Manufacturing gets a new dimension with 3D printers

The technology of printing goes back a few centuries. But it was only very recently that it received a radical overhaul. 3D printers added a whole new dimension to printing technology, creating new and exciting possibilities for the spheres of research and manufacturing. With the right amount of raw material and some level of design expertise, you can, at least in theory, “print out” a fully-functional automobile using a top-grade 3D printer. But those days are still far in the future. For now, we’ve got to be content with printing scale models of toys, artifacts and other complexly designed objects of interest. 3D printers work with two basic materials: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polylactide (PLA) plastic filament, both of which can produce high-resolution prints. As for the machines themselves, here are a few commercially available 3D printers that you might want to consider.

Cubify CubePro comes in the print range of 7 x 10 x 9 inches and has multiple print heads which enables to print on certain areas of the print plate. The print quality is excellent and printer can handle 15 mm/s of speed. The printer can print sharply with clean lines and solid surfaces. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polylactide (PLA) plastic filament are compatible with the device. The print bed of the device is not heated since the enclosed atmosphere is heated to protect the ABS model from wrapping. The 3D printer body is made out of aluminum. The device also has an LCD screen for convenient navigation and control over the machine. The device also comes with a roll of filament, the power supply and maintenance tools including a glue stick. The Cubify CubePro 3D printer is priced at Rs 2,86,729 approximately.

AirWolf 3D HD2x is a multi-material printer with the dual extrusion designed with prototyping. The printer comes in the print range of 11 x 8 X 12 inches which produces high resolution and large 3D models. The machine also integrates lightning fast speed and proprietary frame design. The device features MatterControl Touch and Sync your MC Touch with your MC on computer. The design of the printer also features a semi-enclosed structure to protect the plastic during the print process and also for convenience print files which can be loaded directly from the SD for autonomous printing without a computer. The dual extrusion also enables printing of multi-materials or multi color. The AirWolf 3D HD 2x is priced at Rs 2,66,453 approximately. 

MakerBot Replicator 5th generation 3D Printer has a slick design and semi-enclosed enclosure and is the most advanced printer in the market as of now. The printer comes in the print range of 9.9 x 7.8 x 5.9 inch which allows printing larger pieces at once. The printer features auto calibration, on-printer controller, built-in LCD screen, upward facing display and smart extruder. Replicator also comes with network connectivity and remote monitoring via the built-in camera. MakerBot also gives full control over the extrusion speed, travel speed, layer height. The printer runs on the software MakerWare which is a simplest full-featured program. MakerBot Replicator 5th generation 3D Printer is priced at Rs 1,93,353 approximately.

Ultimaker 2 Go is a compact printer which weighs only 14kg and height only 20 microns which makes the printer very handy. The printer comes in the print range of 11.3 x 10.2 x 9.9 inches. It is one of the most portable printers available in the market right now. Ultimaker has no print bed and is also very compatible with the polylactide (PLA) plastic filament. The print models are loaded onto an SD card through the Cura software. Cura software also enables to adjust print settings manually or through different automatic print quality settings. Ultimaker is priced at Rs 96,710 approximately.