In this section, we describe the available 3D printer technologies and their advantages and disadvantages and the basics of what you need to know to operate one. In Chapter 1 we cover the situations when one would want to use a 3D printer. Chapter 2 discusses materials available for 3D printing and how your material choice may drive your printer hardware selection. Chapter 2 moves on to cover the slicing software that takes a design and makes it printable.

In Chapter 4, we move on to helping you make a purchasing decision for your printer, and in Chapter 5 we walk you through how to actually operate it and troubleshoot common problems. We wind up Part I with Chapter 6’s review of techniques to use on a finished print for cosmetic or functional reasons. You will then be ready to think about how to design something to print (Part II) and 3D printing applications (Part III).