Getting Started with 3D Printing

Getting Started with 3D Printing

by Liza Wallach Kloski, Nick Kloski
Released May 2016
Publisher(s): Make: Community
ISBN: 9781680450200

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Make: Getting Started with 3D Printing is a practical, informative, and inspiring book that guides readers step-by-step through understanding how this new technology will empower them to take full advantage of all it has to offer. The book includes fundamental topics such as a short history of 3D printing, the best hardware and software choices for consumers, hands-on tutorial exercises the reader can practice for free at home, and how to apply 3D printing in the readers' life and profession. For every maker or would-be maker who is interested, or is confused, or who wants to get started in 3D printing today, this book offers methodical information that can be read, digested, and put into practice immediately!

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. Foreword
  2. An Introduction to 3D Printing
    1. How 3D Printing Works
    2. 3D Printing Is Not Like 2D Printing
    3. Managing Expectations as You Start Your Journey
    4. Don’t Worry! This Is Why We Wrote the Book
    5. What’s in This Book?
    6. O’Reilly Safari
    7. How to Contact Us
    8. Acknowledgments
  3. I. Applications of 3D Printing
  4. 1. You Say You Want a Revolution?
    1. A Manufacturing Full Circle
  5. 2. 3D Printing and the Maker Movement
    1. Impact of the Maker Movement
    2. Who Is a Maker?
    3. How the 3D Printing Ecosystem Helps You Be a Maker
  6. 3. How 3D Printing Is Being Used Today
    1. Rapid Prototyping for Your Ideas, Designs, and Inventions
    2. Forward-Thinking Companies Are Actively Bringing You 3D Printing
    3. Don’t Worry. It Won’t Cost You More. Complexity Is Free
    4. 3D Printing Is Advancing Health Care
    5. 3D Printing Has a Sole
  7. II. Hardware and Printing Choices
  8. 4. Understanding FDM Printers
    1. Resolution Levels
    2. Frame/Chassis
    3. Build Plate
    4. Linear Movement Controls
    5. Extruder
    6. Filament
    7. Tips for Success with FDM Printers
    8. Build Plate Adhesion
    9. Slicer Programs
    10. Not All Slicers Are Created Equal
    11. Homing and Leveling the Build Plate
  9. 5. Understanding SLA Printers
    1. How It Works
    2. Cost of Materials
    3. Types of Resins
    4. The Two Types of SLA Printers: Laser and DLP
    5. Printer Profile: Autodesk Ember (DLP Technology)
    6. Printer Profile: Kudo3D Titan 1 (DLP Technology)
    7. Printer Profile: FormLabs Form 2 (Laser Technology)
    8. Software: Slicers for Resin Printing
    9. Support Structures for SLA Printing
    10. Conclusion
  10. 6. Outsourcing Versus Buying Your Own 3D Printer
    1. The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Printing
    2. Popular Outsourced 3D Printing Service Bureaus
    3. The Rise of Local Outsourcing
    4. The Benefits of 3D Printing at Home
    5. Variables Involved When 3D Printing at Home
    6. Production Quantity: Low-Volume Manufacturing
    7. For Beginners, Choose FDM First
    8. Choosing the Right Quality Finish for Prints
    9. Evaluating for Special Mechanical Considerations
    10. Conclusion
  11. 7. Overview of the 3D Printing Workflow
    1. 3D Files
    2. 3D Models
    3. How Do I Get from Idea to Object?
    4. Details of the 3D Printing Workflow
    5. You Can Outsource Any Part of the 3D Printing Workflow
  12. 8. Getting and Fixing 3D Models
    1. Downloading a 3D Model
    2. 3D Model Licensing and Legalities
    3. Creating 3D Models with Your Smartphone or Digital Camera
    4. Examples of What You Can Create In Photogrammetry
    5. Understanding 3D Model File Formats and Units of Measure
    6. Creating 3D Models with Four-Sided Polygons and Three-Sided Polygons
    7. Fixing a 3D Model for 3D Printing
    8. Using Meshmixer to Fix Your 3D Models
  13. III. CAD Tutorials
  14. 9. Getting Started with Tinkercad
    1. Setting Up an Account
    2. Before You Pick Up the Mouse
    3. Creating Shapes in Tinkercad
    4. Rotating an Object
    5. Changing the Shape
    6. Resizing the Red Box
    7. Grouping and Ungrouping Shapes
    8. Finishing Your New Creation in Tinkercad
    9. What’s Next?
  15. 10. Getting Started with Meshmixer
    1. Getting Started
    2. Starting the Tutorial
    3. Sculpt with Digital Clay
    4. Adding Support Structures
    5. Creating a Sphere
  16. 11. Getting Started with Fusion 360
    1. Polygonal Versus Parametric Modeling
    2. Getting Started with Fusion 360
    3. Description of Interface Menu
    4. Making a Ring in Fusion 360
    5. Adding an Embellishment to the Ring
    6. Adding to the Embellishment
    7. Exporting Your Model for 3D Printing
  17. 12. Setting Up Your Personal Makerspace for 3D Printing
    1. Getting Ready
    2. Task 1: Research Which 3D Printer to Buy
    3. Task 2: Create a Safe Work Area
    4. Task 3: Choose the Best Physical Environment for Your 3D Printer
    5. Things We Recommend for Your Home Setup
  18. IV. The Future
  19. 13. How 3D Printing Will Change Your (and Everyone Else’s) Life
    1. We Are All Makers, and Companies Will Foster That Even More
    2. Companies Will Use 3D Printing to Strengthen Their Connection with You
    3. Organizations Will Increase Profitability and Be More Eco-⁠Friendly
    4. Local Economies Will Benefit from the Commercial Use of 3D Printing
    5. The Best Is Yet to Come
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: Getting Started with 3D Printing
  • Author(s): Liza Wallach Kloski, Nick Kloski
  • Release date: May 2016
  • Publisher(s): Make: Community
  • ISBN: 9781680450200