3D Printing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

The bestselling book on 3D printing

3D printing is one of the coolest inventions we’ve seen in our lifetime, and now you can join the ranks of businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists who use it to do everything from printing foods and candles to replacement parts for older technologies—and tons of mind-blowing stuff in between! With 3D Printing For Dummies at the helm, you’ll find all the fast and easy-to-follow guidance you need to grasp the methods available to create 3D printable objects using software, 3D scanners, and even photographs through open source software applications like 123D Catch.

Thanks to the growing availability of 3D printers, this remarkable technology is coming to the masses, and there’s no time like the present to let your imagination run wild and actually create whatever you dream up—quickly and inexpensively. When it comes to 3D printing, the sky’s the limit!

• Covers each type of 3D printing technology available today: stereolithology, selective sintering, used deposition, and granular binding
• Provides information on the potential for the transformation of production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls, and the commoditization of products
• Walks you through the process of creating a RepRap printer using open source designs, software, and hardware
• Offers strategies for improved success in 3D printing

On your marks, get set, innovate!

Table of Contents

Part 1: Getting Started with 3D Printing
Chapter 1: Seeing How 3D Printers Fit into Modern Manufacturing
Chapter 2: Exploring the Types of 3D Printing
Chapter 3: Exploring Applications of 3D Printing

Part 2: Outlining 3D-Printing Resources
Chapter 4: Identifying Available Materials for 3D Printing
Chapter 5: Identifying Sources for 3D-Printable Objects

Part 3: Exploring the Business Side of 3D Printing
Chapter 6: Commoditizing 3D Printing
Chapter 7: Understanding 3D Printing’s Effect on Traditional Lines of Business
Chapter 8: Reviewing 3D-Printing Research

Part 4: Employing Personal 3D-Printing Devices
Chapter 9: Exploring 3D-Printed Artwork
Chapter 10: Considering Consumer-Level 3D Printers
Chapter 11: Deciding on a RepRap of Your Own

Part 5: Creating a RepRap 3D Printer
Chapter 12: Assembling Structural Elements
Chapter 13: Understanding RepRap Control Electronics
Chapter 14: Assembling the RepRap Extruder
Chapter 15: Identifying Software and Calibrating Your 3D Printer
Chapter 16: Refining the Design and 3D-Printing Process

Part 6: The Part of Tens
Chapter 17: Ten Examples of Direct Digital Manufacturing and Personalization
Chapter 18: Ten Impossible Designs Created Using Additive Manufacturing