The phrase "computer creativity" does not surprise anyone. If we talk about traditional creativity, it seems that writers were the first to move from typewriters to computer terminals, who appreciated a text editor as an alternative to writing in the margins and reprinting pages by hand due to minor edits. Further more. The computer is now often almost the main tool for musicians, designers, architects and even filmmakers. It is especially important that the quality of films and books still depends not on the computer, but on people. Computers, in fact, are still gnawing at numbers, saving us time (and most often time and money), leaving more room for creativity itself.
Print in depth and breadth!
The development of computer peripheral devices - scanners, printers and other equipment - also did not stand still. New types of human activity, conquered by the general computer boom, often require their own special output and input devices. Computers have been able to translate text, images and sounds into their native digital form and back for a long time, even the first developments in the field of analysis and reproduction of smells have appeared. In the nineties, much was done to make computer technology perceive and make digital models of real objects, which was solved by several three-dimensional scanning technologies. Finally, the way back was paved: the computer was taught to create a completely material prototype on the basis of a digital three-dimensional model of an object. This is done thanks to three-dimensional printing, which we will talk about in more detail …
3D printing is not so new as to claim some kind of cutting-edge scientific development: this technology has its roots in the early nineties. However, many of us may find 3D printing a gimmick. 3D printers haven’t received widespread acceptance until they enter every home; it’s too early to even say that these devices are in every company, where the creation of a three-dimensional prototype is one of the mandatory stages. You can print literally anything - from a one-to-one scale model of a bolt to a scaled-down copy of a satellite or a future stadium, but the development of technology has long been constrained (and still partially constrained) by important factors. A 3D printing device is an expensive technique, and although prices have steadily come down over the years, not every organization can afford it. In addition, a rather high qualification is required when creating a computer three-dimensional model, and in this sense it is gratifying that in recent years, designing on paper with a pencil and a ruler has become an anachronism.
General in boxes and globes
In Noginsk, near Moscow, there is a company that for many years has been mainly engaged in the production of packaging with full-color printing. Here, for a long time, they appreciated the convenience of working with computer three-dimensional models when creating a construct and design, and therefore mastered the corresponding software products. “When, over time, we learned how to operate with computer images,” says Alexander Dobrolyubov, head of Public Market, “the idea came up to show customers non-existent boxes in three-dimensional form. We found and mastered complex software products such as Autodesk Maya, and then realized that you can not be limited by packaging alone."
The company began to select the right technology and discovered 3D printing. In 2007, the ZPrinter 510 3D machine was purchased.“Through trial and error,” says Alexander Dobrolyubov, “we came to the conclusion that 3D printing allows us to make some products at the prototyping stage quickly and well. We began to accept orders for the creation of prototypes of all kinds of products from outside. In order to be less dependent on external orders for 3D printing, Public Market made sure that the company had its own project for a 3D printer. This project was the creation of a large relief globe. The globe itself may not be 100% used for its intended purpose, but as an original piece of furniture it will decorate the office of any manager and will be an excellentt. The choice was based not so much on opportunistic considerations as on the personal sympathy of employees for such a project. Nevertheless, the project had to be brought to the stage where a globe of one size or another could be placed on the floor or on a table, and not stop just contemplating the model on a computer screen. And the ZPrinter 510 helped make it happen.
How it works
The technology by which the Z Corporation printers print (and it is this company that produces devices under the ZPrinter brand), basically, involves the layer-by-layer growing of a model from gypsum powder in a special chamber. In different models of Z-printers, the build chambers have different volumes, which determine the maximum size of the grown object.
The model for printing should be as realistic as possible, not contain infinitely thin walls and open surfaces. Quite simply, it should fully correspond to the future subject, and not be its simplified semblance. For example, it is not enough if the computer models of the fragments of the globe are only some parts of the surface of the sphere. These fragments must be of a certain thickness, calculated based on the expected loads on the final product. The printer software is capable of pointing out a number of simulation errors, but the operator, based on his own experience, is obliged to see the weak points himself.
If everything is in order with the computer model, the printer driver programmatically breaks it into layers of 0.1 mm, which are then applied one by one. In the course of printing, plaster particles are held together with a special binder, and the surface of the future model is simultaneously painted in accordance with the developed design.
Printing goes from top to bottom, while the movable bottom of the chamber after applying the next layer drops slightly. The chamber is gradually covered with plaster over the entire area up to the current level of the model height, but the binder unites only those particles that should become part of the final prototype. It turns out that at every moment the building model is surrounded by powder on all sides - it performs the function of supporting the model and its individual parts. This is necessary, since the printer allows printing objects with rather small details, and before special processing after printing, gypsum remains a very fragile material that breaks even with a slight impact. An additional plus of this approach is that Z Corporation printers allow you to grow several models at once, which can be located throughout the chamber. This, for example, happens when growing fragments for three-dimensional globes in the "Public Market".
After printing is complete, the grown models are dried. Then the chamber is freed from excess powder, which will be reused. Almost finished and still very fragile models are gently transported to a special blowing chamber, where powder residues are removed from them and treated with an impregnating compound that makes the model durable. How exactly depends on the specified strength criteria. Finally, for the model to dry and be ready for use after impregnation, you need to wait a few more minutes. Depending on the model, ZCorp printers allow you to perform certain auxiliary actions automatically.
3D printer is a versatile tool
The above technology, of course, limits the designer's imagination with some rules, but for the most part they are tied to the elementary laws of physics. Otherwise, the most complex models can be printed, which makes the scope of the printer very wide. According to Alexander Dobrolyubov, the possibilities of 3D printing technology awaken the creativity, which he sees on the example of Public Market employees. “Our ZPrinter 510 is particularly interesting and often indispensable for prototyping products that have a lot of artistic value. These are footwear, architectural objects, and clothing, - says Alexander. “Healthcare providers come to us with questions about preparing ideal training models.” In this regard, he told about a recent call from doctors who needed help in preparing for a complex operation - a full-size model of the human head, which accurately takes into account the peculiarities of the internal structure of a particular patient and was created based on the results of tomography. “And I don’t know how such a problem could be solved without a 3D printer,” concludes Alexander.
At the same time, it must be admitted that 3D printing is still an expensive pleasure due to the low prevalence of technology and the lack of awareness of end consumers. The price of components, consumables and, as a result, the cost of printing are very high. Buying a printer for occasional use may not be worth it. Alexander has no doubts that without his own project, his company would certainly not have made a profit from the printer. “It so happened,” he explains, “that the relief globe is a unique product, and we can really make money on it. The uniqueness of the project is that we can make the globe the way the customer wants to see it: we vary the sizes, textures, colors. In addition to being unique, it is also convenient - both for us and for our clients. Public Market has already released a considerable number of various products, including globes, and on the day when Alexander answered the questions for this article, there was another globe in the works, the diameter of which, at the request of the customer, will be 1 meter 20 centimeters.
The secret of Public Market's success is that the main thing has not been forgotten here: the printer, even if it carries out three-dimensional printing, is just a tool. Making money with such a device requires ideas and the ability to bring them to mind. “Globe production is not only about printing,” says the head of Public Market. - Printing - twenty percent of the whole case. It is not easy to bring a product to such a form that it can be used for a long time. Fragments must match in color and size, and meet strict strength criteria. To solve some of the problems, I needed to develop my own techniques. But it is the 3D printer that suits us better than any other technology."
Our interlocutor admits that the ZPrinter 510 is not only expensive, but also difficult to operate. At the same time, he is convinced that it is perfectly clear to any thinking person that complex, unique equipment requires additional efforts from the user, including intellectual ones. “Developers from Z Corporation are not standing still, offering new options for both software and hardware,” says Alexander. "I think that with proper service provision, reasonable prices for spare parts and consumables, 3D printing technology will definitely have a decent future."
Public Market decided not to limit its own three-dimensional projects to globes alone. Relatively recently, the website www.mentalauto.ru began to work, where, on the basis of computer three-dimensional prototypes of popular car models, users are invited to implement their ideas for tuning by editing some elements of the car's structure directly on the website. After installing a small free 3D-player, you can operate with a full-fledged 3D model, use your graphics and save the results of your work. Thus, a car enthusiast can not only enjoy a virtual three-dimensional model of his tuned iron horse, but also, using 3D printing, reproduce each tuning element for adjusting and finalizing a three-dimensional model. After all, it is better to first experiment on plaster, and only then embody ideas in metal and plastic. Perhaps this is one of those 3D printing steps towards the consumer that will make the technology available to everyone in the future.
