HOW 3D
PRINTING IS
BEING USED
TODAY
3
CHAPTER
Getting Started with 3D Printing 16
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MAKERS ARE NOT the only ones using this technology to
further advancements in every area of life. Companies and
other organizations have adopted elements of 3D printing to
enhance, improve, and even create their products and services
that are used in everyday life.
In this chapter, we’ll look briefly at some of the innovative ways
individuals and organizations are currently using 3D printing
technology and why it’s gaining more momentum.
RAPID PROTOTYPING FOR YOUR IDEAS, DESIGNS, AND INVENTIONS
Have you ever wanted to drive a car that had a steering wheel made just for you? Or how about door handles
that are based on actual 3D scans of the grip pattern of someone with rheumatoid arthritis, to allow them to
open doors at home more effectively? You can have it made with 3D printing. In fact, Figure 3-1 shows that
you can even replace life-size hubcaps for a collectible car using 3D printing.
Maybe you don’t need to replace the hubcaps on a rare sports car, but what about a personalized 3D printed
luggage tag or a replacement part no longer in production? Rapid prototyping is defined as the ability to
quickly fabricate a model of a physical part using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) soft-
Photo Courtesy Carson Chan
FIGURE 31: Prototyping process for a Mazda collector car. HoneyPoint3D’s CAD model of rare hubcap, based solely on a photo (below).
3D printed / CNC milled hubcap on award-winning car (above).
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ware. 3D printing is ideal for rapid prototyping in that you can make changes quickly and produce a sample
of one, saving time and money.
In the rapid prototyping division of our company, we see hundreds of people just like you looking at ways
to invent and personalize the objects around them. They often come to us with hand drawings, a physical
prototype, mechanical drawings, or even just ideas! We then translate this information into a CAD model
(i.e., a digital file). The first 3D print lets our clients test the design. If adjustments are needed, we modify the
CAD file and then 3D print the next version. This process continues until the client is satisfied with the final
version of their product.
Figure 3-2 shows an example of how one of our clients turned an idea she had into a product sold at The
Container Store. Individuals, small businesses, and large corporations everywhere can now customize
products in small production runs.
Maybe you have an invention? Think of your possibilities! Instead of expensive tooling costs that can run into
the tens of thousands of dollars, you can now test your ideas with a 3D printer and, in many cases, get your
first prototype for under $50 USD per 3D print. And because changing an aspect of the design in a CAD
modeling program is easy, each and every object can be subtly different for each buyer. This is something
injection molding either cannot do or would require extensive postprocessing in order to achieve.
Photo Courtesy Carson Chan
FIGURE 32: Luxe Bag Care hanger in CAD form (left) and as the actual product made from clear acrylic (right)
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Never before has there been such a versatile manufacturing tool that is so accessible to the masses. Your
rapid prototype could be an iteration of a design or the final product. It’s up to you!
FORWARD-THINKING COMPANIES ARE ACTIVELY BRINGING
YOU 3D PRINTING
In 2013, The UPS Store, the world’s largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, printing, and business
service centers, started offering local in-store 3D printing services using the Stratasys uPrint SE Plus 3D
printer. Now, select The UPS Store locations across the country offer potential “same day” 3D printing ser-
vices to their customers (Figure 3-3). These offerings brought retail 3D printing to a national level in the
United States.
DON'T WORRY, COMPLEXITY WON'T COST YOU MORE
Do companies charge more for more complex products? When you buy something, it’s almost always the
case that the more complex or ornate versions cost more. This is not true with 3D printing. You don’t need
to pay more for the highly complicated, complex designs, other than the time to design them yourself. The
3D printer just “reads” where to put the material…it doesn’t “care” if it’s simple or complex. The 3D printer
just registers how much material is being used, not how intricate the design is, so your cost is based on the
material used and not detail.
FIGURE 33: The UPS Store currently has 34 physical locations throughout the United States that offer 3D printing services
(photo credit: The UPS Store)
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Never before has there been such a versatile manufacturing tool that is so accessible to the masses. Your
rapid prototype could be an iteration of a design or the final product. It’s up to you!
FORWARD-THINKING COMPANIES ARE ACTIVELY BRINGING
YOU 3D PRINTING
In 2013, The UPS Store, the world’s largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, printing, and business
service centers, started offering local in-store 3D printing services using the Stratasys uPrint SE Plus 3D
printer. Now, select The UPS Store locations across the country offer potential “same day” 3D printing ser-
vices to their customers (Figure 3-3). These offerings brought retail 3D printing to a national level in the
United States.
DON'T WORRY, COMPLEXITY WON'T COST YOU MORE
Do companies charge more for more complex products? When you buy something, it’s almost always the
case that the more complex or ornate versions cost more. This is not true with 3D printing. You don’t need
to pay more for the highly complicated, complex designs, other than the time to design them yourself. The
3D printer just “reads” where to put the material…it doesn’t “care” if it’s simple or complex. The 3D printer
just registers how much material is being used, not how intricate the design is, so your cost is based on the
material used and not detail.
This is another reason why 3D printing is important. Companies (and you!) can
now design highly complex objects (Figure 3-4, Figure 3-5, Figure 3-6, Figure
3-7) that were once either impossible or too expensive to make with traditional
manufacturing techniques like injection molding.
The objects shown in Figure 3-8 and Figure 3-9 are also great examples of 3D
printing’s capabilities. Figure 3-8 shows how 3D printing allowed the industrial
designer to create very organic shapes that are also precise and Figure 3-9
shows how an artist included inner layers that were created during the printing
process.
FIGURE 33: The UPS Store currently has 34 physical locations throughout the United States that offer 3D printing services
(photo credit: The UPS Store)
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