Tech Tuesday - Different Types of 3D Printers and Filaments

DIFFERENT TYPES OF 3D PRINTERS AND FILAMENT OPTIONS

3D printers available in different sizes, ranging from the huge commercial printers to the portable easy-to-use 3D printers for home based manufacturing. These printers made use of a number of 3D printing technologies to generate physical 3-Dimensional objects by means of layer upon layer additive manufacturing. The 3-Dimensional objects are made up of 3D printing filament materials which could be Polylactic acid (PLA), wood, metal etc. 3D printers are described by the printing principle involved. Filament printers use extruder type of 3D printing, where the printing material is melted and extruded to generate each layer of a 3-Dimensional object. Most portable 3D printers have a single extruder, and can only print one material or color at a time.

TYPES OF 3D PRINTERS

Portable (Standard) Filament 3D Printers
These printers use the process of fused or filament deposition manufacturing (FDM). This process involves melting a plastic filament, and then deposited it in thin layers to build up a given model. This type of 3D printers has a single nozzle for depositing the filament. These are the cheapest 3D printers; they are simple and easy to operate. However, this type of 3D printers can only print one material at a time and the size of model generated is usually small, about 1,000 square centimeters.

Commercial Filament Printers
These are more complex type of FDM printers, more expensive and have additional or special features compared to the standard filament printer. Some of the special features include multiple extruders and thinner layers (approximately 0.1 millimeters) for improved textured prints. A larger print area gives these printers the capability of bigger prints than the portable printers. Multiple extruders mean multiple colors or materials in one object. However, this type of 3D printers requires specialized maintenance. 

Other-material FDM 3D Printers
Some low-cost printers are designed to use materials other than plastic; these 3D printers can print using air-dried material, such as clay, Sugru and Plasticine. The Plasticine is particularly good for creating models of high flexibility, and Sugru has excellent elasticity strength. Models made from Sugru can be stretched almost like rubber material.

Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printers
This type of 3D printers uses a photo-sensitive resin and a laser to generate layers of an object till a complete 3-Dimensional object is obtained.  These printers are capable of producing high quality objects, but have limited color options. 

Powder 3D Printers
This type of 3D printer use metal powder to generate 3-Dimensional models through the process of printing by extrusion. Selective laser sintering (SLS) method is commonly used, where a laser sinters melts the powder and extrudes it in layers to generate 3D models. The major advantage of powder printing is that it can support a wide range of materials and can produce multiple colors when a mixture of materials is used. 

FILAMENTS OPTION

Polylactic Acid (PLA): this is a plant-based plastic polymer used in FDM 3D printing to create models. It generates little fumes during extrusion.

Laywood is a composite material used in 3D printing to generate 3-Dimensional objects. It is made up of about 40% of recycled wood, and binding polymers. 

Metals: metallic materials are widely used to print 3-Dimensional models. The metal filament is mostly in powdered form and fused together by laser during extrusion from an FDM 3D printer. Using this metal filament makes 3D printing an excellent means of producing high quality jewelry from materials such as gold, platinum, and silver. 

In conclusion, the 3D printing industry is growing very fast, and more varieties of 3D printers are been designed and produced to accommodate the use of more filament materials.

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