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THE AFFORDABLE 3D PRINTING REVOLUTION AFFORDABLE THE PRINTING REVOLUTION Inexpensive 3D desktop printers enable anyone to fabricate objects from three-dimensional digital files, offering the potential to transform product design, medical practices, academic learning and community-focused enterprises. n April 2007, the world-renowned inventor and industrial designer Sir James Dyson said: "The promise of advanced fabrication technology that can copy itself is a truly remarkable concept with far-reaching implications." Today, a new age is dawning where you'll be able to envisage, design and fabricate three-dimensional (3D) objects in a variety of materials simply by using an affordable, self-replicating desktop 3D printer. But what is a 3D printer? How does it work? What materials does it use? And what sort of possibilities does this technology present? What is 3D Printing? A 3D printer works in a very similar way to our familiar inkjet paper printers. However, instead of ink the chosen build material is forced or extruded through a printhead, drying and hardening very quickly into a predetermined pattern. This process is repeated again and again, building up layer after layer of material. Adjusting the print resolution will determine the amount of material extruded and therefore the thickness of each layer. Large-resolution settings offer rapid prototype fabrication, while smaller ones allow fine detailing and smoother finishes. Many affordable 3D printers can already operate using sub-millimetre resolutions. And, just as we've seen wit inkjet printer technology, appropriately funded research and development will greatly improve both resolution and precision. It's this fine-grained, layer-by-layer fabrication process that gives 3D printers their enormous flexibility, going well beyond the creation of a single item or a collection of parts which need to be connected together at a later stage. The overall shape is determined by a previously created 3D mathematical model. These models can be much more elaborate and intricate than the ones used in traditional manufacturing. Think of objects embedded within other objects, or intricate pre-interlinked items such as a 3D puzzle, a hinge or chain-mail armour—all created in a single-step process. Most importantly, once you have obtained one 3D printer, it's possible to fabricate the component parts for another 3D printer. These parts could be exact replicas or redesigned to bestow increased strength, enhanced reliability or a reduction in material content. Continually applying design improvements to this self-replication process creates an evolutionary strain of ever more advanced 3D printers. A replaceable printhead provides yet more flexibility, with each head optimised for a different material. Fitting a multi-material printhead enables highly complex, composite objects to be created—objects with just the right balance between strength and weight, stiffness and flexibility, durability and functionality; objects that could contain built-in electronic circuitry. Website: http://davidbriddock.com APRIL - MAY 2012 NEXUS ¢ 35 by David Briddock © 2012 Cheshire, United Kingdom www.nexusmagazine.com