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3D printing: analysis of technologies and methodology of its applications

Papageorgiou Marianna

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Summary

Technology, due to its rapid progress, has affected recent human historysignificantly, probably more than any other field has achieved to. The personalcomputer with its vast capabilities, low price and portability has revolutionised each and every field of science, technology, communication as well as our private lives.3D Printing (also known as additive manufacturing) is considered to be adisruptive technology, that has the vast potential to make our lives better in many ways. 3D printing is a radically different manufacturing method based on advanced technology that builds up parts, additively, in layers at the sub mm scale. This is fundamentally different from any other existing traditional manufacturing techniques. This technology, enables us to build objects directly, encourages innovation with design freedom, gives the designers the possibility to implement their creations right away, while being a tool­less process that reduces prohibitive costs and lead times as products are sold before their real existence. Thus, is a technology that will change theway we choose, offer and produce products.There are many benefits the 3D printing technology, such as cheap manufacturing, low pre­financing cost, quick production, little excess, less industrial waste, worldwide accessibility and creation of new business models. Each different type of 3D printers employs a different technology that processes different materials in different ways. Functional plastics, metals, ceramics and sand are, now, all routinely used for industrial prototyping and production applications. Even if at the entry level of the market currently materials are quite limited and plastic is currently the only widely used material, there are a growing number of alternatives. One of the most basic limitations of 3D printing, in terms of materials and applications, is that there is no ‘one solution fits all’, promoting customization greatly.Considering the big variety of the methods and applications of the constantlygrowing technology of 3D printing, this thesis describes the different existingtechnologies of 3D printing and provides a subsequent analysis of the way eachtechnology works, focusing on their potential, problems and benefits. The last part of the thesis concerns the production of some 3D printed prototypes, that address diverse type of objects, simple and complex, one­piece and multi­part, with the appropriate assembly techniques, which are designed and printed at the TUC TIE (Transformable Intelligent Environments) laboratory for the aim of this project.

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