What is a 3d printer and how does it work?

hi.
3d printer device, known long time, because expensive , sophisticated, couple years ago become more known , available wide public.
well, know computer printer. printing text or pictures on paper ink, toner, wax... 2d printing. flat.
, imagine printing become space. layer layer on , on again, in 0.2mm thickness (or similar) polymer melted heat , hardened cold, or cured laser. result 3d object details , creator need it. printer used make prototypes, models future products.
on market, there several kind of 3d printers public.
1 of popular use principle close wax printer. heat melt polymer in shape of rod (or cord spool), source of material. nozzle moving in x/y axle , "spit" tiny amounts of heated plastic on exact place, commanded computer. getting hard instantly. base platform step step going lower (or nozzle raise tiny steps) , 3 direction create designed shape.

simpler version of heat plastic (also in cord spool), print not shooting small drops, continuously melted plastic. result still nice, not precise. cheap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aafp7enzm...

thos 1 use same principle ink printer, instead of ink source material used resin, cured uv light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5sccmxuc...
another, (more expensive) printer use liquid resin, cured laser. printing platform flooded thin layer of resin , laser "draw" shape on surface. used 1 of method produce thin layer of resin (by lowering platform while, or spray resin top) , laser draw "burn" layer of shape. , again. , again. resin getting cured (hardening) laser beam, , after many many steps final product created.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bufh5wxj3...

there many printers, using special polymer-ceramic dust , laser or combinations of method.
point , principle still same. layer layer, 1 above create full piece of can imagine , need created small series. of single prototype.
can create , (in case don't own such printer), let companies, have it, print piece you. design of called cad (computer-aided design).
today used design anything. tiny plastic piece in lighter, until car engine part , buildings, or megastructures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cad

detailed explanation here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3d_printing

hope
magy

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