GETTING STARTED WITH 3D

PRINTING

Prepared by: Jeff Trinidad Magsino

PALAWAN INNOVATION LAB
 WHAT IS 3D PRINTING ?
• 3D printing is a process of making
three dimensional (3D) solid objects
from a digital file.

• The creation of a 3D printed object is

achieved using additive processes.

• 3D printing enables you to produce

complex shapes using less material
than traditional manufacturing
methods.
TYPES OF 3D PRINTING
TECHNOLOGY
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Vat Photopolymerization - also known as
stereolithography (SLA), is the process by which a
liquid photopolymer is cured by a light source,
turning it into a solid. This phenomenon became
known as polymerization and was the very first
industrial additive manufacturing technology.
Photopolymerization builds parts a layer at a time
by tracing a highly focused UV or laser beam on the
surface of the liquid polymer
Advantage: High level of accuracy
Limitations: Support structures often
required, lengthy post-processing
Raw material: Photo-curable resins
Manufacturers/machines: 3D Systems,
ProX 800; Formlabs, Form3
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Material Extrusion - uses a continuous filament
of thermoplastic or composite material to
construct 3D parts. The material usually in a form
of filament fed through an extruding nozzle, where
it heated and then deposited onto the build
platform layer by layer.
Advantage: Cheap and straightforward
process
Limitations: Relatively low speed
Raw material: Polymers, composites,
metals, concrete, clay, bioink, and edibles
like chocolate
Manufacturers/machines: Stratasys,
Ultimaker, Prusa, Creality, Markforged,
Flashforge
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Powder Bed Fusion - Powder bed fusion
processes especially the selective laser sintering is
one of the early industrial additive manufacturing
techniques. This method uses a laser or electron
beam to melt the powdered material and fuse them
together to create a solid object.
Advantage: Wide range of materials and
good mechanical properties
Limitations: Costly material and post-
processing steps
Raw material: Plastic, metal, ceramic
Manufacturers/machines: SLM
Solutions, SLM 280; GE Additive, Arcam
Spectra L; EOS, Formiga P110
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Binder Jetting - uses a binding agent usually in
liquid form and selectively deposits onto
powdered material. The print head and a powder
spreader deposit alternating layers of bonding
agent and build material to form a 3D solid object.
Advantage: cheaper metal fabrication
Limitations: Parts require post-
processing which adds significant time
to the overall process
Raw material: Plastic, metal, ceramic
Manufacturers/machines: ExOne,
X1 160Pro and S-Print
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Material Jetting - This additive manufacturing
technique is very similar to common inkjet
printers where the material droplets are deposited
layer by layer selectively to create a three-
dimensional object. Once a layer is complete, it is
then cured by ultraviolet light. Material jetting can
be described as a mix of 2D inkjet printing and
SLA.
Advantage: Very high accuracy, fast
process, smooth finishes
Limitations: High equipment cost,
Limited number of wax-like materials
available
Raw material: Polymers, waxes
Manufacturers/machines: Stratasys
Object500 Connex3; HP, Jet Fusion 4200
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Sheet Lamination - Sheet lamination is the
process by which sheets of material are bonded
together, layer by layer, to form a 3D object. The
sheets are cut using a laser or by milling prior to or
after the bonding. This will produce a cross-
sectional shape of each layer that, when stacked
together, will eventually form a 3D model. The
parts are polished during or after the process to
achieve a better finish.
Advantage: Fast, cheap, easy to handle
Limitations: Low part strength, lengthy
post-processing
Raw material: Paper, plastic, metal
Manufacturers/machines: CleanGreen
3D, CG-1 Full-Colour (LOM); Fabrisonic,
SonicLayer 1200 (UAM)
 TYPES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Directed Energy Deposition - Directed energy
deposition technology uses focused thermal
energy to melt and fuse the material together as
they are deposited to create a 3D object. These are
very similar to welding process but very finely
detailed. It is considered to be a more complex and
expensive additive manufacturing process, but it is
commonly used to repair or add additional
materials to existing components.
Advantage: Flexible and fast process,
material efficient
Limitations: High equipment cost
Raw material: Plastic, metal, ceramic
Manufacturers/machines: DMG Mori,
LASERTEC 65; Mazak, INTEGREX i-400
AM
HISTORY OF ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURING
 HISTORY OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
• The earliest record of 3D printing through the
additive process was the Japanese inventor Dr.
Hideo Kodama in 1981. He created a product
that used ultraviolet lights to harden polymers
and create solid objects, however, his method
was not commercialized, instead, in 1986 an
American inventor named Charles (Chuck) Hull
became the first to successfully acquire a patent
for his Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) and
coined the term “stereolithography.” His method
involved building three dimensional objects
layer by layer with photopolymers, cured by a
UV light beam.
 HISTORY OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• Hull developed the first SLA-1 (3D printing)

machine in 1987, which was the first device
to print a physical object from a digital or
computer-generated file.

• He was also responsible for developing the

STL (Standard Tessellation Language) file
format, the file that 3D printers most
commonly use today. Hull commercialized
the process of rapid prototyping and went
on to create 3D Systems.
THF153077 / First Commercially Successful Stereolithography Machine, Model SLA-1, 1987
Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of 3D Systems, Inc.
 HISTORY OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
• In 1988, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
was developed and patented by Dr. Carl
Deckard and Dr. Joe Beaman at the
University of Texas at Austin.
• SLS is an additive manufacturing method
that uses a high-powered laser (e.g., CO2
laser) to “sinter” or solidify a powdered
plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass materials.
• Deckard and Beaman were involved in the
founding of one of the first 3D printing
startups, Desktop Manufacturing (DTM)
Corp., in 1989, which was sold in 2001, to
3D Systems.
 HISTORY OF FDM 3D PRINTING
• In 1989, Scott Crump, with his wife Lisa
Crump, invented and patented a 3D
printing method called Fused Deposition
Modeling (FDM).
• The idea for the technology came to
Crump in 1988 when he decided to make
a toy frog for his young daughter using a
glue gun loaded with a mixture of
polyethylene and candle wax. He thought
of creating the shape layer by layer and of
a way to automate the process.
 THE FIRST FDM 3D PRINTER
• That same year Scott and his
wife Lisa Crump went on to co-
found Stratasys, Inc., one of the
most prominent additive
manufacturing companies in the
world today.

Stratasys’ first 3D printer in 1991. Note that it’s called a “3D Plotter”
[Source: TCT/Stratasys]
 HISTORY OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• 1999 saw the first extraordinary achievement

by 3D printing in the medical industry.
Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for
Regenerative Medicine managed to 3D
bioprint synthetic scaffolds of a human
bladder. They then coated these scaffolds
with cells from the patient’s tissue before this
newly generated tissue was implanted into the
patient. Since this tissue was made from the
patient’s own cells, there was a low-to-zero
risk of the body rejecting it, marking an
important win for 3D printing in medical.
 OPEN SOURCE 3D PRINTERS

• In 2005, Dr. Adrian Bowyer at the University of Bath in England, founded the
RepRap (replicating rapid-prototyper) Project – an open-source 3D printer that
could build itself—or at least print most of its own parts.
 DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) 3D PRINTERS
• In 2009, the FDM patent previously
held by Stratasys expires. The average
FDM 3D printer price drops from
$10,000 to under $1,000
• MakerBot, an American desktop 3D
printer manufacturer company
founded in January 2009 by Bre Pettis,
Adam Mayer, and Zach Smith,
launches and brings 3D Printing into
mainstream by introducing DIY (do-it-
yourself) kits for people that want to
build their own 3D Printers.
 3D MODEL LIBRARY
• MakerBot also introduces the
Thingiverse file library that allows
users to submit and download 3D
printable files, becoming the
largest online 3D printing
community and file repository.

• In 2013, Stratasys aquires

MakerBot for around $400 million.
 3D PRINTING TODAY
• In 2019, with the expiration of patents and open source projects, there
are over 170 3D printer system manufacturers across the world. This list
includes: 3D Systems, Stratasys, Formlabs, Prusa, Creality, Flashforge,
Ultimaker, and Markforged, among many others.
 3D PRINTING MATERIALS
• Thermoplastics Polymers - Most
popular class of 3D printing materials.
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),
polylactic acid (PLA) and polycarbonate
(PC) each offer distinct advantages in
different applications.

• Metals - Many different metals and

metal alloys are used in 3D printing,
from precious metals like gold and silver
to strategic metals like stainless steel
and titanium.
 3D PRINTING MATERIALS
• Ceramic - Including zirconia, alumina and
tricalcium phosphate. Also, alternate layers
of powdered glass and adhesive are baked
together to create entirely new classes of
glass products.

• Biochemicals - Include the use of hardened

material from silicon, calcium phosphate and
zinc to support bone structures as new bone
growth occurs. Researchers are also
exploring the use of bio-inks fabricated from
stem cells to form everything from blood
vessels to bladders and beyond.
REAL-WORLD APPLICATION OF
3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
• PROTOTYPES

• REPLACEMENT PARTS

• INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
• ARCHITECTURE

• MEDICAL

• PROSTHETICS
• GIFTING & SOUVENIRS

• HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

• PROPS & COSPLAY

• EDUCATIONAL
• TOYS & HOBBYIST
HOW TO 3D PRINT?
USING FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING
(FDM) 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
HOW TO 3D PRINT?
 MODELING (STL FILE)

3D SCANNING
CAD FUSION360/SOLIDWORKS

OPEN SOURCE TINKERCAD 3D MODEL LIBRARY

 SLICING (GCODE)

SLICING SOFTWARE GCODE

 PRINTING

FILAMENTS 3D PRINTER
 POST PROCESSING

MANUAL SUPPORTS REMOVING PAINTS

PVA WATER SOLUBLE SUPPORTS FINISHED PRODUCT

3D PRINTING ADVANTAGES
AND DISADVANTAGES
 ADVANTAGES
• FLEXIBLE DESIGN – 3D printing allows
to print more complex designs than
traditional manufacturing.

• WEIGHT SAVINGS - designers can

eliminate substantial weight while
maintaining the part’s strength and
integrity.
Ex. GrabCAD® Bracket Challenge conducted by GEAn
existing bracket was redesigned for additive
manufacturing, with the winning entry maintaining strength
of the original while reducing the weight by 84%.
 ADVANTAGES
• RAPID PROTOTYPING – inexpensive
and quicker at creating parts as the
part can be finished in hours, allowing
for each design modification to be
completed at a much more efficient
rate.

• MINIMIZING WASTE – production of

parts only requires the materials
needed for the part itself, with little or
no wastage.
 ADVANTAGES
• COST EFFECTIVE – as a single step
manufacturing process, 3D printing
saves time and therefore cost
associated with using different
machines for manufacture.

• EASE OF ACCESS – 3D printers are

becoming more accessible with more
local service provider offering
outsourcing services for manufacturing
work.
 DISADVANTAGES
• POST-PROCESSING – most 3D printed parts
need some form of cleaning up to remove
support material from the build and to smooth
the surface to achieve the required finish.

• LARGE VOLUMES – 3D printing is a static cost

unlike more conventional techniques like
injection moulding, where large volumes may
be more cost effective to produce. While the
initial investment for 3D printing may be lower
than other manufacturing methods, once scaled
up to produce large volumes for mass
production, the cost per unit does not reduce as
it would with injection moulding.
CHALLENGES OF FDM 3D PRINTING
CHALLENGES OF FDM 3D PRINTING
• With all these benefits, come some clear drawbacks. While
it’s easy to use, mastering FDM 3D printing requires a lot
of TINKERING and PATIENCE. There are many print quality
issues common to FDM such as warping, step lines, stringing,
under/over extrusion, layer shifting, and many, many more.
While there are solutions to all of these problems, it can
take multiple attempts in order to get the desired finished
look. FDM machines have a lot of moving parts and
settings which need to be adjusted according to the
geometry of the part, the environment the printer is in, and
the expected print quality.
CHALLENGES OF FDM 3D PRINTING
• FDM 3D printing requires a lot of fine tuning of
settings to ensure a quality print. Ensuring the right
settings for each material, machine type, expected
quality, and geometry takes time and doing all this
for hundreds of parts in an efficient way is no small
task.
 COMMON PROBLEMS
• Warping
• Cracking (delamination)
• Clogging
• Layer Shifting
• Z-wobble
• Stringing
• Elephant’s foot
• Ghosting (ringing)
• Overheating (curling)
• Overhangs and bridging
WARPING
• You can easily identify warping, as corners of
the bottom part are bent upwards. Warping can
be caused by the following factors:
• Lack of adhesion to the bed: this can occur due
to excessive distance of the nozzle in relation to
the base, or poor levelling. It can also be caused
by insufficient adhesion from the extruded
plastic to the print surface. It can be solved using
adhesives on the print surface such as gluestick.
• Thermal contraction of the upper layers, which
when shrinking pull the lower layers. This
happens mostly with materials such as ABS or
Nylon. In these cases, it's recommended to use
an enclosed 3D printer that keeps the hot air
inside the 3D printer, reducing thermal
contraction.
CRACKING (DELAMINATION)
• We talk about cracking when the layers of a part are
not well joined, resulting in these layers being
separated. This problem can be caused by two
different reasons:
• Poor adhesion between the layers: the layers do not
stick properly to each other. Poor adhesion is usually
caused by a low printing temperature. This can be
solved by increasing the print temperature or
reducing the layer fan speed.
• Thermal shrinkage: the layers stick together well, but
a difference in temperature between different
sections of the part causes it to deform, which can
cause some layers to separate. The best solution is to
use an enclosed 3D printer and to avoid room
temperature variations.
CLOGGING
• Extrusion jams are the number one cause
of failure on a print farm. Causes for
clogging
• Contamination at the tip and print canal,
PTFE/Teflon degraded Extruder
problems, filament grinding, nozzle
scratching the print surface, excessive
retractions, or poor cooling.
• You can unclog a nozzle using
acupuncture needles, using cold pulls to
remove contamination or switching the
Teflon tube. In any case, the best solution
is to find reliable slicer settings and learn
how your 3D printer works.
LAYER SHIFTING
• Layer shifting is a problem that occurs in the form of
displacement on some axis at a certain height. It can
occur in the X-axis, the Y-axis or even both
simultaneously. The most common causes of layer shifting
are:
• Excessive temperature in the motors, or drivers: the
electronics are not designed to operate continuously at a
very high temperature. Add dedicated fans or heatsink
to each motor if necessary.
• Lack of power in the motors, usually caused by a very
low voltage value in the drivers: Check if the motor's
voltage can be increased in the mainboard, and follow
all security measures when doing it.
• Mechanical failure: it can happen that we have some of
our belt’s teeth broken, or there is some debris on the
shafts that can cause a jam in the movement of our
printer.
Z-WOBBLE
• Z-wobble is a common problem that generates
inconsistent wall alignment. Similar issues are
caused by extrusion problems. You can
differentiate them by printing different objects.
Z-wobble will appear on all the surface, while
extrusion problems may only be present on
specific parts of the model.
• This problem is mostly due to structural failures
in the construction of the machine and is difficult
to solve without making major modifications.
Check that all the parts are properly
assembled, maintaining the perpendicularity
and making sure that there are no loose screws.
Also, tighten all the z-axis components and
check that there is no wobble between the
spindle and the trapezoid nut.
STRINGING
• Stringing appears when, as the hotend moves
between two sections of our print, a small
amount of plastic drips off and sticks to both
sections, leaving a small thread in between.
• This problem is usually caused by inaccurate
settings used during the slicing process. The most
important parameters you should check in your
slicer to minimize stringing are the following:
• Temperature: if you have stringing issues, the
print temperature may be too high.
• Retraction distance: It is used to reduce
pressure on the nozzle by pulling the filament
out of the hot zone during movements.
• Retraction speed: The higher the retraction
speed, the lower the stringing.
ELEPHANT’S FOOT
• The elephant foot is a defect consisting of
the expansion in the horizontal plane of
the first layers of our part. It can occur
due to two things or, normally, a
combination of both: the nozzle is too
close to the bed or the temperature of
the print bed is too high.

• To solve this problem we must level our

first layer and decrease the bed
temperature if it was too high.
GHOSTING (RINGING)
• Ghosting is a subtle issue as it usually
consists of small lines that repeat
themselves on the surface of your model.
These vibrations are usually caused by
the inertia of the extruder when there are
sudden direction changes.

• Reducing the print speed and checking

the correct functioning of mechanical
components are usually the best solutions.
OVERHEATING (CURLING)
• As we can see in the image, melting our
plastic at an excessive temperature will
cause the parts to look deformed, with
the centre of the layer sunken. This is
because when melted at too high a
temperature, the material does not have
time to cool down, and that is why the
layers can collapse or sag.

• The solution to this problem is simple:

lower the temperature and increase the
layer fan speed.
OVERHANGS AND BRIDGING
• 3D print overhangs are geometric shapes in a
3D model that extends outwards and beyond
the previous layer. Overhangs have no direct
support on it so it is difficult to be printed.
• Nonetheless, there are overhangs that are
tolerable. These are 3D print overhangs with
as much as 45ᵒ angle.
• In 3D printing, bridges that are 90ᵒ surfaces
are supported on both ends and links two
raised points.
• Use support structures, increase cooling, Split
the model into multiple parts and print it
separately
TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR
PRINT QUALITY
BED LEVELLING
• Learning to set the bed correctly
level and the extruder at the right
height is one of the first steps we
take with a new 3D printer.
• The height of the first layer has to be
correct across the entire surface of
the bed. When the first layer is
correct, the threads deposited by the
extruder touch each other and are
not too flat against the bed.
PRINT SPEED
• One of the most common mistakes is to
try to print too fast when we get
started. However, print quality depends
mostly on print speed as it can generate
vibration, extrusion problems or
overheating.
• We usually print all our parts at 40 and
60mm/s. In a printing service, the most
important thing is reliability and when
you are looking for reliability it is best
to print at reasonable speeds so you
don’t have to throw the parts away.
PRINTING TEMPERATURE
• There are various plastics with different
characteristics, including temperatures. It
is important to choose the correct
temperature when printing. A change of
even 1°C can completely change the
quality of the model it terms of
appearance and strength. If the
temperature is too high, it will cause the
model to be out of shape, create
cavities or even damage the printer.
• If the temperature is too low, the plastic
may not be extruded in sufficient
volume. This will impair the strength and
appearance of the model.
SELECTION OF FILAMENTS
• There are dozens of plastic materials
available for 3D printing, each with
its unique qualities that make it best
suited to specific use cases. The
quality of your filament will directly
affect the quality of your 3D Prints.
FDM 3D PRINTING
FILAMENTS
 MATERIAL FEATURES APPLICATION PRINTING TEMPERATURE

PLA (polylactic acid) The easiest materials to print, rigid, strong, Concept models Hotend:180 – 230°C
but brittle, less resistant to heat, Heated bed: 40 – 60°C (but not needed)
Looks-like prototypes, toys, Fan speed: 100%
biodegradable, odorless
souvenirs

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene Tough, durable, heat and impact resistant, Functional prototypes Hotend: 240 – 260°C
requires a heated bed to print, requires Heated bed: 80 – 110°C
styrene) ventilation Fan speed: 50-75%

PETG (polyethylene Outstanding layer adhesion, can be food Impact-resistant parts, decorative Hotend: 230 – 250°C
safe, good mechanical strength, easy to Heated bed: 60 – 80°C
terephthalate glycol) objects and food packaging Fan speed: 25-50%
print.

Nylon Strong, durable, and lightweight Functional prototypes Hotend: 240°C - 280°C
Tough and partially flexible Heated bed: 70 – 100°C
Wear resistant parts Fan speed: 0-25%
Heat and impact resistant

TPU (thermoplastic Flexible and stretchable Flexible prototypes, toys Hotend: 210 – 230°C
Impact resistant Heated bed: 40 – 60°C (but not needed)
polyurethane) Fan speed: 50-100%

PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) Soluble support material Support material Hotend: 190°C - 220°C
Dissolves in water Heated bed: 65-75°C
Fan speed: 0-50%

HIPS (high impact polystyrene) Soluble support material most commonly Support material Hotend: 230°C - 250°C
used with ABS Heated bed: 90-100°C
Dissolves in chemical limonene Fan speed: 0%

Composites (carbon fiber, Rigid, strong, or extremely tough Functional prototypes Hotend: 260°C - 280°C
Compatibility limited to some expensive Heated bed: 90-100°C
kevlar, fiberglass) Jigs, fixtures, and tooling Fan speed: 0-25%
industrial FDM 3D printers