A common question that first-time users ask when they hear the term “3D printing” is how exactly do you control the objects you are printing with your computer, and how do you make sure that what you are seeing is in fact how 3D printing is supposed to work. This is actually one of the more important and most fundamental aspects of 3D graphics design, and it is actually the very basis of how 3D printers work. There are actually several different ways to design your model, but it all basically boils down to how you use computer programs to lay out and create the image of the object onto your computer monitor or, if you are using a 3D CAD program, onto a piece of paper. The actual physical process of turning a digital design into many different layers of solid color is also called cross-section printing.
How digital images are created is by taking a computer image, (which can be an image of an actual physical product, or of any digital model) and converting it into a series of different colors. The computer then uses the RGB values of each color to determine which color layer will be on top of which other color layer. If you look at a layer of a digital photo in your photo album, you’ll see that it might not be totally evenly-distributed, with some areas of the photo being red, and some layers being blue or green. This is caused by how the red, green, and blue colors are interpreted by the human eye, as well as the colors your computer display. However, the layers are still part of your original photo, and the entire image is nothing more than a series of color layers.
Cross-section printing is the way how 3D printers work, and is the method that allows layers to be digitally turned on and off in your digital images. When a layer is turned “on”, it becomes visible as that layer. Layers can also be turned “off”, which effectively removes that layer from your computer image. To turn your computer image from one of the layers “on” to one of the layers “off”, the appropriate software program must be used. 3d printing casting
For those of you who aren’t familiar with how 3D printing works, here’s a breakdown. The computer uses a series of mathematical algorithms to recreate the image that was drawn. To begin, the computer takes an image that has been rendered using computer graphics software, such as Adobe Photoshop, and reproduces that image in physical format, which means that the image is printed in layers. Most computer printers can handle cross-section printing, which means that they can handle creating multiple layers of either red, blue or green. The only drawback to this type of printing is that it is limited to layers that are printed at once; when a new image for printing is needed, another layer is “pasted” over the “overlay” layer that was just printed. If additional layers need to be printed, additional software tools need to be used in order to accomplish that task.
After all the layers have been created, the next step in how 3D printers work is by making a direct copy of the image using the computer. There are two methods of doing this: one way is known as slicing (or in some cases, cross-slicing), in which one copy of the image is taken and sliced into vertical or horizontal slices, and then each slice is turned on its respective side so that the image is seen as a “flat” piece. The other method is known as laminating, in which each slice is laminated onto the appropriate side of the image. By placing these two techniques side by side, we can see that in order for the printer to do the job correctly, both horizontal and vertical slices of the image need to be made, as well as any diagonal angles within the image. bluecast.info
The computer-aided design software (CAD) that is used in how 3D printers work is designed to be smart enough to understand what needs to be created. Once it has determined how many layers need to be made, what colors need to be used, and where those colors should be located within the image, it is able to configure the actual printing process in order to get the best possible results. After all the layers have been made, the computer then sends the image to the manufacturer so that they can begin delivering the product to their customers.