CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS 3D PRINTING Step into the scanner booth Now strike a pose Whatever you do hold still You see a bright flash Your picture is taken by 54 cameras at once Special software turns those images into a digital model Next the software separates that model into a stack of thin slices A company in Germany makes detailed portraits using 3D printers
Special software turns a series of photographs into a 3D model Then a 3D printer puts down a layer of powder in the shape of the first slice The printer repeats this process for each slice in the model The slices are fused together Finally a technician reaches into the powder She pulls out a plastic toy Congratulations You are now an action figure 6
3D is short for three-dimensional An object is 3D if it has length width and height A 3D printer creates three-dimensional objects These printers can make toys clothes or even jet engine parts 3D printers form these objects by adding one layer of material at a time That’s why 3D printing is sometimes known as additive manufacturing Some people also call it direct digital manufacturing There are a variety of 3D printer sizes There are also different printer materials and printing processes to choose from It all depends on what a person wants to create
