文档介绍：3D printing
For methods of applying a 2D image on a 3D surface, see pad printing. For methods of printing 2D parallax stereograms that seem 3D to the eye, see lenticular printing and holography.
An ORDbot Quantum 3D printer.
 
Timelapse video of a hyperboloid object (designed by e W. Hart) made of PLA using a RepRap "Prusa Mendel" 3D printer for molten polymer deposition.
3D printing or Additive manufacturing[1] is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where essive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.[2] 3D printing is also considered distinct from traditional machining techniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material by methods such as cutting or drilling (subtractive processes).
A 3D printer is a limited type of industrial robot that is capable of carrying out an additive process puter control.
While 3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, it was not until the early 2010s that the printers became widely mercially.[3] The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp.[4] Since the start of the 21st century there has been a large growth in the sales of these machines, and their price has dropped substantially.
[5] According to Wohlers Associates, a consultancy, the market for 3D printers and services was worth $ billion worldwide in 2012, up 29% from 2011.[6]
The 3D printing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in architecture, construction (AEC), industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields. One study has found[7] that open source 3D printing could e a mass market item because domestic 3D printers can offset thei