Mastering 3D Printing

Mastering 3D Printing shows you how to get the most out of your printer, including how to design models, choose materials, work with different printers, and integrate 3D printing with traditional prototyping to make techniques like sand casting more efficient.

You’ve printed key chains. You’ve printed simple toys. Now you’re ready to innovate with your 3D printer to start a business or teach and inspire others.

Joan Horvath has been an educator, engineer, author, and startup 3D printing company team member. She shows you all of the technical details you need to know to go beyond simple model printing to make your 3D printer work for you as a prototyping device, a teaching tool, or a business machine.

What you’ll learn

• The history of 3D printers and the differences between them
• Why open source is important in 3D printing
• How to create models and use G-code with your printer
• How to make a challenging print work well
• How to choose and print with different materials
• How to integrate 3D printing into traditional prototyping processes

Who this book is for

This book is for new 3D printer owners, makers of all kinds, entrepreneurs, technology educators, and anyone curious about what you can do with a 3D printer.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Open Source 3D Printers
Chapter 1: A Brief History of 3D Printing
Chapter 2: The Desktop 3D Printer
Chapter 3: Open Source

Part 2: The 3D Printing Process
Chapter 4: Making a 3D Model
Chapter 5: Slicing a 3D Model
Chapter 6: Driving Your Printer: G-code
Chapter 7: Material Considerations
Chapter 8: Case Studies

Part 3: 3D Printing Meets Traditional Prototyping
Chapter 9: Moving to Metal
Chapter 10: Large Prints and Post-Processing
Chapter 11: Troubleshooting

Part 4: Using Your Printer
Chapter 12: Printers in the Classroom
Chapter 13: Scientific Visualization
Chapter 14: Futures

Appendix A: Typical Printer Settings
Appendix B: Links and Resources