First things first

Do you know what is 3D printing?

I will show a summary of what you need to know before talking about 3D printing.

Introduction

In a world where the future is now, present is past and the past never existed, moving fast is vital.

Nowadays, technology is creating and destructing the world at the same time. Destructing the old world and building a new one from those ashes.

But what are those things that make the world change by just blinking your eyes. Well, we can say that as innovation comes in many ways the sources where it comes from are really big.

So what is next?

Well 3D printing.

Despite the fact that this technology existed since the twentieth century it is gaining many adepts into the field right now.

Big companies like G.M. are making the future now by investing in this big world.

And why not, you can also make something incredible right now.

What is 3D printing ?

3D printing is a common term used for building a shape by adding layer over layer of material (the most common used is plastic or a polymer).

In the world of science they call the 3D printing as Additive Manufacturing. In fact, A.M. (Additive Manufacturing) is the right way of calling 3D printing.

Types of 3D printing

There are several types of 3D printing. I will introduce you the most common:

Stereolithography (SLA) - Consists of solidifying resin found in liquid using a laser (Jiménez & Javier, 2004).
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM55ct5KwiI

Selective laser sintering (SLS) - Procedure similar to Stereolithography, which uses a powder material instead of resin (Gebhardt, 2011).
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_9z5XN5gT4

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) - Is a 3D printing procedure which extrudes a small amount of plastic, through an extruder  forming layer by layer and at the same time a three-dimensional object (Gebhardt, 2011).
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkUILe3zv98

Manufacture by cut and laminate (LOM) - Create prototypes through the continuous superposition and adhesion of laser cut sheets (Jiménez & Javier, 2004).
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0b3WIS2nqw

The most popular are FDM and SLA. I recommend you starting with FDM and then go to SLA. This is the most used path.

Each one has something different to learn and both will offer you a group of opportunities. Nevertheless SLA is sometimes more expensive than FDM.

In another post i will post a quick guide for start with 3d printing.

References

• Gebhardt, A. (2011). Understanding Additive Manufacturing: Rapid Prototyping • Rapid Tooling • Rapid Manufacturing. Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. https://doi.org/10.3139/9783446431621
• Jiménez, S., & Javier, F. (2004). TÉCNICAS DE PROTOTIPADO RÁPIDO. 8.