ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.

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What Is 3D Printing?
3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process of making a physical
object from a three-dimensional digital model or a CAD model. It involves various
computer-controlled techniques in which material is joined or solidified to build an
actual object.

Typically, the material (such as powder grains or liquid molecules being fused together)
is added layer by layer at the millimeter scale. This is why 3D Printing is also called an
additive manufacturing process.

In the 1990s, 3D printing techniques were referred to as rapid prototyping. They were
suitable only for the fabrication of aesthetic or functional prototypes. Since then, we
have come a long way.

Today’s 3D printing technology is advanced enough to create complex structures and

geometries that would be otherwise impossible to build manually.

How Does It Work Exactly?

All 3D printing techniques are based on the same principle: a 3D printer takes a digital
model (as input) and turns it into a physical three-dimensional object by adding material
layer by layer.

It is way different than traditional manufacturing processes such as injection molding

and CNC machining that uses various cutting tools to construct the desired structure
from a solid block. 3D Printing, however, requires no cutting tools: objects are
manufactured directly onto the built platform.

Slicer software takes a 3D CAD model which is generally an STL format file and
converts it into a g-code that gives commands to the printer.
 ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)
Working Flow chart of 3D printing

Creo, solid works, ProE, Autodesk

etc are some 3D model CAD
software.

Cura, MakerBot Print, Craftware,

Slic3r, Slice Crafter etc are some
slicing softwares used in 3D
printing

Types/Processes Of 3D Printing
1. VAT Polymerization
a) Stereolithography (SLA)
b) Digital Light Processing (DLP)
c) Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)
2. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
3. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

1. VAT Polymerization
It has a container filled with photopolymer resin, which is hardened with an
ultraviolet light source to create an object. The three most common forms of Vat
Polymerization are
1 a) Stereolithography (SLA) :-
SLA uses an ultraviolet laser to crosslink chemical monomers and oligomers to
form polymers that make up the body of a three-dimensional solid. While the process is
fast and can construct almost any structure.
You tube link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmU1ImG8n3M
How does SLA 3D printing work ?
 SLA 3D printing works by first positioning the build platform in the tank of
liquid photopolymer, at a distance of one layer height for the surface of the liquid.
 A UV laser creates the next layer by selectively curing and solidifying the
photopolymer resin.
 ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)
 The laser beam is focused in a predetermined path using a set of mirrors, called
galvos. The whole cross-sectional area of the model is scanned, so the produced
part is fully solid.

 After printing, the part is in a not-fully-cured state. It requires further post-

processing under UV light if very high mechanical and thermal properties are
required.
NOTE:- The photo polymerization process is irreversible and there is no way to
convert the SLA parts back to their liquid form. Heating these SLA parts will cause
them to burn instead of melt. This is because the materials that are produced with SLA
are made of thermoset polymers.
1b) Digital Light Processing (DLP):
It utilizes conventional light sources such as arc lamps (instead of lasers). Each
layer of the object is projected onto the vat of liquid resin, which is then solidified layer
by layer as the lifting platform moves up or down.

1c) Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP):

It is similar to stereolithography but continuous and up to 100 times faster. CLIP
can produce rubbery and flexible objects with smooth sides, that couldn’t be created
with other techniques.

2. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or Metal Extrusion Process:-

Youtube link :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4OQQ9bA6g0

You tube link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jZebDAQ6Sc
 ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)
In this process, a
filament of solid
thermoplastic material is
pushed through a heated
nozzle, which melts the
material and deposits it on
a build platform along a
predetermined path. This
material eventually cools
and solidifies, forming a
three-dimensional object.
The FDM
technology works using a
plastic filament or metal
wire which is unwound
from a coil and supplies
material to an extrusion
nozzle. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be moved in both horizontal
and vertical directions by a numerically controlled mechanism, directly controlled by a
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software package. The object is produced by
extruding melted material to form layers as the material hardens immediately after
extrusion from the nozzle.

It uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material, such as nylon,

thermoplastic polyurethane, or polylactic acid.

3. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

You tube Link :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848x-5rKhNk

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a powder bed printing technology It uses a laser
as the power source to sinter powdered material like polyamide or nylon. Here the term
sinter refers to the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by
applying pressure or heat without melting it to the point of liquefaction.

The SLS machine begins sintering each layer of part geometry into a heated bed
of nylon-based powder. After each layer is fused, a roller moves across the bed to
distribute the next layer of powder. The process is repeated layer by layer until the build
is complete.
 ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)

Difference Between SLA and SLS

The major difference between SLA and SLS revolves around material selection.
SLA works with polymers and resins, not metals. SLS works with a few polymers, such
as nylon and polystyrene, but can also handle metals like steel, titanium, and others.
SLA works with liquids, while SLS uses powders that raise safety concerns.
 ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)

Application of 3D printing
3D Printing has the wide Application in various fields. Some of them are
discussed · 1. Education · 2. Prototyping and Manufacturing · 3. Medicine · 4.
Construction · 5. Art and Jewelry.

1. Education :- 3D printing helps the students by allowing them to create

prototypes without the need for expensive tooling. Students learn about
3D printing applications by designing and producing models they can
actually hold.

2. Prototyping and Manufacturing:- 3D printing technology helps the

industries in fabrication of prototype in less time and at less cost in
comparison to any other tradition manufacturing method. The
automotive and aerospace industries are involved in manufacturing
taking advantage of advances in 3D printing technologies.

3. Medicine:- 3D printing applications in medicine are also used for

producing metal orthopedic implants, Pills can be produced etc.
You tube Link :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-8LH_79mf0
ME-702 Advance Manfacuring Process By:- Rahul Singh (Asst Prof.)
4. Construction:- 3D printing applications that are used in construction
include extrusion (concrete/cement, wax, foam, and polymers), powder
bonding (polymer bond, reactive bond, sintering) and additive welding.
3D printing in construction has a wide array of applications in the
private, commercial, industrial and public sectors. Advantages of these
technologies include allowing more complexity and accuracy, faster
construction, lower labor costs, greater functional integration, and less
waste.

5. Art and Jewelry:- 3D printers allow jewelry makers to experiment with

designs not possible with traditional jewelry making methods. 3D
printing also allows the production of individual, unique pieces of
jewelry or customized pieces at a much lower cost
You tube Link :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enC6-jjC5FU
 What is Binder Jetting?
Binder Jetting is a family of additive manufacturing processes. In Binder Jetting, a binder is
selectively deposited onto a powder bed, bonding these areas together to form a solid part one
layer at a time. The materials commonly used in Binder Jetting are metals, sand, and ceramics that
come in a granular form.

How does Binder Jetting work?

Here is how the Binder Jetting process works:

I. First, a recoating blade spreads a thin layer of powder over the build platform.

II. Then, a carriage with inkjet nozzles (which are similar to the nozzles used in desktop 2D printers)
passes over the bed, selectively depositing droplets of a binding agent (glue) that bond the powder
particles together. In full-color Binder Jetting, the colored ink is also deposited during this step. The
size of each drop is approximately 80 μm in diameter, so good resolution can be achieved.

III. When the layer is complete, the build platform moves downwards and the blade re-coats the
surface. The process then repeats until the whole part is complete.

IV. After printing, the part is encapsulated in the powder and is left to cure and gain strength. Then
the part is removed from the powder bin and the unbound, excess powder is cleaned via pressurized
air.
you tube link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNNxEoXuvuw
 Continuous Liquid Interface Production(CLIP)

CLIP is a method of 3D printing that uses photo polymerization to create smooth-

sided solid objects of a wide variety of shapes using resins
The CLIP™ process (“Continuous Liquid Interface Production”) is an additive
manufacturing process that utilizes UV light, oxygen, and programmable liquid resin
to produce components with outstanding mechanical properties. Also known as
Digital Light Synthesis™ technology (DLS), it involves manufacturing products in
one piece, rather than layer-by-layer as with other 3D printing processes. This
enables production time to be up to 100 times faster than other additive
manufacturing technologies.

You tube link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzi-Px9XwwE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uD0d1IPsF4

Continuous Liquid Interface Production(CLIP)

In the CLIP™ process, the artificial resin is inserted into a flat container. There, a
UV light projector below the container uses a previously defined series of images to
melt the resin before hardening it into shape. A window between the projector and
material allows light and air to permeate. In a controlled manner, oxygen is released
through this window to prevent the liquid resin from hardening too early. A molding
platform that was lowered into the vat at the beginning of the process is continually
raised as the 3D object is manufactured. This upward movement plus the controlled
supply of oxygen create what is known as a “dead zone” between the window and
component – a layer of not-yet-hardened resin. This is what is used to shape and
build up the object through continuous exposure to light and oxygen.