WHAT IS 3D PRINTING?

3D printing is a style of manufacturing technique known as an additive, as opposed to subtractive, process (even automated or robotized ones) that work by removing material. Subtractive techniques all have a certain number of limitations inherent in the methods of production. Indeed, to produce the final object, you need to start with a block of material, which causes waste and limits formal complexity.

Let’s take, for example, the traditional way of manufacturing a wooden chair leg: a tree is cut down, the bark and branches are removed, and it is cut into boards. The boards, once dried, are planed, sawed, machined, and sanded. To make the same leg in plastic, you have to create a mold made from a block of metal, which the ...

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