17 October 2012Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
The aim of the UP! Mini 3D printer is to provide a design tool, engineering shop and factory in a small space.
3D printing is an additive process where material is deposited to build up the finished piece. This is different from machining where material is removed to form the finished piece.
3D printing is a developing technology that has been around for over a decade. The early processes used stereo lithography, a combination of fluid bed and laser fusing. Most currently available machines use polymer deposition in which a filament of material is extruded and deposited as the product is built up.
Because of the technology involved in early 3D printers they were extremely costly, whereas recently developed 3D printers are now available at prices that even home users and hobbyists can afford.
Designs developed using CAD software and exported as STL files can be printed and checked for use or even used immediately by PP3DP’s new printer. Extremely complex designs with moving parts can be printed as a single unit using supporting material or supporting filaments. For example, a ball race with inner and outer flanges and rollers can be incorporated in a single 3D printed design, as shown in the accompanying photograph.
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