3D Printing for Dummies - Softcover

Hausman, Kalani Kirk; Horne, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1118660757 ISBN 13: 9781118660751

Publisher: For Dummies, 2014

Synopsis

Get started printing out 3D objects quickly and inexpensively!

3D printing is no longer just a figment of your imagination. This remarkable technology is coming to the masses with the growing availability of 3D printers. 3D printers create 3-dimensional layered models and they allow users to create prototypes that use multiple materials and colors.  This friendly-but-straightforward guide examines each type of 3D printing technology available today and gives artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and hobbyists insight into the amazing things 3D printing has to offer. You’ll discover methods for the creation of 3D printable objects using software, 3D scanners, and even photographs with the help of this timely For Dummies  guide.

• Includes information on stereolithography, selective sintering, fused deposition, and granular binding techniques
• Covers the potential for the transformation of production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls, and the commoditization of traditional products from magazines to material goods
• Walks you through the process of creating a RepRap printer using open-source designs, software, and hardware
• Addresses the limitations of current 3D printing technologies and provides strategies for improved success

3D Printing For Dummies is the must-have guide to make manufacturing your own dynamic designs a dream come true!

About this title

About the Author

Kalani Kirk Hausman has spent more than 20 years as an IT consultant, enterprise architect, auditor, and ISO. He currently conducts research on integrating 3D printed materials into educational curricula at Texas A&M University.

Richard Horne (RichRap) has two decades of experience in the electronics industry as an engineer, marketer, and product designer. In his work with the RepRap project, he blogs and shares ideas to make 3D printing easier for everyone to understand.

From the Back Cover

Learn to:

• Use 3D printing software, hardware, and tools
• Work with the different types of 3D printing processes and services
• Follow best practices for 3D printing
• Create your own RepRap 3D printer

3D printing power to the people! Bring your designs to life with this For Dummies guide

Straight from science fiction to your living room! 3D printing is here, and this friendly guide cuts through the technical jargon to show you how 3D printing works, what it can (and can't) do, some great resources, how 3D printing can be used in business, and cool things you can make yourself, even your own RepRap 3D printer!

• Amazing advantages — learn about the efficiencies of scale, personalization options, and green aspects of additive manufacturing
• It's been done — see how 3D printers are already producing prototypes of medical implants, personalized prosthetics, jewelry, and furniture
• The right tool for the job — find out what types of printers are needed for different materials
• What's online — discover sites where you can acquire open source tools for 3D object models
• It's just business — look at the industries being created by the advances in 3D printing, and some that will have to adapt
• Check 'em out — review various consumer-level 3D printers
• Rappin' about RepRap — get a list of components, materials, and software you need to build your own RepRap printer, with step-by-step instructions

Open the book and find:

• Opportunities that 3D printing presents
• A comparison of traditional and additive manufacturing
• The different types of 3D printing
• A few limitations of current technology
• What 3D printing can mean to medicine
• Materials used in rapid prototyping
• Sources for CAD software and 3D scanners
• Some ethical issues about 3D printing

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1118660757
• ISBN 13: 9781118660751
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368