A three-dimensional wonder
Since 1440, when Johannes Gutenburg revealed an automated
development to the Chinese technology of printing in doing so produced
the world’s first printing press, it could be said he lit the fuse on a
number of processes that have come under the umbrella term, ‘printing’.
The word ‘print’ comes from the Latin, premere, which means to
press. From the early wood block printing of the Tang dynasty, for many
years printing was primarily the process of pressing an impression onto a
substrate.
Throughout this intervening time, there was never an idea the output of
any of printing devices would be anything but two dimensional. In fact, a
number of the printing processes rely on the inks to be absorbed into
the substrate and we pride ourselves on the fact the printed materials
are ‘flat’.
Realistically, this had not changed even into the mid-eighties when
solid ink printing was invented allowing entry level colour printers
for home computers to be available to all.
However, in recent times, things have changed and the term
‘printing’ has literally taken on a new dimension, a third dimension. 3D
printing is now a mainstream technology and is breaking through into
media markets.
To the traditionalist, seeing 3D objects as the outcome of the
printing process is not really printing, but regardless of the purist
view, the world has adopted a name for this technology which is not
going to be shaken off.
New technologies can be a little like the Emperor’s new clothes
when it comes to understanding what sits behind it and how it works, so
maybe I am going to be stating what is taken as common knowledge, but
for clarity here is some background behind 3D printing.
New technologies can be a little like the Emperor’s new clothes when it comes to understanding what sits behind it and how it works”
Current day
3D printing is one of a number of new technologies that are covered
by the umbrella term, Additive Manufacture (AM). The premise of AM is a
polar difference from typical manufacturing processes where you remove
material to produce the desired component; with AM you actually add
material (hence the process title) and as such you have no waste.
There are a number of AM processes that use different techniques
and materials and it important to know the limitations of each.
Selective Laser Sintering, Direct Metal Laser Sintering and Selective
Laser Melting (SLM) are all types of AM that are typically used for
metals and components that are needed to be durable and subject to
loading. But if you want a cheaper and quicker outcome of an AM process,
then 3D Printing is the process needed.
3D Printing was invented in 1984, a French group of engineers had
started to file a patent for the process of layering materials to
produce a three-dimensional shape. They coined the name
stereolithography, but due to the ‘lack of business perspective’ it was
not taken further and the patent application was dropped.
The scale of projects created using 3D print can be impressive
In America only three weeks later, Chuck Hull (an engineer in the
3D Systems Corp) filed his patent for the same process of using
ultraviolet light to cure photopolymers. The rest, as they say, is
history.
It is of no surprise the advances in 3D printing have been matched
with the increasing changes in computer technology. 3D printing is not
possible without a computer; the bedrock of the process is to produce a
virtual three-dimensional object on a computer and then ‘slice’ it into
very small layers. Once you have produced your model and slicing
profiles, all you do is reproduce the slices one on top of the other by
the use of some form of applicator head in your 3D printer.
3D Printing uses two basic processes, binder and material jetting
with the latter being the most commonly used in today’s 3D Printers.
Where binder jetting uses powders and binding agents with the build
platform lowering as the product is constructed, material jetting
builds from the base up and layers a UV cured photopolymer material in
as small a layer of 0.1mm at a time, until the product appears literally
before your eyes.
The Pro
One of the leaders in the field of material jetting is Massivit and
recently at FESPA, it released to us the 1800 Pro, which is by any form
or discussion, a very large 3D printer.
The Massivit 1800 Pro was launched at FESPA 2019
We are all accustomed now to being able to purchase a 3D printer
from the internet that will provide a small but perfectly formed chess
piece or equivalent. When you consider what the 1800 Pro is capable of,
these pale into insignificance.
The size of the product it quite outstanding, a final product is
possible as wide as 145cm and as high as 180cm, this is the same size as
an average person. The workspace is akin to a very large cupboard, the
size of such cannot be understated.
The 1800 Pro uses a patented gel called Dimengel which is cured by
the use of UV LED light (in the case of the 1800 Pro) and is a rapid
curing polymer. It has good strength properties but more importantly,
you can produce life-sized point-of-sale or any marketing object, in a
number of minutes.
The Massivit 1800 Pro combines the Dimengel material along with
something called Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) to produced supersized
products.
The Massivit 1800 Pro combines the Dimengel material along with
something called Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) to produced supersized
products”
The supersized cannot be understated, the products from the
Massivit Pro 1800 are huge, man-sized. They can be produced in a number
of resolutions the same as traditional 2D printing, but in 3D the object
grows with unbelievable speed.
From the Massivit 1800 Pro’s large workspace, it is quite
remarkable that from an empty space, these life-size and in some cases
over life-size 3D hollow objects can be produced. To bring them to life a
little paint is needed to add to the realism, but the ability to
produce objects that are as close to the size of you and me, is quite
remarkable.
Whether you agree this technology of printing or not, you must agree that the graphics industry has taken on a new dimension.
Brian Sims principal consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
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