--For dummies.

Includes index

Introduction -- Part 1: Getting started with 3D printing. Seeing how 3D printers fit into modern manufacturing -- Exploring the types of 3D printing -- Exploring applications of 3D printing -- Part 2: Outlining 3D-printing resources. Identifying available materials for 3D printing -- Identifying sources and communities for 3D-printable objects -- Part 3: Exploring the business side of 3D printing. 3D printing for everyone -- Understanding 3D printing's effect on traditional lines of business -- Reviewing 3D-printing research -- Part 4: Employing personal 3D-printing devices. Exploring 3D-printed artwork -- Considering consumer-level desktop 3D printers -- Deciding on a 3D printer of your own -- Part 5: Understanding and using your 3D printer. Assembling kits and reviewing machine setup -- Understanding 3D printer control electronics -- Understanding, using, and servicing 3D printers -- Identifying software and calibrating your 3D printer -- Refining the design and 3D-printing process -- Part 6: The part of tens. Ten examples of direct digital manufacturing and personalization -- Ten impossible designs created using additive manufacturing

"An easy reference for anyone new to the process of taking a digital file and turning it into an object in the real world. (Pretty amazing stuff, right?) It's also a handy guide for more experienced users looking to learn the latest and greatest in additive manufacturing. Updated for the latest generation of machines and materials, this book walks you through creating models and printing 3D objects. You'll get the scoop on the impact of these versatile machines in production and manufacturing, reuse and recycling, intellectual property design controls, and more. It's an exciting time to get into 3D printing, and this friendly Dummies guide is here to help you do it"--

Previous edition: published as by 3D printing for dummies by Richard Horne and Kalani Kirk Hausman. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2017