3D Printers and Usage Areas
Chapter from the book: Kaygusuz, K. (ed.) 2023. Interdisciplinary studies on contemporary research practices in engineering in the 21st century-IV.

Anıl Şahin
Trakya University
Gökçen Şahin
Trakya University

Synopsis

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has emerged as an innovative and versatile technology stage. While 3D printing technologies have been around since the 1980s, recent advances in machinery, materials and software have made 3D printing accessible to a wider range of businesses, enabling more companies to utilize tools that were previously limited to a few high-tech industries. 3D printers create parts from three-dimensional models, which are mathematical representations of any three-dimensional surface created using computer-aided design (CAD) software or developed from 3D scan data. It enables production in less time than traditional methods with a small-scale version of the real object. This helps designers improve their products and investigate the presence of any design flaws that could affect the quality of the product. Unlike the expensive and lengthy prototyping process, with 3D printers a new prototype can be created cheaply and quickly with every design change. Today, a wide range of professional, low-cost desktop and benchtop 3D printers are accelerating innovation and supporting businesses in industries as diverse as engineering, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, dentistry, healthcare, education, construction, food, textiles, entertainment, jewellery, and audiology. Traditional thermoplastics, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), customized engineering plastics, ceramics, graphene-based materials, composite materials and metal are materials that can now be printed using 3D printing technology. Today, the cost of a desktop 3D printer is affordable for almost everyone.

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How to cite this book

Şahin, A. & Şahin, G. (2023). 3D Printers and Usage Areas. In: Kaygusuz, K. (ed.), Interdisciplinary studies on contemporary research practices in engineering in the 21st century-IV. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub250.c1210

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Published

October 21, 2023

DOI