An Introduction to 3D Printing

by Victoria Zukas, Jonas A. Zukas

This book is aimed at an audience consisting of two kinds of readers. The first is people who are curious about 3D printing and want more information without necessarily getting deeply into it. For this audience, the first two chapters will be of greatest interest. They provide an overview of 3D print technology. They also serve to take the confusion out of the jargon and make sense out of such shortcuts as SLA, FFM, FFF, FDM, DLP, LOM, SLM, DMLS, SLS, EBM, EBAM, CAD and others. They describe the basic processes, the materials used and the application of the technology in industry, space, medicine, housing, clothing and consumer-oriented products such as jewelry, video game figures, footwear, tools and what must now seem like an infinity of bunnies, eagles and busts of Star Wars and Star Trek figurines in a dazzling array of colors.This book also addresses the needs of people new to the field who require information in a hurry. Chapter 3 serves as a guide to generating a 3D model by reviewing scanning methodology, the various types of software available to create a model and the steps needed to insure a useful printed object from the 3D model. The chapter has numerous references which, together with the information in the text, will help one find quickly any additional information available on the internet.Victoria E. Zukas received her bachelor's degree in Interactive Media and Game Development in 2009 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She completed her Masters of Professional Studies in Digital Media in 2013 at Northeastern University. She has spent her time since then working as a Freelance Graphic Designer on a number of projects. Her background is mainly focused on creating 3D models for video games. Her published game BLASTiators can be found on the Google Play store.Jonas A. Zukas, received his doctorate in engineering mechanics from the University of Arizona. He is widely known for his work in numerical modeling of the behavior of structures and materials at high rates of strain. He has co-authored and edited a number of books and conference proceedings and is the author of the monograph Introduction to Hydrocodes published by Elsevier. He is co-developer of the ZeuS code for the analysis of impact phenomena and was a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the American Academy of 3D Printing, 3D Software, 3D Hardware, Printing Materials, Scanning, 3D Modeling, Jewelry, Medicine, Housing, Space

132 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2015

Reviews

[Nẹdu · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
*3.5 stars*
This book is perfect for a beginner to 3D printing. The writing may be dry at times but it is very informational and explains the technicalities of 3D printing.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for NetGalley.

I am a newbie to 3D Printing. This book was very informative and instructional, full of clearly explained facts and processes. The authors have a friendly, approachable style that explains jargon rather than using it to confound the neophyte reader. There is no condescension here, only an excellent and comprehensive discussion of the different types of 3D printing and what's involved in 3D Printing (hardware, software, materials, etc.)

The authors include a number of references with each chapter. They also list Open Source alternatives (such as Blender software for 3D modeling) which is very useful for the financially challenged.

Overall an excellent educational resource for 3D Printing novices.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really blow me away, didn't really know much about 3D printing apart from the fact the architects use it. This actually explains all the other things that it can be used for, how it works - and it goes further into the technical side.
The book is easy to read and understand even for a 64year old. The future looks both scary and exciting - the good that this does now, and what may be able to be achieve in the future, is mind boggling. It is not often that a find a book on technology that I can understand. This book would also suit anyone who is more interested on the technical side with lots information, references and "where to go to" sites
This book was supplied to me in return for a honest and unbiased review.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

O que torna interessante esta introdução à impressão 3D é a forma como foge à hipérbole especulativa habitual nestas obras. Seco e itemizado, o livro tem o conteúdo referenciado, estando mais próximo do trabalho académico do que da obra de divulgação que é. Estruturalmente aborda de forma introdutória as várias vertentes da impressão 3D, passando pelas tecnologias, materiais, tipos de modelação 3D, metodologias de trabalho e aplicações. Fá-lo com muitas referências que permitem ao leitor mais interessado aprofundar estas questões. Termina de maneira algo espúria, com um descenessário tutorial de modelação 3D para impressão com o Meshmixer, que só se enquadraria bem no livro se este também se debruçasse sobre outras aplicações de modelação 3D.

[Sam Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this I had very little knowledge of 3D printing, I now know more than I'll probably ever need to know. The subject was well explained and not overly difficult to understand the concepts.

While the technology is amazing, I personally don't find the subject that entertaining. Regardless the book was well done and anyone interested in 3D technology should give it a read.

[Melanie]

My son has been learning 3D printing, so I thought I'd read up on the topic to try to help him. He really enjoyed this book because he was able to see where his limited skills could go. I would recommend this book to teenagers and up learning 3D Printing skills. I received this title as an ARC from Netgalley for an unbiased review.