Volumes of production
From one-offs to small batch production.
Unit price vs. capital investment
Two-dimensional printers are within most people’s budget, so you can take one apart and play with it at will, substituting the inks with anything you care to try.
Speed
Depends on what you want to do, but typically this is still a fairly slow process.
Surface
When making three-dimensional objects from standard production materials, the surface may have a ribbed texture as witness to the way the material has been laid down.
Types/complexity of shape
Highly complex shapes, restricted only by what you draw on your computer.
Scale
The team from the Medical University of South Carolina has demonstrated the highly controlled, cell-by-cell scale that is possible.
Tolerances
The production of three-dimensional living tissue demonstrates the fine tolerances that are achievable.
Relevant materials
Again, the machine is there to be explored, though you will need a basic combination of liquid and solid materials. The examples mentioned above give you some idea of the potential.
Typical products
The beauty with this process is that the examples mentioned above are currently a sort of DIY production, based on groups of people tinkering with technology and machines to give them new functions. The two contrasting examples illustrate that there is no such thing as a typical product for this hybrid technology.
Similar methods
Contour crafting (p.244), selective laser sintering (SLS) (p.252), and electroforming for micro-molds (p.250).
Sustainability issues
The edible outcome of inkjet printing shown here is a particularly poetic example of how waste could be eliminated—sheets can simply be eaten! Although experimentation is encouraged, care should be taken not to create too much waste or break too many printers through testing materials. In conventional ink-based printing the main issues are recycling and reuse of the cartridges.
Further information
www.motorestaurant.com
Paper-Based Rapid Prototyping
Layered paper
Product |
Cell phone cover |
Materials |
Photocopier paper |
Manufacturer |
Mcor Technologies Ltd |
Country |
UK |
Date |
Unknown |
These cell-phone covers show the level of finish and detail that is achievable with this paper-based rapid prototyping process.
The machine used for paper-based rapid prototyping makes the common inkjet printer look prehistoric and allows users to do extraordinary things. It is able to take a humble, everyday sheet of 8½ x 11 inches and create an extremely detailed and intricate model of virtually any shape imaginable.
It allows you to take a drawing or scan from your computer and print it out into a 3-D physical object made solely out of sheets of paper. To do this the machine uses software that takes the drawing or scan and breaks it up into layers the same thickness as the paper. When the information is sent to the printer, it cuts each slice of paper to shape and layers them one on top of the other using a water-based adhesive. The layering takes several hours, but the end result is an incredibly precise 3-D shape made up of hundreds of pieces of paper layered together.
Because of the flexibility of paper, a working, live hinge can be produced in one piece—something that cannot be achieved with many plastic-based alternatives—which means you get a more accurate prototype that is as close as possible to the real thing.
As only paper and a water-based adhesive are used, prototypes can be recycled, which makes this the most eco-friendly process on the market. What’s more, recycled paper can be used in the first instance, with excellent results.
– Quick production time.
– Paper is cheap compared to alternative plastic resins and is readily available.
– More environmentally friendly than processes that use plastics.
– Currently limited to letter-size paper.