3D printing has seen considerable growth in recent years as many milestones shape the industry. With the increasing usage of 3D printing technology, conversations about the additive manufacturing industry are becoming more tangible.
There are currently thousands of demonstrable benefits proving that it can be applied as a mainstream manufacturing technology in all kinds of industries, including healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and more. Small businesses are also benefiting from this innovative technology.
You can also purchase one for home application and just 3D print whatever you want. As we move into a new decade, it’s only natural that many are wondering what the future holds. Here’s a look at 15 key 3D printing trends to watch out for:
Creality CR-6 SE 3D Printer
CR-6 SE is the most innovative 3D printer ever designed by Creality (a leading 3D printer manufacturer). It is the ultimate 3D printer for versatile makers who inspire new ideas and define utmost creativity.
It features an innovative true leveling-free technology that lets you rely on accurate results as it provides intelligently automatic platform leveling, which greatly improves bed adhesion and the quality of prints.
It also has a versatile modular nozzle, which makes it easy for components parts replacement and saves you time and effort when it comes to nozzle maintenance. You will be able to change the heat block, nozzle tip, heat sink, Teflon tube, and even equip the nozzle with powerful cooling fans for better heat disposition.
A clip is added on the extruder, which allows the filament to feed-in effortlessly. The redesigned 3D extruder promotes easier filament feed, as well as faster, quieter, and smoother extrusion which will ultimately generate high-quality prints.
In addition to these main features, the CR-6 SE 3D Printer comes with a photoelectric filament sensor, HD color touch screen that allows for intuitive user experience, a Silent Chipset to cut the noise, dual Z-Axis and timing belt for great motion stability and balance, trinamic controller for voltage control and quiet operation, a carborundum glass hotbed platform that offers a stellar thermal performance, and several extra 3d print tools for the best 3D printing experience. The over-load protection, thermal runaway protection, and over current protection, will always keep your mind at peace.
Whatever you think of shaping and creating –whether industrial applications or even architecture modeling –just 3D print it using CR-6 SE 3D Printer. In short, 3D printing is re-invented as simplicity meets power, accuracy, and affordability in this product.
Space 3D printer
When high-resolution and greater accuracy is needed for 3D models, SLA printing is preferred over FDM printing. The problem is high-quality SLA printing hasn’t been user friendly, not to mention the cost is too high for most consumers.
All this changed with the invention of the Space 3D printer, which offers the quality and precision of SLA printing while keeping it affordable and intuitive so anyone can easily and quickly achieve stunning 3D prints.
This 3D printer combines the best of SLA printing as it offers accuracy and a fast printing speed of up to 40mm/h, which is twice as fast as other large-scale printers in its class. It’s also the first SLA printer in its class to offer large build volumes up to 215*135*200mm, thus making it one of the best large format 3D printers in a compact desktop design. Aside from being able to print larger objects, the printer allows you to print multiple smaller objects at once.
Another great feature is the fact that this printer is an all-metal design, which makes it more stable during printing and generally a longer service life than plastic printers.
Other great features include ultra-high resolution (XY resolution of 85μm and Z resolution of 10μm), 10.1-inch industrial LCD screen, and a 140W UV LED Matrix to ensure more uniform lamp exposure for better print quality.
The Space 3D printer is also created with new users in mind as it includes beginner-friendly features like a smart touch screen for easy use and one-click printing to make it easy for anyone to start creating cool 3D printing objects.
3D Printed Meat Alternative
Livestock farming is one of the major contributors to water pollution, deforestation, land degradation, and ultimately, global warming through the release of methane gas. With the growing concerns on the environmental impact of conventional meat production, not to mention the health implications associated with meat consumption, more and more people are now turning to meat alternatives.
A number of companies and academic research labs are now applying 3D printing to produce meat alternatives. 3D food printers use plant proteins such as pea protein, wheat gluten, rice proteins, and soy protein as raw materials for creating plant-based meat-alternatives. Animal cells grown in a lab can also be used to create 3D printed meat alternative.
3D food printers turn these materials into moldable fibrous forms to form a raw, steak-like substance that mimics muscle fibers and the texture of meat. They are then pushed out at a steady rate with a combination of pressure, heat, and mechanical shear, cooking them in the process.
The end result is a meat alternative that boasts the same appearance, consistency, and has the nutritional properties you would find in regular animal meat products. It also doesn’t contain cholesterol or the pathogens that exist in animal meat. With all the cool 3d printing objects you can create, 3D printed meat alternative has got to be the greatest innovation of 3D printing.
Digitalcerams Desktop Ceramic 3D Printer
Unlike most 3D printers that use plastic filament for printing, Digitalcerams desktop ceramic 3D printer prints out objects using ceramic. Ceramics has long been used as the basis for arts; however, traditional processes make ceramic creation more difficult. Digitalceram easily brings your ceramic creativity to life as it’s easy to use, fast, and accurate.
It features a proprietary mini air compress system, as well as a patented advanced PCB control system, both of which ensure precise pressure control and extrusion. This allows you to enjoy high-quality prints at your leisure.
Users can also expect a build volume of 150 x 150 x 200mm, 350 x 350 x 500mm footprint, an accuracy of 0.1mm, and a print speed of 10-120mm/s (this is 40% faster than other ceramic 3D printers).
It can accept different print nozzles with a diameter of 0.6-3mm, as well as SD card and USD connectivity. With its compact design, it can be positioned onto a desk to enhance ease of access.
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Thanks to all these great features, the Digitalceram Desktop Ceramic 3D Printer allows you to achieve exceptional detail right at your desk. You can create complex ceramic models quickly and efficiently without compromising accuracy. The end result is smooth clay, durable, and a glassy ceramic print that’s glazing-free and sintering-free.
Rose Go 3D Printer
In today’s high-tech world, 3D printers have become crucial for the development of engineers, entrepreneurs, designers, and even young people. However, using most of these pieces of equipment requires a time-consuming learning curve.
The creators of Rose Go 3D printer have considered that we live in a fast-paced world where time is of the essence. With user-friendly features such as an intuitive interface, this printer makes it easier than ever for anyone to concentrate on their creativity and get started with 3D printing.
The Rose Go 3D printer is made of metal core 3d printer components, which ensures stability and durability. It combines engineering performance and aesthetic design to look and work great at an affordable price. It also supports multiple printing materials, including resin, PLA, Wood PLA, Gold PLA, Silver PLA, and TPU among others.
No matter what print medium you select, the Rose Go 3D printer remains highly precise with a 300mm/s travel speed and positioning accuracy of up to 0.01mm, thereby resulting in high-quality prints of incredible detail.
Other features include auto leveling, a touchscreen LCD for controlling print functions, filament run-out detection, and a 0.9° Stepper Motor with twice the precision for high resolution and improved fineness. Its proprietary silent drive solution keeps the motor sound below 10dB, which makes it suitable for use in homes or open offices without causing a disturbance.
In short, this is an extremely versatile printer that is great for beginners, hobbyists and professionals alike. It offers the perfect combination for a high-value 3D printer, which includes engineering performance, ease of use, and aesthetics design.
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Makerbot Method 3D Printer
This is a performance 3D printer that offers the speed and accuracy of an industrial-grade machine but with the space-saving design of a desktop 3D printer. Makerbot Method 3D printer is designed to control every aspect of the printing process. There are tons of unique features to delve into that all work together to provide unprecedented print quality.
For starters, it can produce consistent parts with ± 0.2 mm dimensional accuracy with a print speed that is 2x faster than other leading desktop 3D printers. The ultra-rigid metal frame is designed to run full-length of the machine, thus preventing any potential instability or flexing during the printing process.
It has dual extrusion system that allows 3ders more design freedom, including being able to create complex geometries. It is compatible with 25 different CAD file types, which can save you development time as it allows you to skip conversion.
With a 100°C heated chamber, this 3D printer can withstand 15°C higher temperatures than other modified desktop 3D printers, thus allowing it to print durable real-ABS parts. It also supports PLA, Tough PLA, PETG and several specialty materials.
The circulating heated chamber controls temperatures at every layer of the print to ensure better layer adhesion and improved strength for the 3d printer components.
It also features a 5″ touchscreen, 21 onboard sensors, highly intuitive UI, Wi-Fi connectivity, and more. The team behind the Makerbot Method 3D printer has conducted 300,000+ total testing hours on the system’s reliability and prints quality and is confident that it will deliver industrial-grade performance.
Z Spools Filament for 3D Printing
With people becoming more environmentally-conscious, there has been a move to make much more sustainable and eco-friendly technologies. In 3D printing, when it comes to choosing a filament, the most common raw material is plastic.
Given all the negative effects of plastic on our environment, manufactures are constantly inventing more eco-friendly options. There are already a number of 3D printing filaments that boast all-natural, nontoxic and 100% compostable benefits. But today we are going to talk about the latest addition, which is Z spools filament for 3D printing.
Lorena James, the brains behind this brilliant eco-friendly development, makes her filament from Invasive Quagga Mussels. She uses polylactic acid to break down the quagga mussels. The material is then combined with biodegradable plastic pellets to create a filament that can print on any standard 3D printer. Even though the end result includes plastic, the zebra and quagga mussels in it increase the biodegradability of the filament.
Z spools filament for 3D printing isn’t just a creative use of materials; it introduces sustainable material for additive manufacturing while offering a way to deal with an invasive and destructive species, quagga mussels.
The ‘ONO” 3D Printer
Manufacturers are looking to make 3D printing accessible to everyone on the planet. What better way to do that than with the one device nearly everyone owns, which is a smartphone. ONO now makes it possible to transform your smartphone into a 3D printing machine.
All you need to do is select the model you want to print from the ONO app, place your phone facing upwards underneath the polarized glass at the base of the machine, and pour the resin into the reservoir. Once you place the lid on top, ONO will do the rest to give you a completed part in just a few minutes.
The printer is designed to use light from a smartphone or tablet to cure light-polymerized resin and create cool 3d printing objects. Accuracy, affordability, simplicity, and portability are the main advertised features of the ONO 3D printer.
The machine is compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows devices, and the print quality depends on the phone’s screen resolution. The brighter your smartphone screen, the faster it prints a model. By re-using the high-resolution LED screen on existing smartphones, this printer significantly reduces development costs.
The ‘ONO” 3D printer retails for just $99, which coupled with its ease-of-use makes it the best 3d printers for kids, beginners, and basically, anyone who wants to get started with 3D printing.
ONO, previously known as OLO, made its debut in October 2015 in New York where it won the World Maker Faire Editor’s Choice Award. There’s no denying that this innovative concept excites 3D printing enthusiasts.
The Cucinapro Car Mini Waffle Maker
Get ready to play with food as this waffle maker allows you to create 3D cars and trucks. Why serve regular-shaped waffles that look boring when you can have a pile of hot wheels on your plate. This machine basically adds fun into your breakfast. It can make 7 different shaped waffles/pancakes, including a police car, an ambulance, school bus, garbage truck, monster truck, pickup truck, and a race truck.
All you need to do is pour your favorite waffle or pancake batter into the non-stick slots and then close it to cook. The top part has corresponding cut-outs that mold them into cars and trucks. You’ll almost don’t want to cover them in syrup and butter when eating.
This trend could also work to support parents with picky eaters. It’s nearly impossible for kids not to have their breakfast when it’s shaped like their favorite toys. Plus, it makes waffles that are naturally friendly for your kids’ small hands to pick up and dunk in syrup.
The Cucinapro car mini waffle maker can easily cook up a fresh batch of waffles in just a few minutes. In short, it’s the ultimate small kitchen countertop appliance for those who want to get creative with breakfast foods.
The Crownes Chess Set
Chess is one of the oldest games with the largest community in the world. It only makes sense that this widespread game is integrated into the newest technology that’s taking the world by storm. Designers and engineers have taken advantage of the endless potential of 3D printing and used it to create a slew of fun versions of 3d printer components of this classic game. One of their best creations is the Crownes Chess Set, which was designed by Etho LLC.
This chess set features 3D printed pieces and have an anodized aluminum finish that gives them the look and feel of high-end technology pieces. The pieces have a hollow design, which allows them to nest within each other. Since pawns are usually the first to lose their lives during a game of chess, their small design allows them to easily nest within other players.
The largest pieces (king and queen pieces) snap together magnetically, holding discarded players to form a compact collection of same-colored chess players. Being stacked over the top of the opponent pieces during play makes it look like they are consuming them, thus creating a satisfying level of gameplay that is bound to be appreciated by avid and amateur players alike. The pieces can also be nested within one another when not in use for easy transportation.
Needless to say, this is a clever take on the classic chess set to create something unique using modern manufacturing methods for a satisfying game experience.
3D Printed Face Shield for COVID-19
The massive PPE shortage in the ongoing Covid-19 infections has pushed for DIY efforts from hobbyists, manufacturing experts, professional firms, and even academics. And, with 3D printing being able to create virtually any object, it’s no surprise that it’s on the front lines of this pandemic.
The 3D printed face shield for COVID-19 has become second in demand to face masks, which are in short supply. A face shield of the DIY kind basically consists of a molded/printed plastic semi-circle visor that is attached to a piece of foam using glue. It rests on the forehead and secured in the back by a piece of elastic or rubber band.
One way people can avoid the coronavirus infection is by not touching their faces. But since face masks are not 100% effective at preventing the spread of coronavirus, a face shield can provide an extra layer of protection, especially to healthcare workers taking care of COVID-19 patients.
Unlike a face mask that only covers the mouth and nose, face shields provide a 180-degree protection of the face, thus keeping you from touching your entire face. That being said, note that the 3D printed face shield for COVID-19 is in no way a replacement of the standard face masks but acts as an external mask that provides the first protective layer.
Face shields aren’t bound by regulatory restrictions like the respiratory face masks. This lack of regulation makes them an attractive option for small and large manufacturers looking for a way to pitch in during this pandemic.
The Nuo 3D Mask
There’s an increasing need for people to wear face masks daily, especially amid this coronavirus pandemic. The problem with conventional masks is that they don’t usually work well –they are either uncomfortable, lack an elegant look, have leakage problems, and/or filter only a small percentage of pollution particles. What if you could have a face mask that protects you with a tailored fit and is comfortable to wear all day? Well, look no further than the Nuo 3D mask.
It consists of two main parts: the 3D printed shell and a replaceable filter. The former is made from high-grade polyamide and 3D printed using high precision industrial printers.
The replaceable filter, on the other hand, complies with N95 standards. N95 standard materials are designed to prevent large droplets, splashes, sprays, and 95%+ of small particles from entering your mouth and nose. This includes viruses and bacteria.
But most of the conventional ones only work if they fit properly and may not be suitable for people with facial hair or children. The Nuo 3D mask has a custom design so everyone can wear a stylish, yet fitting and comfortable face mask. You can even personalize it with a label to make yours special.
The replaceable filters and the fact that they can filter up to 99% of micro-pollutant particles ensures you are always breathing fresh air.
The truth is many of us are not good at wearing a face mask even if it saves our lives. But with this personalized invention, we are confident that everyone can execute a nurse-level mask fit. The Nuo 3D mask has passed the quantitative and qualitative fit test at the professional institute.
3D Printing For Bikes Manufacturing
There are several reasons why 3d printing is important and in this section, we look at how it’s adding a new element to the bike manufacturing sector. 3D printing now helps to create lightweight bikes while allowing for faster production of custom-made bike components.
Steel has long been the go-to material for bike production, but it has recently given way to more lightweight materials like carbon fiber and titanium. These materials help to lower the overall weight of the bicycle frame.
A lightweight bicycle offers several benefits to cyclists: it responds faster to a rider’s movements, allows them to reach faster speeds, it’s easier to control, and rides more easily uphill. All of these features provide key advantages for competitive cyclists.
Using traditional manufacturing methods to produce titanium or carbon fiber bikes can be challenging as it is time-consuming and often labor-intensive. But 3D printing offers a better way of creating titanium and carbon fiber parts.
Since this method uses 3D CAD models, parts can be produced directly without the need for specialized tooling. Bike manufacturers are also able to explore more design options with 3D printing that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. This allows for affordable customization and gives manufacturers a chance to optimize material distribution.
This not only helps to add a unique touch to the bike’s design but also enhances the overall performance of the bike. Ultimately, 3D printing allows the production of bike parts with tighter tolerances and cleaner edges, which translate into a lightweight, aesthetically-pleasing, and higher-performing bicycle.
3D Printed Door Attachment
Door handles are some of the most germ-infested objects anywhere –whether at home, in hospitals, or even offices. To limit how often people touch surface, engineers and designers are creating 3D printed add-ons to place around buildings.
In the wake of the new coronavirus, we are doing everything in our power not to touch shared surfaces as that is one of the ways the virus can be transmitted. Unless more accessible, automatic doors are installed, a quick solution for eliminating this common location for potential germs transmission is the 3D printed door attachment.
This printable door opener only needs a few screws to be fitted onto doors, after which you will be able to open a door hands-free (with a covered forearm instead of a hand). 3D printing is playing an important role amid the coronavirus crisis as it helps to produces a number of things that can help curb the spread of this virus. The 3D printed door attachment is an easy way to reduce the chances of cross-contamination and ultimately keep people’s hands cleaner even in the future.
The best part is this object doesn’t require rigorous safety production measures or a lot of testing as the 3D-printed face masks. They work and are safe as they can be. They are available in multiple designs to fit different types of doorknobs. Those designs are free to download online so anyone with a 3D printer can make one that is bespoke to their door.
Porsche 3D Printed Seats
We conclude our 3D printing trending applications by looking at 3D printed seats. Porsche is adopting the idea of 3d printing by creating “body-form full bucket seats”. The best part of this seat is that it can be customized to allow users to choose from three firmness levels, which include soft, medium and hard. For 2020, Porsche will manufacture 40 seats for their 911s and 718s; these shall be used as prototypes and will be tested on racetracks within Europe.
The seats’ availability will expand in mid-2021 after Porsche gets feedback from their customer, at this moment several colors and designs will be available to Porsche exclusive. Just like in motorsports, the seat will be designed to suit any person’s body shape and contours. The seats will have lightweight material while the back and central cushions will be 3D printed.
The new body-form bucket seat will comprise of sandwich construction. Its base consists of expanded polypropylene (EPP), which is then fused to a mixture of polyurethane materials that are fabricated by 3D printing.
The exterior part is made of a waterproof material called Racetex and has nice lattice design. It’s partially covered leaving small openings –window panels that allow the driver to fit in the lattice structure.
Porsche is softly launching these new seats, which are an interface between cars and human, with only the initial 40 seats available this year. The rest of the production of these 3D printed seats is set to take place next year. All these seats will be set for a six-point safety harness.
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