One of the first projects with which I was involved when I moved to Michigan in the early 70s was a water recycling system for the home. (Don’t worry- this had relevance to 3D printing, I promise!) We added a very powerful ultraviolet light (UV) light to disinfect the water. From that UV technology, the ability to “cure” ink on silver aluminum cans was derived. Which greatly increased the demand for – and technology around- UV curing.
Continue reading 3D Update, Part 4
Rapid prototyping. Additive manufacturing. 3D printers do that. (Remember, a 3D printer “prints” three-dimensional objects by producing layer by layer the object desired- with light-activated or heat activated raw materials.) And, I’ve written about them for a while now. When I first began using them, their prices were sky high. And, like laser printers that have dropped in price from $2K to under $ 200, 3D printers can now be bought or made for $ 400 to $ 1200. (Note that 3D printers more closely resemble inkjet printers.) And, the size of some of them are pretty compact, sitting on a desk. Of course, the parts these smaller units made are limited in size (kind of toy-like), but…
Continue reading 3D printing. Coming to a corner near you?
I haven’t kept you up to date on the new things going on with 3D printing- you know, where you can “print” a real object. Sometimes called rapid prototyping, sometimes called additive layer manufacturing, these “printers” can use cells (as in living things), plastics, or other materials to construct the desired shapes or objects. The objects are “built up” by printing very thin layers repetitively- of the same material or different materials (to yield flexibility, strength, implantation, etc.) until the desired thickness is achieved.
Continue reading From flight to flights of fancy…
3D printing has intrigued me since it was first discussed. And, last year, this area really seemed to explode. (Materialise discussed a slew of innovations that were achieved.) My primary interests have been in rapid prototyping and medical innovations, but many of the other areas are really interesting, too.
Continue reading 3D Printing Goes Gargantuan (in scale)