- [Instructor] First off, I wanna say
that 3D printing is really cool; it's so cool.
You could do so much with it that we couldn't do before,
but it's got its limit.
These limits come to the fore
when you move past display models
into functional prototypes.
Improvements are being made all the time
on the strength and durability of available materials.
However, not every project can be solved with filament
the same way that not every problem is a nail.
So it's time to extend the toolbox just a little.
For example, you need to make 10 of these.
They're cute little desk toys that don't need
to bear weight or pressure or attach to anything.
You've got access to a handy desktop 3D printer,
piece of cake, right?
But wait, your social media photo of this project
goes viral and turns your order
into the magnitude of thousands.
How fast can you 3D print this design anyway?
Is there a way you could make this process go faster?
In fact, you could.
You could send off the digital design to a company,
like Shapeways, and take the profit loss.
You may anticipate this need and only take a many orders
as you can comfortable produce,
or you could 3D print 10, mold them,
and make as many pours as you need over a couple of days.
With casting, you could do multiple colors
and opacities with the same mold.
Another example, for personal use,
you wanna make a climbing hold with your own FDM 3D printer.
The aspect of FDM 3D printing
that makes it unique is its downfall
because after a certain point,
no manner of pattern wrangling for your manifold print
will make it withstand the impact
of a sudden or static weight of a large human
without the layers tearing.
It's gotta hold,
and it needs to withstand that force repeatedly.
Customization could be fun.
Let's say you want a custom decoration logo or brand.
This would be a great opportunity
to do a pour of a solid object,
and once you have the mold,
you could just keep making them.
My last example is pretty hot.
If you recall, FDM 3D prints are thermoplastics,
which mean they can remelt partially under heat.
You could 3D print a dashboard organizer for your car,
but on a warm day, in a closed vehicle,
it could warp into uselessness or worse.
If you need your project to hold up under hot temperature.
You can find a filament, or 3D printing process,
that fits the bill.
Alternatively, you could make a mold
and make as many copies as you want in a thermoset resin.
So, if your project calls for stresses
beyond what your available material is capable of
and you want it to reflect your design,
you can 3D print the master and then mold and cast copies.
In short, you could 3D print most of your things,
but is it the best, most efficient,
and singular method for your project?
Not always.