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Technology: Engineering Our World
Some 3D printers can produce real parts that can be used in the
actual products. These are called rapid manufacturing systems. This is an
economical solution when only a few parts are needed. The manufacturer
does not have to prepare expensive tooling. Instead, CAD information is
sent directly to the 3D printer, which builds the part. A major advantage of
these systems is on-demand manufacturing. The part is not manufactured
until a customer orders it. This helps keep the manufacturer’s costs
down because no warehouse space is needed to store the part until it is
purchased.
You do not have to own an expensive machine to take advantage of
3D printing technologies. 3D printers are becoming less expensive, and
“personal” 3D printers are now available. See Figure 3-38. You can also
create the CAD files and send them to a service provider for processing.
The service provider has the machines capable of creating a part from
your CAD files. For a fee, the service provider creates the part and sends
it to you.
gure 3-38. A personal
3D printer that builds physical
models from CAD files.
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3D printing has recently brought product design and manufacturing to
a whole new level. They allow manufacturers to create a limited number
of products for which demand is low. They no longer have to spend time
and money creating the tooling to manufacture these products.
As 3D printer technology continues to improve, it will become more
commonplace. You may even have a 3D printer in your home. In addition,
scientists and technologists are considering 3D printing for applications such
as organ transplants (bioprinting) and for home building, among others.