2019 Trends in Printing – 3D Printing

By Michele Stilwell, Director of Marketing and Accounting at MEDiAHEAD

Tribute to Danny Drennan our Pressman for his skills in 3D printing.

So what are the new trends in printing and how will they impact your business? One of the biggest trends that you need to know about is 3D printing.

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process, an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine. This type of printing enables you to produce complex (functional) shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. (More info)

3D printing has evolved with many applications; most important being used in the medical and manufacturing industries, as well as sociocultural sectors that facilitate 3D printing. The use of 3D printing to produce scale models within architecture and construction has steadily increased in popularity. Studies revealed that 64% of businesses believe that printing will remain important to their daily business even by 2025.

3D Printed Homes?

3D homes are also being constructed using 3D printing on a super large-scale in El Salvador to better the quality for families.  You can read more about it here. (Be sure to watch the video of the concrete being built up a layer at a time to form concrete walls!)

Interesting facts:

● $4,000 for one home
● 12-24 hours to print the home
● Better quality for families

How can MEDiAHEAD help?

MEDiAHEAD provides 3D printing options for your needs. With our new 3D printer, we can produce super large 300mm x 300mm x 400mm objects. See the skill in the picture to see how big these 3D prints actually turn out to be. Filament choices come in different types and your filament choice might depend on the object that you are trying to build. If you want to learn about the different types of 3D printer filaments on the market, just let us know. We can also work with you on the type of file to provide. Give us a call!