3-D or Not 3-D Part 3: 3D Printing

You’ve probably heard some considerable buzz by now regarding a technological process dubbed ‘3D printing.’ To boil it down, the concept essentially begins with a 3-dimensional model and applies it to a process which replicates that model layer by layer by scanning thin materials to produce a physical representation.

What distinguishes 3D printing from traditional manufacturing methods is its ‘additive’ process which builds its components throughout its manufacturing as opposed to introducing previously manufactured elements to the product. This radical departure from previously dominant manufacturing techniques seeks to expedite and eliminate costs and reduce tools, thereby revolutionizing countless industries.

The elaborate process involves file preparation and conversion, necessary prior to printing stages. The complexity of these steps also depend upon the products and the type of printing being made. Various processes include stereolithography, DLP (Digital Light Processing), Extrusion, Inkjet, SDL (Selective Deposition Lamination) and EBM (Electron Beam Melting).

Material types that are utilized in 3D printers include ceramics, plastics, metals, paper, food and even living tissue. Another benefit that the process claims is its energy efficiency.

The various markets in which 3D printing is expected to reimagine are vast and diverse. Prototypes are currently being developed for multiple businesses and consumer needs with no signs of letting up. Which field or industry will reap the most rewards from 3D printing remains to be seen. Of course it won’t be seen the way we saw it before, but that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

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Christopher Robinson

3-D or Not 3-D Part 1: The Science Behind 3-D

A form, image, style or representation visible in ‘three dimensions’(possessing length, width and height) is known in common vernacular as ‘3D’ or ‘3-D.’

A popular device developed by Charles Wheatstone in 1832 was the stereoscope which provided separate versions of a singular image which were viewed by each eye and adjusted by one’s brain to create the proper image. Polaroid filters were similarly married to this process by scientist Edwin H. Land in 1929.

Inventors had been experimenting with stereoscopic photography since the late 19th Century but its application in the filming and exhibition of motion pictures would not proliferate until the early 1950s. Projection of film with polarized filters necessitated two separate prints and likewise required special screens, not to mention large and expensive camera equipment and apparatuses.

Specially polarized 3-D glasses were also needed for the viewer to see the stereoscopic effect with color-coded images being read by each eye looking through a similarly colored filter lens. Polarized lenses, which assign images in two separate polarized projections to each lens are now popular in theaters that feature 3-D movies, especially Disney World.

Now that we’re familiarized with some of its basic principles, we’ll look back at some of the classic films of 3-D’s golden era in next week’s post. Be there (in the dimension of your choice)!

Editor's Note: Thank you to Wikipedia for the photos and captions that appear in this story. 

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Christopher Robinson