Hi my name is Gil Poznanski and I want to introduce you to some technology
that'll allow you to create anything you want without needing a manufacturing
plant or millions of dollars. Welcome to the world of 3D printing. In today's
video we're going to look at what 3D printing is all about the differences
between traditional creation and manufacturing and 3D printing, how a 3D
printer works as well as the parts of a 3D printer, what a 3D print is actually
made of, the process to create and set up your own designs and I'll also show you
where to explore existing designs and practice basic skills. Let's go to it.
Let's start with how we build something say we want to build something like this
box think about what you would need to actually make this box? You'd need some
material maybe a saw and some knives maybe a ruler
depending on the material you might need a drill some screws you definitely need
some clamps and some glue to hold it all together but what if you could do all of
that at the same time? Introducing 3D printing otherwise known as additive
manufacturing. Additive because it creates by adding material in the areas
that you tell it to. Now 3D printers use a system called fused filament
fabrication. Fused meaning to join together filament is talking about the
material that you actually make the 3D prints out of and fabrication is the
actual act of creation. Think about it like this take a piece of paper and draw
your design out on it in this case like the box then if we cut out that shape we
would actually have the design in my hand we take two pieces
of paper and we glue them together and slowly as we add material into it it
starts to get thicker and as we repeat this maybe ten thousand times we
actually get it through the three-dimensional shape we have a box
happening right in front of us this is exactly how you'll make about 3d printer
works exactly in the same way but instead of drawing and cutting out the
design the 3D printer traces the design on the printbed
depositing material then moves the print bit down a small amount before repeating
the process and adding depth to your design now the material cools off and
fuses with the bottom layer creating a solid object at the end of the print
cycle your design can include anything you want so if you wanted to create a
pot that bolts onto your bike you can design the holes in the final paste with
no need to use a drill afterwards you have complete design control advanced
designers have built parts that flex joins the move and parts that can
interact and the great part about this is it's completely repeatable once
you're happy with your design make as many as you need. iIf you need to change
the design you can make these changes digitally with design software make many
of the same or create custom parts or can be done with your MakerBot 3D
printer now 3D printers all come in different shapes and sizes but they all
have the same key components when making an object let me introduce you to the
main parts of your MakerBot 3D printer the extruder is what makes 3D printing
possible it draws out the design and places material on that print bed on
MakerBot 3D printers all the extruders are enclosed and attached with magnets
that can be changed out quickly following the instructions on the LCD
screen on your 3D printer.This allows the extruder to move left or right or up
and down giving it full access to the area of the build plate does it access
allows depth to the object and this is created when the build plate moves down
a small area and allows the next layer to be stacked upon the previous layer
over time this creates that three-dimensional object the material
used in a 3D printer is called plastic filament and is loaded into the filament
draw allowing the MakerBot 3D printer to keep track of the material and use as
much plastic as needed to make your print Now the plastic itself is called
polylactic acid or PLA and it's actually that biodegradable which is
great because it's a bio plastic and is made of sugar and cornstarch this means
that it's made from renewable resources and is much kinder to the planet this
plastic also has some great properties such as a low melting point and is
considered food safe so you can design special cookie cutters on your MakerBot 3D
printer and use them directly in your kitchen afterwards
your MakerBot 3D printer uses computer-aided design software to create
a blueprint of the part that you want to build. Free software such as Tinkercad
will walk you through the process and create complex items in a format that
your 3D printer will understand and create for you. More experienced with CAD
and design you also have the option to use advanced software such as Fusion 360
or Solidworks to create a professional level print that you can get your 3D
printer to build for you. Slicing creates instructions specifically for your
MakerBot 3D printer and will tell your 3D printer where exactly to put material
in the making process. Sound complicated? Don't worry about it this process is
actually taken care of by the software that runs your printer the software is
called MakerBot Print and makes this process really simple by loading your
design into MakerBot Print you can slice your design and send it wirelessly to
enabled MakerBot printers or connect your printer directly using a USB cable.
The great thing about MakerBot systems is that for people beginning their 3D
printing journey you can let the software guide you with your print
settings allowing you to adjust how big you'd like your item or where you would
like it to be on the printbed. Then it's as simple as creating a
preview of the process which tells you how long it's going to take to build the
item as well as how much material you're going to use before sending the design
to your 3D printer. So I can imagine what you're thinking
so Gil, I need to design something in CAD then they take it to Makerbot
Print to get my 3D printer to print an item I don't even know where to begin
don't worry I know I had the same thoughts when I bought my first MakerBot
3D printer. You are now part of the Makerbot community that not only wants to
help you with your 3D printing journey but a happy to share CAD designs so you
can familiarize yourself with the process and make some really cool
objects at the same time. Welcome to Thingiverse Makerbots online
community and repository of designs that you can download and print out with your
MakerBot 3D printer. Thingiverse holds items across a gamut of subjects such as
art, fashion, hobbies, toys and more. Thingiverse is like an online
encyclopedia of objects that you can freely access and the really cool part
about it is that Thingiverse is integrated directly into MakerBot Print
meaning you can search the website find a design and send it to make up a
print in just one click and when you're ready to design your own items you too
can share your creativity on Thingiverse for others to print and explore. Over the
last few years domestic 3D printing has allowed
thousands of people to create and express themselves from palm-sized
drones futuristic interpretations of classic
musical instruments a portable version of a well-known game a futuristic chain
mail for astronauts and spacecraft or prosthetic limb for someone in need
you're only limited by your creative desires think about what you would like
to share with the world 3D printing will allow you the tools to
create your design prototype it and take it from an idea to an object that you
can share with everyone. We here at MakerBot can't wait to see
what you're going to create with your MakerBot 3D printer.