🖨️ 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)
3D Printing, formally known as Additive Manufacturing (AM), is a revolutionary process that creates three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file by adding material layer upon layer. This is fundamentally different from subtractive manufacturing (like milling or carving), which removes material from a solid block.
💡 How the Process Works
The creation of a 3D-printed object involves three main stages:
Modeling (Digital File Creation):
An object is first designed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software (e.g., Fusion 360, SolidWorks).
The digital model is typically saved in a standard file format, most commonly STL (Stereolithography).
Slicing:
Specialized software, known as a slicer, virtually cuts the 3D model into hundreds or thousands of thin, horizontal layers.
This software generates a G-code file—a set of instructions that tells the 3D printer exactly where to move the print head, how much material to extrude, and the temperature settings for each layer.
Printing (Layer-by-Layer Addition):
The 3D printer reads the G-code and builds the object one layer at a time, solidifying or fusing the material until the final physical product is complete.
Support structures may also be printed to hold overhanging parts, which are then removed in a post-processing step.