Chautauqua – 3D printing is something that caught my interest several years back, the first time I saw a demonstration on a science program. Back then they were still calling it rapid prototyping, but by any name it is quite impressive. The ability to push a button and have a useful item appear is very appealing to a lot of us, perhaps owing to the replicator aboard vessels in Star Trek. It wouldn’t be the first time that life imitated art.
In basic terms 3D printers are simple robots that create exacting designs using liquefied plastic filament extruded thru a moving nozzle. Printing times vary greatly depending upon size and resolution of detail. Very large detailed projects can take up to 24 hours or more to print, while less sophisticated items can easily be printed in just a couple hours or so, depending.
As impressive as 3D printing is, it is by no means as simple as pushing a button; that’s just a step in the process. A process that involves many technical and specific steps; with a strong attention to detail. Success is measured in micro millimeters!
If you’re thinking about getting a 3D printer, the first decision is, which one? Currently there’s quite a wide variety of 3D printers available in the consumer marketplace; ranging in price from just a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Most of the industry leading printers are in the $1200 to $4000 dollar range. The more budget friendly printers are generally small desktop models, with a small build surface; which is just fine for small projects. The mid to upper range printers are larger, with correspondingly large build surfaces to accommodate bigger builds.