Breaking out of the mould

If you can imagine it, then you can probably print it. That’s the promise proponents of 3D printing have been offering since its rise into the mainstream. In the past year, the technology has provided the world with everything from working guns and self-assembling furniture to living, human kidneys.

But while ideas for 3D printed products are increasing, the software to create these concepts has yet to catch up. Engineers largely use computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) to produce their 3D-printed designs. This software ‘slices’ the design into digital cross sections for a printer to build in successive layers.

The layers are joined together automatically to create the final design, corresponding to the initial computer model. Common techniques include fused deposition modelling (FDM), selective laser melting (SLM) and multi-jet modelling (MJM). All have in common the ability to create intricate designs for a fraction of the cost anywhere in the world.