distance 318

Printing Objects 322

Printing vases, pots, and cups 326

Printing large single-piece objects 328

Printing tiny or highly detailed objects 328

Printing many objects at the same time 329

Improving print quality 330

Chapter 16: Refining the Design and 3D-Printing Process 331

Being Productive with 3D Printing 331

Refining Your Print Preparations 333

Examining a Design Example 336

Designing Parts for 3D Printing 340

Material 341

Orientation 342

Layer height 344

Nozzle size and perimeter outlines 344

Infill level 344

Postprocessing, Recycling, and Finishing an Object 346

Manual finishing 346

Assisted finishing 347

Coatings 348

Printing Big: Bonding and Joining Parts 349

Recycling 351

Using a Web-Based 3D-Printing Interface 354

OctoPrint 354

Duet 354

Part 6: The Part of Tens 355

Chapter 17: Ten Examples of Direct Digital Manufacturing and Personalization 357

Producing 3D-Printed Food 357

Printing Tissues and Organs 358

Fashioning Biological Replicas 358

Crafting Clothing and Footwear 359

Customizing Jewelry 360

Making Hollywood Spectacular 360

Creating Structures 361

Reaching beyond the Sky 361

Constructing Robots 362

Printing 3D Printers 363

Chapter 18: Ten Impossible Designs Created Using Additive Manufacturing 365

Personalized Objects 365

Medical Implants 367

Dental Repair 367

Self-Deploying Robots 368

Printed Drones and Aircraft Parts 368

On-Demand, On-Site Manufacturing 369

Custom Objects Created in Space 369

Art on Demand 370

Locally Fabricated Items 370

Body Parts 371

Index 373

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