3D Printing

3D Printing — page 3
MakerS as innoVaTors 3D printing uses a process called additive layer manufacturing During this process a machine stacks layers of material to create objects A 3D printer is kind of like a hot glue gun that puts out material in the shape that a computer describes At first 3D printers were most useful to large com panies that wanted to quickly make versions of new product ideas to use for testing Today many people are getting interested in this amazing technology A Very Short History of the 3D Printer American inventor Charles Hull is largely credited with creating the idea of 3D printing In 1986 he thought of using a laser to turn thin layers of liquid into a solid object However the technology available at the time made Hull’s plan difficult New lasers computers and materials had to be created before 3D printing became as useful as it is today The Internet has helped improve 3D printing by allowing people from all over the world to instantly share their knowledge Also small microcontrollers such as the Arduino are getting better and cheaper making it easier to control motors and temperatures This is very important for 3D printers 6