A Guideline for 3D Printing Glossary & Important Concepts

To fully learn the concept and the principle of online 3D printing India, you should know these concepts or 3d printing terminology and apply it on any 3D printable models or objects you want to print.

Glossary

ABS

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a thermoplastic used as a 3D printer material of 3D Printing Service in India. Often ABS is used as a short form, actually referring to filament made of ABS: ‘Do you use ABS in your Mendel?’ Be careful that sometimes filament sold as ABS is in fact mixed with other thermoplastic, thus altering its characteristics. 

The melting temperature is 220-230°C, but can be different if the manufacturer has mixed this with other thermoplastics. ABS is soluble in acetone and can be used to smooth the surface of the print-out.

Bed

The build plate of the 3D printer on which parts are actually made. Typical materials are aluminium or glass.

Belt

Toothed gear belt, usually fibre-reinforced to prevent stretching. Used to transfer movement from the motors to other parts of a machine along with pulleys.

Biopolymer

Biopolymer has different meanings and is classified by Enders. Biopolymer can be made out of renewable, natural sources or petrol based, Biopolymer can be the polymers out of natural monomers (ex. PLA, bio-Fila) or Biopolymer can be standard polymers but out of a natural source (ex. Polyamide. out or natural oils).

CAD/CAM

Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing. The use of 3D modelling software to aid the design, testing and manufacture of parts with online 3D Printing India.

CAE

Computer Aided Engineering.

CNC

Computer Numerical Control.

Carriage

The moving middle assembly on the x-axis of a RepRap which holds the extruder. Often referred to as: x-carriage.

Catalyst

A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed itself in the reaction. A substance that alters (usually increases) the rate at which a reaction occurs.

Copolymers

Copolymers are additives that are included in the polymer blends with the intention to add certain properties to the main polymer.

All polymers have principal properties that are desired, but bring others that are not. A good example is Styrene, which is clear, has great accuracy when molded into a shape but is very brittle and ages poorly in sunlight. 

In certain commercial varnishes, Butadiene can be added to give it some flexibility and UV protectors to make it more durable. The difference between copolymers and fillers is that the first ones participate in the chemical chain reaction and are bonded to the main monomer.

DDM

Direct Digital Manufacturing

DLP

In Online 3D Printing India, Digital Light Processing is a display device based on optical micro-electro-mechanical technology that uses a digital micromirror device. This technology is used in DLP front projectors, but also used in additive manufacturing as a power source in some printers to cure resins into solid 3D objects.

DMD

Direct Metal Deposition

DMLS

Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Extrude

The act of placing the build material on the build platform, normally by heating thermoplastic to a liquid state and pushing it through a small nozzle commonly referred to as a “hot end”.

Extruder

A group of parts which handles feeding and extruding of the build material during the 3D Printing service in India. Consists of two assemblies: a cold end to pull and feed the thermoplastic from the spool, and a hot end that melts and extrudes the thermoplastic.

Filler

In online 3D Printing Bangalore, Fillers are solid materials that are added to polymers (or cements) and that do not interact chemically with it. They remain inert but do add special desired mechanical features to the compound. 

These can range from density alteration (make the compound heavier or lighter) additional strength (fibres…), resistance to abrasion and improved thermal properties (sands…) or simply thinning the compound to reduce material cost (talc).

FDM

Fused Deposition Modelling. The term fused deposition modelling and its abbreviation to FDM are trademarked by Stratasys Inc in online 3D Printing in India. The equivalent term fused filament fabrication (FFF), was coined by the members of the RepRap project to provide a phrase that would be legally unconstrained in its use.

FFF

Fused Filament Fabrication. Where a filament of one material (plastic, wax, metal, etc.) is deposited on top of or alongside the same (or similar) material making a joint (by heat or adhesion).

Filament

Two uses:

• Plastic material is made into (often 3 mm or 1.75mm) string to be used as raw material in 3D printers.
• Extruded plastic (often < 1 mm).

G-code

The information sent over the wire from a PC to most computer numerical control (CNC) machines – including most RepRap – is in G-code. While in principle a human could directly type G-code commands to a RepRap, most people prefer to use one of the many CAM Toolchains that reads a STL file and sends lines of G-code over the wire to the machine. 

The electronics in the machine then translate these commands into motor controller operations, among other things. Some researchers of online 3D Printing India are developing alternatives to G-code.

Hardening

The process by which the model hardens to its final form.

Heated Bed

A build surface of online 3D Printing Bangalore warms in order to keep the base of an extruded part from cooling (and shrinking) too quickly. Such shrinking leads to warping internal stresses in RP parts. 

The most common result is corners of parts lifting off the build surface. Heated beds of online 3D Printing India usually yield higher quality finishes on the builds. They commonly consist of glass, ceramics, or metals like aluminium.

Heated Build Chamber

A heated build chamber is typically sealed and heated to prevent warping during the printing process.

HIPS

High Impact Polystyrene, a thermoplastic used as a 3D printing material during online 3D Printing India. Similar to ABS in material properties and can be dissolved using limonene. 

Therefore the has to stay 24h in a limonene bath. HIPS is also BPA-free and less inflexible than either ABS or PLA. Melting point is 235°C and the heating plate should have 105-120°C.

Hot End

The heated nozzle portion of the extruder mechanism, which gets hot enough to melt plastic (or potentially other materials). Hot end parts use materials that withstand temperatures up to ~240 °C (and higher for newer all-metal designs). The diameter of available nozzle orifices ranges from about 0.15mm to 1.0mm, with sizes in the range 0.3mm-0.5mm currently being the most common.

Kapton Tape

Heat-resistant polyimide adhesive tape. Used in the 3D Printing service in India to secure the heating element to the extruder barrel. It can also be used on the surface of a heated bed. It is compatible with a temperature range of about 269 C.

Nylon

Nylon or polyamide is an engineering grade thermoplastic of 3D Printing service in India used in extruder based and laser sintering systems. There are different versions providing a range of mechanical properties in either filament or powder form. These include nylon-6,6; nylon-6; nylon-6,9; nylon-6,10; nylon-6,12; nylon-11; nylon-12 and nylon-4,6.

OBJ

Short for Object File, is an alternative to the STL file format.

Parametric

(Adjective) Adjustable in all dimensions. A parametric model is one that can be resized and or distorted to suit the user’s needs. In CAD software, if a widget has a 1 cm hole in it, you can select that hole and make it a 5 mm hole with a few clicks, as opposed to a triangular mesh (see #STL), which is more difficult to adjust.

PC

Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic, it’s strong and impact resistant (It’s used in the making of bulletproof glass and compact discs) temperature resistant and it can be extruded (at the right temperature). 

It can be bent and formed while cold without cracking or deforming and it is also very optically ‘crystal’ clear to visible light (opaque to UV light), but it’s actually not very easy to keep it clear during extrusion.

PET

Polyethylene terephthalate, commonly abbreviated PET, PETE or PET.A polymer used as a 3D material.

PLA

Polylactic Acid. A biodegradable thermoplastic polymer used as a 3D printer material during online 3D Printing Bangalore. In many cases compounded with other polymers to become usable. Melding point 150-160°C. The material properties can vary, depending on the manufacture. It has been described as having a slightly sweet scent when melted or printed.

Photopolymer

Photopolymers are used in light reaction systems either with ultraviolet or visible energy during online 3D Printing India. The liquid material is cross-linked or hardened when exposed to light. Photopolymers are used in both Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Stereolithography (SLA) systems.

PVA

Polyvinyl Alcohol is a water-soluble filament used as 3D printing material for support. It is generally used as one of the filaments in dual extrusion 3D printers. PVA is water soluble whereas ABS and PLA are non-water soluble. So, the object printed using both PVA and PLA/ABS can be dipped in water for the support material to dissolve. 

Melting range for PVA is 200-230°C depending on the polymerization level. The PVA filament must be stored with a drying agent, since it will absorb moisture out of the air very easily. 

Also, PVA decomposes rapidly above 200°C as it can undergo pyrolysis at high temperatures, which may block your nozzle leading to extrusion difficulties. PVA is fully degradable and is a quick dissolver. To speed up dissolving, gentle stirring can be applied. Warm water also speeds up the dissolving process.

PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon). A slippery thermoplastic often used as a barrel in the extruder to minimize friction with the filament.

SLA

Stereolithography Apparatus. SLA is a registered trademark of 3D Systems Corporation. SL or stereolithography is commonly used in place of SLA.

SLS

Selective Laser Sintering. SLS is a registered trademark of 3D Systems Corporation. LS or laser sintering is commonly used in place of SLS.

Stepper motor

Motors which operate only in discrete increments of rotation. This is the type of motor most commonly used in Mendel, the earlier Darwin, and Repstraps.

STL

Short for Stereolithography, which is a recommended file format used to describe 3D objects. A design program (e.g. AoI) can produce an STL file which can then be fed to a 3D printer or 3D rendering graphics package.

Support Material

Printed material that acts as support to allow overhangs, arches, etc. to be printed. Can either be a secondary material (requires dual extrusion) that can be removed, or the primary material that is broken away at the end of the print.

Concepts

Colours

Choosing the right colour for the model is also an important concept to consider during online 3D Printing Bangalore. It makes the outer appearance of the 3D printed object, especially when the printed model is already assembled.

 For the precise colour you want to achieve, check or search for it properly through different sites and books. For a more convenient colour choosing or 3d printing multiple colours, be simple by choosing one from the basic or primary colours.

Tolerance

This is an important concept to learn because it shows how each part fits together to create the piece. When creating parts that move, like the 3D printed ball joints, you will need to ensure that enough of the space is available for the tolerance.

Maximum Size

Printing the 3D printed object, whether it is only a model or the actual piece, should be done in its maximum size. The object should be printed in the actual size to ensure that the output is properly produced. 

In case the model you used is much bigger than the 3D printer you have, it is best to break down the printable model. The smaller pieces can be printed in a separate set and batch, or it could also be scaled to fit into the output.

Overhang

Self-supported overhang is something that you can print without the need for the support, but it should be done accordingly to prevent problems. Too much overhangs is a big NO in printing because it may affect the object. There are times wherein you will not need to add overhangs and just leave the model as simple and easy to print as possible.

Bridging

Just as bridging is important, understanding its concept may give you an output that you want. The more spacious you allow the bridge to be, the more it will have pitfalls when printing. One effective way to get through the bridges without causing it to fall is to print it upright.

Supports

A removable support is also an ideal way to provide a solution to bridging. 3D Printing with supports does not really mean you will have to do it in a more detailed way. 

If supports are needed for a printed 3D model, 3D printing support material can be different from the main 3D printing filament. It is a good choice to use dissolvable support materials.

Polygons

Compare the low and high resolution of the 3D printer. The polygons are important in that they keep the design simple yet efficient.

The low polygon models are actually more popular in the 3D confirmation, and the best about it is that it allows the designer to create objects that you can easily recognize.

XYZ

The XYZ representation is a familiar topic for math subjects. However, this is also an important part in any 3D modelling or in fabricating the object. As you work it with a CAD program, you will find it easier if you have the XYZ points.

Infill

The infill also plays an important role when it comes to 3D printing and takes its place in the 3D printing glossary. Although there is no need to keep the infill as hard and unbreakable as it is perceived, a simple honeycomb or diamond grid can be helpful to keep the object firm and steady.

The inner structure can be made denser or less, depending on what you require. This provides two benefits to the printing process. First is that it is convenient and easy to print. The second benefit is that it lessens the filament to be used for the object.

This is just a brief description of solid concepts of 3d printing. Feel free to add your comments about any of the 3D printing concepts mentioned in this article or about anything else important we may have missed to cover.

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