What is 3D pringting?

A good starting point for 3D printing is to look at it as a process in which parts are built by adding material to form an object as opposed to subtracting it as is the case with CNC machining. Some people like to call it by its more formal name: additive manufacturing (AM), especially when linked to industrial-grade quality and production quantities but to be honest, most people just use the term 3DP, and often, so do we.

But who came up with such a cool idea? At first it was the stuff of science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke, author, came up with the general premise behind 3D printing in 1964. It would be another 20 years before legit 3D printing came on the scene, thanks to Chuck Hull. He patented the stereolithography (SLA) process, which uses lasers to solidify layers of thermoset resin. That invention marked the true start of today's additive manufacturing. Seeing the potential for a growth industry, in 1986 Hull founded 3D Systems. A year later, the company released the SLA-1, the world’s first commercially available SLA printer.

One of the earliest uses of stereolithography was in rapid prototyping, where it was used to quickly create physical prototypes of new parts and products. This allowed designers and engineers to test their designs more quickly and cost-effectively than with traditional manufacturing methods.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM), which captured the hearts of desktop hobbyists worldwide, came along in 1988, the same year the first patent for selective laser sintering (SLS) was awarded. More on those and other processes later.