Page intentionally blank M a k e r S as Innovators 21st Century Skills InnovatIon LIbrary 3D Printing Cherry Lake PubLishing • ann arbor, MiChigan by Terence O’Neill and Josh Williams At aNhaceoBltl atiioecvnecw ait ssittinnuitvoe rgir sste uAia c ceidhftntsuioeil l lo dttyynhsrho es:iucel s o pnPfd m lbotoetpor haloone e skttdome hteob e rewott fein hhvtoi ierhnteme hkwa . e nti rhy e o yw n. Pawseunwrbnwil eias.schr hebeedodrir tri,ony Mlr at: hkikceehrp iuisgutnabininltis eFhdoi nnsgttia.ccthoeimasr oof america by Cherry Lake Publishing AaalAwcs takNivy oaisttn iepe usatt dow u yKhltoieu dnfrs o :yrs oBa uhef eensltpeuy erw defi tiirtthos. tt !hese Photo Credits: Cover and page 1, ©aP images/dapd; page 4, ©ubrayj02/ www.flickr.com/CC-by-2.0; pages 5, 7, 11, 17, 18, 29, ©makerbot/ www.flickr.com/CC-by-2.0; page 9, ©Creative Tools/www.flickr.com/ CC-by-2.0; page 13, ©dvanzuijlekom/www.flickr.com/CC-by-sa-2.0; page 14, ©steveonjava/www.flickr.com/CC-by-2.0; page 21, ©Tony buser/www.flickr. com/CC-by-sa-2.0; page 23, ©woodleywonderworks/www.flickr.com/ CC-by-2.0; page 24, ©hackerfriendly/www.flickr.com/CC-by-sa-2.0; page 25, ©see-ming Lee 李思明 sML/www.flickr.com/CC-by-sa-2.0; page 28, ©schmarty/www.flickr.com/CC-by-2.0 Copyright ©2014 by Cherry Lake Publishing The text of this book is licensed under the Creative Commons attribution- nonCommercial-sharealike 3.0 unported license. To view a copy of this license, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data o’neill, Terence, 1984– 3D printing/by Terence o’neill and Josh Williams. pages cm.—(Makers as innovators) (innovation library) audience: grade 4 to 6. includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-1-62431-138-3 (library binding)—isbn 978-1-62431-270-0 (paperback)—isbn 978-1-62431-204-5 (e-book) 1. Three-dimensional printing—Juvenile literature. i. Williams, Josh, 1981– ii. Title. iii. Title: 3-D printing. iV. Title: Three-dimensional printing. Ts171.8.o54 2013 681'.62—dc23 2013004468 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century skills. Please visit www.p21.org for more information. Printed in the united states of america Corporate graphics inc. July 2013 CLFa13 21st Century Skills InnovatIon LIbrary Contents Chapter 1 What Is a 3D Printer? 4 Chapter 2 How People are Using 3D Printers 7 Chapter 3 3D Printing now 12 Chapter 4 Designing your own object 21 Chapter 5 Where Can I Find 3D Printers? 26 Glossary 30 Find Out More 31 Index 32 about the authors 32 MakerS as innoVaTors Chapter 1 What Is a 3D Printer? ave you ever wanted to control how the things H you use look, feel, and function? Imagine being able to think of a design for a hammer and then make that hammer right away. Maybe you want 3D printing could help you make simple parts to repair or improve your bicycle. 4 3D Printing 3D printers create items layer by layer. to make a plastic hat for your dog. Or perhaps you need to replace a broken part on your bicycle. There is a type of machine that allows you to quickly create objects like this. 3D printers use designs made on computers to make three-dimensional objects right before your eyes. Three-dimensional objects are not flat like the words and images you print on paper. They are real-life objects that you can pick up and use! Users can control the size, shape, and even the material of their objects. 5 MakerS as innoVaTors 3D printing uses a process called additive layer manufacturing. During this process, a machine stacks layers of material to create objects. A 3D printer is kind of like a hot glue gun that puts out material in the shape that a computer describes. At first, 3D printers were most useful to large com- panies that wanted to quickly make versions of new product ideas to use for testing. Today, many people are getting interested in this amazing technology. A Very Short History of the 3D Printer American inventor Charles Hull is largely credited with creating the idea of 3D printing. In 1986, he thought of using a laser to turn thin layers of liquid into a solid object. However, the technology available at the time made Hull’s plan difficult. New lasers, computers, and materials had to be created before 3D printing became as useful as it is today. The Internet has helped improve 3D printing by allowing people from all over the world to instantly share their knowledge. Also, small microcontrollers such as the Arduino are getting better and cheaper, making it easier to control motors and temperatures. This is very important for 3D printers. 6 3D Printing Chapter 2 How People Are Using 3D Printers oday, people are coming up with new and t exciting uses for 3D printers all the time. Here are just a few examples of what these incredible machines can do. Industrial Uses The airplane company Airbus is trying to figure out a way to make a 3D printer that is as big as an airplane hangar. They are hoping to print entire airplanes 3D printers are becoming more and more popular. 7 MakerS as innoVaTors with it! Companies have already been printing many types of tools. Some even print parts for race cars and motorcycles. Medical and Health Uses Because 3D printing can work with a wide variety of materials and the designs can be changed easily, health professionals are working with engineers to use it for medical applications. Strong, lightweight false teeth and replacement bones can be made with 3D printers. Even more complicated body parts, such as livers, ears, and skin, are also being tested. What Does This Mean for Me? 3D printers are becoming faster, less expensive, and easier for everyday people to use. Libraries, schools, and makerspaces are buying 3D printers so people all around the world can make their own objects! This allows individual people—not just giant airplane-making companies—to make and use new creations more quickly than they could otherwise. 8