Types of 3D Printers

Prices for commercial 3D printers range from $15,000 to more than $300,000. At the other end of the scale, personal 3D printers requiring DIY assembly, now sell for as little as $500, whereas five years ago the lowest-priced printer was at least $15,000.  The open source development of 3D printers began in 2009.  Most consumer 3D printers available at the moment use a manufacturing process in which layers of plastic are deposited layer by layer, building up to form the required shape of the final object. This begins with a software process, developed by Stratasys, which processes an .stl file. . Technically speaking this is known as FDM extrusion or fused deposition modeling. Some machines work by laying down a strand of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) polymer from a heated nozzle. ABS is best known as the plastic from

which Lego bricks are made. Other 3D-printer makers have chosen to “go green", using a biodegradable compound called PLA or polylactic acid, a plastic made from food starch. Some machines work by laying down a strand of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) polymer from a heated nozzle. ABS is best known as the plastic fromwhich Lego bricks are made. Other 3D-printer makers have chosen to “go green", using a biodegradable compound called PLA or polylactic acid, a plastic made from food starch.