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Tag: 3D printing industry

Who invented the 3D printer?

Dirk Zacharias | 1. August 2019

The inventor of the 3D printer is the American Chuck Hull, who patented his invention in 1986 (US4575330) and founded the company 3D-Systems. However, it should be noted that the actual discoverer of the procedure was another person. Hideo Kodama could not register the patent in time because of a formal defect and Chuck Hull […]

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Why convert the file format from STP to STL?

Dirk Zacharias | 1. August 2019

For processing in 3D printing, an appropriate STL file must be available. This can either be created directly in a CAD programme or converted from an existing CAD file. However, the conversion from STP to STL data may result in inaccuracies in the hundredths range. This is due to the different types of surface mapping. The […]

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Dimensional deviations in the various 3D printing processes

Dirk Zacharias | 1. August 2019

SLA (stereolithography):  ± 0.2 % (with a lower limit of ± 0.2 mm) The stereolithography (SLA including DLP), together with Polyjet, is the most accurate method. The diameter of the laser is usually between 100 and 150 µm. This is much less compared to the FDM method.   This results in fewer tolerances and the […]

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Avoidance of tolerances in design & orientation in 3D printing

Dirk Zacharias | 1. August 2019

Depending on the alignment of the component during printing, different results may occur for the surface. Depending on the printing process, this more or less influences the quality of the finished component. Therefore attention should be paid to the alignment while printing, whether there are certain functional areas in the component, where a smoother surface […]

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Reworking tolerances

Dirk Zacharias | 1. August 2019

Depending on the requirements of the finished component, 3D printing also requires a certain amount of reworking of the printed parts. For example, support structures or masses have to be removed manually. Likewise, the parts are subjected to various methods of blasting or vibratory finishing as required. Manual sanding may also be required to get […]

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