element14 Community launches eBook on 3D printing

element14, an Avnet Community, has released a new eBook that offers insights into the history and the reality of 3D printing, including the processes, materials, and applications — as well as what the future holds of this advancing technology.

The 3D printing industry has been developing rapidly over the past two decades, and has moved beyond large corporations and industry-only tools to affordable models that can now be found in garages and home labs. As with any other technology, companies have taken advantage of innovations that have driven 3D printing into new areas and applications. There are 3D printers that produce different foods, including pizzas, and others that build entire houses using massive robotic printers. The technology can be utilized for nearly anything and taken anywhere. The new eBook explores how all that has been made possible, including:

• A brief history of 3D printing
• Methods used to produce prints: Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM)
• Slicing software and how it works, including CAD software such as Blender and AutoCAD as well as open source slicers such as Prusa3D’s PrusaSlicer, which can let users fine-tune the 3D models and slice them into layers.
• Types of filaments used to make 3D models and their applications in various industries from food to aerospace: PLA, PEEK, PETG, ABS, resins, wood, cement and metals
• Current 3D printing technologies such as Stepcraft’s M-1000 series, Snap maker 2.0 , printers that make houses, tools for the space and medical devices
• How additive manufacturing is the future of 3D printing

For more information on 3D printing, please check out our resources here. And to read the full eBook, please visit element14.com.

The original Press Release