Digital fabricator

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A digital fabricator ( fabber for short ) is generally a device that creates material, 3-dimensional objects from CAD data generated on computers .

Basic classes of this type of machine are subtractive fabricators who manufacture the desired object by removing or separating material - such as milling , turning , cutting, e.g. B. with CNC machines - and additive fabricators that build the object from the base material, especially 3D printers .

The development of 3D printers represents a huge change (towards sustainable production) and can end a centuries-old principle, namely to manufacture products from blanks and only with large amounts of waste. 3D printers only use as much material as is actually needed. "The smaller the number of pieces and the more complicated the desired component is, the more 3D printing pays off."

Classification

Functional

  • Subtractive fabber: The object is created from a solid block by removing material by means of milling , turning , electrical processes such as spark erosion or the like. This oldest group of fitters is one of the CNC machines.
  • Additive fabbers: The object is created by successively adding or depositing material.
    • Stereolithography printer : a focused UV light beam hardens the surface in layers in a synthetic resin bath.
    • Laser sintering : A laser beam melts / welds together material that has been ground to powder in layers.
  • Formative fabbers: The material is formed into an object by the application of external forces; material is neither removed nor added.
  • Hybrid fabbers: Combination of several of the preceding processes.

Application related

  • 3D printer : Material that hardens quickly due to binding agents (depending on the area of ​​application, plastics , plaster of paris, powder for metals or glass, silver, cobalt chrome, mineral dust, sand, etc.) is added layer by layer (layer thickness in the micrometer range up to approx. 1 - 2 mm) sprayed (examples from). The printout is available within a few hours. Modern 3D printers can even create colored models in 24-bit color depth .
  • Prices: In 2006, the starting price of devices that no longer emit toxic gases and are addressed as network printers was 16,000 euros. In 2007, individual companies offered such devices for less than 4,000 euros. In December 2011, plastic printers for home use were available from 1,000 euros. The first 3D printer hit the market in 2015 for less than € 400.
  • There seem to be hardly any limits to the areas of application . Are known (after) z. For example: dental prosthesis production, aircraft construction, model construction, jewelry production, toys. An Italian civil engineer already has plans to use his 'D-Shape' machine for building houses, he has already 'printed' sandstone benches and a garden shed.
  • Personal Fabricator or Personal Fabber : Can be placed next to the desk as a mass-produced 3D printer analogous to a personal computer . Several specialist companies also offer the production of 3D products as a service.

On September 29, 2006, Germany's first online shop for 3D prints went into operation. The RepRap and MakerBot projects , which were developed as open source hardware , represent a more recent development in this area . Both projects have set themselves the task of promoting the development of additive digital fabricators suitable for the masses.

See also

literature

  • Neil A. Gershenfeld : FAB: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop - From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication . 2005, ISBN 0-465-02745-8
  • Andreas Neef, Klaus Burmeister, Stefan Krempl: From Personal Computer to Personal Fabricator Points of Fab, Fabbing Society, Homo Fabber , 2006, ISBN 3-938017-39-2
  • Niels Boeing: One for all . In: Die Zeit No. 28 of September 14, 2006
  • Petra Fastermann: 3D printing / rapid prototyping: a future technology - in a nutshell. 1st edition. Springer Vieweg, Berlin, Heidelberg 2011, ISBN 978-3-642-29224-8 .

Web links

Commons : 3D printer  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Thomas Kuhn, Wirtschaftswoche No. 51 of December 19, 2011, page 72ff
  2. ^ Matthias Kremp: 3D printer: The replicator for everyone. In: Spiegel Online . September 20, 2007, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / 3ddesire.com
  4. ↑ http://www.reprap.org
  5. ↑ http://www.makerbot.com