3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer. (Source Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing)

First developed in the 1980’s, 3d printing is a new form of manufacturing. The general public became aware of the technology with the introduction of low cost home 3d printers. There are many types of 3d printers that can range from a few hundred dollars to well over a million dollars. 3D printers cannot print complex assemblies such as a toaster, a computer, or a functional organ. Read about the man who changed the manufacturing industry: The night I invented 3D printing.

3D Printing is commonly used for fit form and function validation but is increasingly used in the production of quality end use parts. 3D computer models used for 3D printing can come from a variety of sources to include:

• CAD applications (SolidWorks, Free CAD, Fusion 360, etc.)

• 3D Modeling and Animation applications (3DS Max, Blender, z-Brush, etc.)

• 3D Scanning (Laser, Contact, Photogrammetry, Time of Flight, etc.)

• Medical Imaging (CT, MRI)

Most 3D printers use a special file typed called an STL. The STL, short for stereolithography, is composed of a triangulated wireframe mesh used to define the shape of a 3d object. The STL file format is supported by many 3D applications. For details on how to export STL files for 3D printing see "3D printing STL files: A step-by-step guide".

Hobbyist Grade 3D Printers are the most affordable machines on the marked. They tend to be FDM based and offer low material cost. Entry level machines use peel away supports which can lead to surface scarring and Band-Aid laden post processing. Part accuracy is low and builds will fail frequently. Hobbyist machines will require parameter ‘tweaking’ to get the best results. Much consideration is required when designing parts to be printed on this class of machine. Examples of such machines include the Ultimaker 3 and Ender 3

Consumer grade 3D printers tend to offer ease of use via simple user interfaces and refined hardware and software design. Machine and material costs are higher and may carry certain environmental concerns. Ease of use and added capabilities of consumer grade 3d printers free designers to explore more complex shapes. The Form 3 is an excellent example of a consumer grade machine

Commercial grade 3D Printers are the most expensive machines on the market. With prices ranging from tens of thousands to millions of dollars these 3d printers tend to be purpose built focused on high output, and high duty cycle. Typically optimized for specific materials or processes they offer large build volumes, high feature detail, high accuracy, and specialized materials, but not necessarily all. Commercial grade 3d printers likely require dedicated staff, environmental controls, post processing, and proper handling of waste. The Stratasys J750 color 3D printer, BigRep Studio G2 large format 3D Printer and Asiga Max X micro-scale 3D printer are examples of commercial grade 3D printers.