ABSTRACT

3D printing is a phrase used to describe the process of creating three dimensional objects from a digital file using a materials printer, in a manner similar to printing images on paper. The term is most closely associated with additive manufacturing technology, where an object is created by laying down successive layers of material. Recently the term is increasingly used to describe all types of manufacturing processes, or even other types of rapid prototyping technology. Since 2003 there has been large growth in the sale of 3D printers. Additionally, the cost of 3D printers has gone down. The technology also finds use in the fields of jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic information systems, civil engineering, and many others

CONTENTS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

INTRODUCTION WHAT IS 3D PRINTING? HOW DOES IT WORK? DIFFERENT METHODS OF 3D PRINTING TYPES OF USM CLASSIFICATION OF USM MERITS AND DEMERITS OF ULTRASONIC MOTORS CONCLUSION 2-3 4-8 9

10-13 14-17 18 19 20

COMPARISON AMONG VARIOUS ULTRASONIC MOTORS 19

10. REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

Imagine the day when you no longer purchase a chair in a shop or via a traditional online retailer but instead buy the design for the chair, created on a computer software package, via the internet. You would be able to customise this digital blueprint however you chose and then email the file to a local rapid-manufacturing store where the finished item would be produced, ready for collection. This futuristic scenario describes the potential of 3D printing, a form of the cutting-edge technology known as Additive Manufacturing. The first commercial 3D printer was based on a technique called stereolithography. This was invented by Charles Hull in 1984 So what is 3D printing and how does it work? The process is part of a group of rapidmanufacturing technologies that translate digital designs into objects that are 'printed off, three-dimensionally, by a machine. In the same way that a domestic inkjet printer hovers over a sheet of paper placing ink on the page, the 3D printer adds layer upon layer of epoxy to build objects from the base up. Products are created with all the inside and outside parts complete. There is no assembly required.

WHAT IS 3D PRINTING?

3D printing is a process of creating three dimensional objects from a digital file using a materials printer, in a manner similar to printing images on paper. The term is most closely associated with additive manufacturing technology, where an object is created by laying down successive layers of material. Recently the term is increasingly used to describe all types of additive manufacturing processes, or even other types of rapid prototyping technology. 3D printing is an additive technology in which objects are built up in layers and usually over several hours.. Stereolithographic 3D printers (known as SLAs or stereolithography apparatus) position a perforated platform just below the surface of a vat of liquid photocurable polymer. A UV laser beam then traces the first slice of an object on the surface of this liquid, causing a very thin layer of photopolymer to harden. The perforated platform is then lowered very slightly and another slice is traced out and hardened by the laser. Another slice is then created, and then another, until a complete object has been printed and can be removed from the vat of photopolymer, drained of excess liquid, and cured. Stereolithographic printers remain one of the most accurate types of hardware for fabricating 3D output, with a minimum build layer thickness of only 0.06mm (0.0025 of an inch).

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF A 3D-PRINTER The basic concept behind all 3-D printers is the same. 3-dimensional CAD drawings are sliced into layers ranging from approximately 0.09 to 0.25 millimeters thick depending on the machine being used. Each slice represents a single layer of the constructed object. Different printers use different materials and different binding processes, but generally a powder of ceramic, nylon, or even metal is used as the base material and fused together into the pattern for the layer currently being created. After the completion of a layer, the machine moves on to the next layer until it is completed. The following diagram shows the basic principle of a 3D-Printer

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The following steps briefly explains in steps the working of the 3D-PRINTER STEP 1: A model of the object is created on a computer. Software analyses this model, taking a series of cross sections and working out the distribution of space and solid matter within each layer.

STEP 2: The 3-D printer builds up the object,one layer at a time,using one of the several methods.A bed of powder may be laid down and then solidified in certain places by squirting out of a nozzle to build up material in the appropriate parts of each layer;or light may be used to harden selected Regions of a photosensitive gel.Some devices can use more than one material for each layer,or apply inks to produce multicoloured objects. STEP 3: Once each layer is complete,the build tray is lowered by a fraction of a millimeter and the construction of the layer begins.Whwn all the layers have been completed,any excess material is cleaned away to reveal the finished object. DIFFERENT METHODS OF 3D PRINTING A number of competing technologies are available to do 3D printing. Their main differences are found in the way layers are built to create parts. Some methods use melting or softening material to produce the layers, e.g. selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM), while others lay liquid materials that are cured with different technologies, i.e. stereolithography (SLA). In the case of laminated object

manufacturing (LOM), thin layers are cut to shape and joined together (i.e. paper, polymer, metal). Each method has its advantages and drawbacks, and consequently some companies offer a choice between powder and polymer as the material from which the object emerges. Generally, the main considerations are speed, cost of the printed prototype, cost of the 3D printer, choice and cost of materials and colour capabilities. Molten polymer deposition Fused deposition modeling (FDM), a technology developed by Stratasys that is used in traditional rapid prototyping, uses a nozzle to deposit molten polymer (i.e. ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PPSU) onto a support structure, layer by layer. FDM parts can be strengthened by wicking a metal into the part. Granular materials binding Another approach is selective fusing of print media in a granular bed. In this variation, the unfused media serves to support overhangs and thin walls in the part being produced, reducing the need for auxiliary temporary supports for the workpiece. Typically a laser is used to sinter the media and form the solid. Examples of this are selective laser sintering (SLS), using metals as well as polymers (i.e. PA, PA-GF, Rigid GF, PEEK, PS, Alumide, Carbonmide, elastomers), and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Electron beam melting (EBM) is a similar type of additive manufacturing technology for metal parts (i.e. titanium alloys). EBM manufactures parts by melting metal powder layer by layer with an electron beam in a high vacuum. Unlike metal sintering techniques that operate below melting point, the parts are fully dense, void-free, and very strong. The CandyFab printing system uses heated air and granulated sugar. It can be used to produce food-grade art objects. Another method consists of an inkjet printing system. The printer creates the model one layer at a time by spreading a layer of powder (plaster, or resins) and inkjet printing a binder in the crosssection of the part. The process is repeated until every layer is printed. This technology is the only on that allows for the printing of full colour prototypes. This method also allows overhangs, as well as elastomer parts. Unlike stereolithography, inkjet 3D printing is optimized for speed, low cost, and ease-of-use, making it suitable for visualizing during the conceptual stages of engineering design through to early-stage functional testing[citation needed]. No toxic chemicals like those used in stereolithography[citation needed] are required, and minimal post printing finish work is needed; one need only to use the printer itself to blow off surrounding powder after the printing process. Bonded powder prints can be further strengthened by wax or thermoset polymer impregnation. Photopolymerization

The main technology in which photopolymerization is used to produce a solid part from a liquid is stereolithography (SLA). In digital light processing (DLP), a vat of liquid polymer is exposed to light from a DLP projector under safelight conditions. The exposed liquid polymer hardens. The build plate then moves down in small increments and the liquid polymer is again exposed to light. The process repeats until the model is built. The liquid polymer is then drained from the vat, leaving the solid model. The ZBuilder Ultra is an example of a DLP rapid prototyping system. The Objet PolyJet system uses an inkjet printer to spray photopolymer materials in ultra-thin layers (16 micron) layer by layer onto a build tray until the part is completed. Each photopolymer layer iscured by UV light immediately after it is jetted, producing fully cured models that can be handled and used immediately, without post-curing. The gel-like support material, which is designed to support complicated geometries, is removed by hand and water jetting. Also suitable for elastomers. Ultra-small features may be made by the 3D microfabrication technique of multiphoton photopolymerization. In this approach, the desired 3D object is traced out in a block of gel by a focused laser. The gel is cured to a solid only in the places where the laser was focused, because of the nonlinear nature of photoexcitation, and then the remaining gel is washed away. Feature sizes of under 100 nm are easily produced, as well as complex structures such as moving and interlocked parts. Yet another approach uses a synthetic resin that is solidified using LEDs.

Example of 3D-PRINTED OBJECTS

A model (left) was digitally acquired by using a3D scanner, the scanned data processed using MeshLab, and the resulting 3D model used by arapid prototyping machine to create a resin replica (right)

An example of 3D printed limited edition jewellery. This necklace is made of glassfiber-filled dyed nylon. It has rotating linkages that were produced in the same manufacturing step as the other parts. Photography: Atelier Ted Noten.

APPLICATIONS

Standard applications include design visualization, prototyping/CAD, metal casting, architecture, education, geospatial, healthcare and entertainment/retail. Other applications would include reconstructing fossils inpaleontology, replicating ancient and priceless artifacts in archaeology, reconstructing bones and body parts in forensic pathology and reconstructing heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.

More recently, the use of 3D printing technology for artistic expression has been suggested.[13] Artists have been using 3D printers in various ways.[14] During the 2011 London Design Festival, an installation, curated by Murray Moss and focused on 3D Printing, took place in the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A). The installation was called Industrial Revolution 2.0: How the Material World will Newly Materialise.[15]

3D printing technology is currently being studied by biotechnology firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts are built using inkjet techniques. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium and slowly built up to form three dimensional structures. Several terms have been used to refer to this field of research:organ printing, bio-printing, and computer-aided tissue engineering, among others.[16] 3D printing can produce a personalized hip replacement in one pass, with the ball permanently inside the socket, and even at current printing resolutions the unit will not require polishing.

The use of 3D scanning technologies allow the replication of real objects without the use of molding techniques, that in many cases can be more expensive, more difficult, or too invasive to be performed; particularly with precious or delicate cultural heritage artifacts[17] where the direct contact of the molding substances could harm the surface of the original object. Evensmartphone can be used as 3D scanner: at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, Sculpteo unveiled a mobile app that allows people to directly generate 3D file using a smartphone such as the iPhone[18].

[edit]Industrial use Industrial 3D printers have existed since the early 1980s, and have been used extensively for rapid prototyping and research purposes. These are generally larger machines that use proprietary plastics or cartridges, and are used for many rapid prototyping uses by universities and commercial companies. Industrial 3D printers are made by companies such as Ex One,Objet Geometries, Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS GmbH, and Z Corporation. DOMESTIC USE

There are several projects and companies making efforts to develop 3D printers suitable for desktop use at a price many households can afford, many of which are related. Much of this work was driven by and targeted toDIY/enthusiast/early adopter communities, with links to both the academic and hacker communities.[19] The RepRap is a one of the longest running project in the Desktop category.

MERITS
Three-dimensional printing is considered an industrial revolution and can be used in almost every industry or field by many different users including design visualization, architecture, engineering, education, healthcare, geospatial, prototyping/CAD, metal casting, entertainment, retail, art and many more.

Here are some of the general advantages of 3-D printing: Faster Turnaround: Models are fast to make; hours rather than days or weeks.. Greater detail: Pieces made are more precise. Easy-to-use: While other forms of modeling and rapid prototyping require specialized knowledge and training, 3-D printers typically come with user-friendly software. Allowing them to efficiently test their product designs using the models made. The prints could also be used as working parts. Complex assemblies could be made that work. Pieces formed by a 3-D printer can actually snap or fit together. 3-D printing ensures that the designs remain inside the company, for greater protection rather than outsourcing a prototype.

These quick and inexpensive models from 3-D printers allow designers to now make multiple concepts right from their desktops. It could be used as a tool for visualizing and communicating your ideas as theres no substitute for the tactile and visual feedback a physical model can provide. CAD files, prints and renderings can be misinterpreted by everyone from team members to clients. The prints can be drilled, tapped, sanded and even painted.

DEMERITS Although three-dimensional printing has many advantages, it also has a few disadvantages that come with it:

Current 3D printing materials for investment casting tend to yield sporadically rough surfaces. Sometimes encourages informal design methods which may cause more problems to fix. It may not be suitable for large sized applications. The user may have very high expectations about theprototypes performance and it might fail in the exact replication of the real product or systems. 3-D printers are still expensive. Although 3-D printers have the potential of creating many jobs and opportunities, they might also put certain jobs at risk (for example, you can make your toys at home so toy stores and toy makers might go out of business).

CONCLUSION

Whether or not they arrive en-mass in the home, 3D printers have many promising areas of potential future application. They may, for example, be used to output spare parts for all manner of products, and which could not possibly be stocked as part of the inventory of even the best physical store. Hence, rather than throwing away a broken item (something unlikely to be justified a decade or two hence due to resource depletion and enforced recycling), faulty goods will be able to be taken to a local facility that will call up the appropriate spare parts online and simply print them out. NASA has already tested a 3D printer on the International Space Station, and recently announced its requirement for a high resolution 3D printer to produce spacecraft parts during deep space missions.

The US Army has also experimented with a truck-mounted 3D printer capable of outputting spare tank and other vehicle components in the battlefield. 3D printers may also be used to make future buildings. To this end, a team at Loughborough University is working on a 3D concrete printing project that could allow large building components to be 3D printed on-site to any design, and with improved thermal properties. Another possible future application is in the use of 3D printers to create replacement organs for the human body. This is known as bioprinting, and is an area of rapid development. You can learn more on the bioprinting page, or see more in my bioprinting video or the Future Visionsgallery. Another potential arena of 3D printing application is in the culture industries. SculptorBathsheba Grossman already uses 3D printers to create her works. In the future, museums could also print out exhibits as required from their own digital collection, or indeed from a global archive of artworks scanned from long-lost or too-delicate-todisplay originals. You can find out more about 3D artworks, including a great video, on the Singularity Hub.