3d printing is somewhat like the familiarprocess of printing a document or a picture on paper. but where standard printing is two-dimensional,3d printing works by printing layer upon layer of material to build a three-dimensional object. you start with modeling software. it letsyou create a digital version of an object — let’s say a model of a spaceship.
brief history of 3d printing, the 3d printer software takes this digitaldesign, analyzes it, and prints it, layer by layer, into a fully three-dimensional physicalform. these printers can create objects of almost any shape or geometry. 3d printers can use a number of differentmaterials to build those objects: from plastic
to metal and even chocolate. 3d printing has been used by manufacturersfor years, but the technology is growing more accessible. now, 3d printing is used to buildanything from machine parts to custom shoes, from car bodies to prosthetic limbs. there’seven a 3d printer on the international space
station so astronauts can print their ownneeded equipment, parts or tools. 3d printers are expected to become more andmore common, both in manufacturing and engineering fields and in our homes. 3d printers may becomeas common as standard printers, opening up new worlds of possibility.
