3D Printer Portotype

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine.3D printing enables you to produce complex (functional) shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.

The 3D printing industry encompasses many forms of technologies and materials. When most people think of 3D printing they are thinking of a simple desktop FDM printer but that’s not the entire picture. 3D printing can be divided into metal, fabrics, bio and a whole host of other industries. For this reason, it’s important to see it as a cluster of diverse industries with a myriad of different applications.

In the first half of 2017, Sculpteo’s state of 3D printing reported its uses in industrial sectors as:

• Consumer Goods (17%)
• Industrial Goods (17%)
• High Tech (13%)
• Services (9%)
• Healthcare sectors (7%)

In the third quarter of 2017, Materialise reported increased revenues for their software, medical and manufacturing divisions. The revenue amounted to a $6 million increase in total when compared to the previous year. This is indicative of those very same increasing applications within the industry as the field grows larger.

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