3D Modeling: Using the Latest Innovations in Print

As Jay Leno once said, 3D printing technology is “pretty amazing.” Now, more and more people are becoming fascinated and interested in learning more about it. But what exactly is involved in 3D modeling, and moreover, how can printers get in on this latest technology craze?

Z Corp., located in Burlington, Mass., develops and manufactures printers and scanners that produce 3D models from computer-aided design (CAD), building information modeling (BIM), and other digital data. Companies use Z Corp.’s 3D printers to make prototypes ranging from toys for market feedback to fan blades for functional testing. Similar to how conventional desktop printers provide a paper output of documents, 3D printers provide 3D CAD and BIM users a physical prototype of objects such as a mobile phone, a camera, or a scale model building.

Companies including MTV, Nike, Converse, and Electronic Arts Inc.—creators of the video game Spore—use Z Corp.’s 3D technology for product design and prototypes.

How Is it Done?

“What’s involved in the 3D process itself is the software that’s used to generate the file. The software is broken down into three categories: mechanical and design such as Autodesk, architectural software such as Bentley Component and Form Z, and animation-oriented software such as 3DS Max,” explained Scott Harmon, vice president of business development for Z Corp.

“The 3D printers then take the design and generate a replica of it, but in order for it to be printed, the model has to have volume: It needs to be a sphere, not a circle,” he said.

“Z Corp.’s 3D printers suit applications from high school education through demanding commercial environments. Our 3D printers are the fastest on the market, have the lowest operating costs, and are affordable. The entry-level ZPrinter 310 Plus is a monochrome machine that builds volume of 8x10x8 inches. The mid-range ZPrinter 450 is a full color machine mixes color on the fly. It prints the same volume as the 310 Plus and makes it easy to create creature features,” Harmon noted.

The ZPrinter 650 is considered Z Corp.’s “high end” machine and prints in high definition full color by adding a black channel. The volume output is 10x15x8 inches. Z Corp. machines feature four-color printing through a layer-based system rather than one line at a time. Z Corp. also offers material systems for each printer to satisfy varying modeling needs. The material options allow for customization of model properties for each application.

Many 3D printers do not require an industrial environment to operate. Roughly 18,000 machines in the 3D printing industry are priced below $100,000, but even if you obtain the printers to perform capabilities, “if you don’t have the 3D software, you won’t have a use for the printer,” stated Harmon.

Printing Statues and Avatars

“For games like World of Warcraft, Spore, and Rock Band, you can have your avatar printed using this type of technology,” he further noted. Customers can order printed characters from World of Warcraft through www.figureprints.com. FigurePrints are custom statues of World of Warcraft characters created using 3D color printing machines. The artists “pull your character from the virtual world and bring it to life.”

FigurePrints’ servers pull character data from the World of Warcraft Armory, create a 3D model, and lets customers pose it any way they like. On the Web site, they can hit “Print” and the software prepares the model for printing. Artists finish the process by turning the design into a collectible figurine, and once it has passed the artists’ inspection, the print is packaged and shipped to the customer.

To print a statue, figureprints.com uses rapid prototyping machines to convert three-dimensional computer models into physical objects. The electronic version of the figure is cut into more than a thousand thin slices. The printer then creates a slice of the figure at a time and the slices are stacked on top of each other to form the 3D statue. The statue is removed from the machine, hand finished, and mounted in a glass display case.

The figures are built out of a plaster-like powder that is bonded and sealed. The character models are very close to those in the game, but not exactly the same. During the final stages of development, the artists may tweak the position of the weapons and armor to make a stronger statue. They may also need to add support elements to make sure that the print is stable given the pose chosen.

FigurePrints produces all characters in scale relative to each other: Depending on the race of the character and the pose chosen, the statue can be as large as eight inches tall. Smaller characters can be printed on larger bases to give them a boost. It can take as long as several months to complete the final model depending on character pose or weapon chosen.

Other Uses for 3D

“The dental and jewelry industries have also adopted 3D technology,” Harmon noted. “The Invisalign product uses the same technology as 3D printing.” Computerized 3D images of a patient’s teeth are generated with CAD software to create a model of the mouth.

This enables the doctor to create customized aligners for each stage of the treatment process. The orthodontic aligners are produced by CNC (computer numerical controlled) machining. CNC milling machines then form the inside and outside surfaces from a block of material that can be worn inside the mouth.

“Molds for jewelry are also made from 3D printers,” he continued. “This typically involves printing highly detailed jewelry parts, creating wax molds and dipping the molds into ceramic, then burning out the ceramic and filling it with gold (to make jewelry).”

Even though 3D printing is now being used for more applications than during its inception, Harmon stated that 3D printing is still relatively new. “Z Corp. launched 3D printing in 1997 with a $60,000 machine. This industry became profitable and took off in the early 2000s,” he said.

He went on to explain how “3D printing can be easy for printers to get into. There are now 3D printing machines that range from $20,000 to $60,000, and these machines are similar to commercial printers.

There is however more human interaction and there are software requirements, which can still limit 3D printing capabilities. You can get some 3D modeling software for free, such as Google SketchUp 7 (http://sketchup.google.com/download), but the entry level price for professional 3D software can start at a couple thousand dollars.”

“One of the trends for this year is that there’s definitely growth in this market,” Harmon informed. “This is because of a few reasons. The quality of 3D output goes up every year, and the accessibility of 3D data gets easier every year. Software like SketchUp is easy to use, and the amount of content to be generated in 3D is becoming larger.”

Prototypes for products is another area of growth. “Because of 3D prototypes, the products can be ultimately designed with more user/consumer input. As organizations look to deliver products, 3D printing is growing,” he noted.

3D printing technology is also now reaching into high schools: High schools have 3D printers to teach students design and architecture. 3D printing helps schools to expand engineering education.

“People are constantly forming ideas in the 3D industry. Z Corp. gets excited about the architectural end of the process: We like going out to the buyer and getting feedback, so that we can find out what the buyer likes and doesn’t like,” commented Harmon.

“A great example of 3D prototypes is Converse. Shoe companies are at the forefront of industrial design. The cycle time is so fast—styles go in and out like crazy. A lot of shoe manufacturers use 3D technology to create a faster design process, where consumers can also look at this process and help it improve,” he said.

In a nutshell, 3D printing helps companies that need to deliver products faster and on a budget. The benefits of better technology and less expensive costs can help products sell and give them an edge over their competitors. The use of 3D technology is also displayed at mechanical engineering trade shows, engineering schools, and architectural schools.

Rapid Prototyping Reduces Production Costs

Z Corp. has an ebook on 3D modeling on its Web site titled “Timberland Case Study, Put Your Best Foot Forward” with one example of 3D improving business:

Make it better. That’s the current tagline for Timberland, a footwear brand renowned for its durability and quality. The emphasis on good craftsmanship shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the company was founded by an apprentice stitcher who took great pride in his work.

Having grown into a $1.6 billion-per-year global business, Timberland employs a sizable army of fashion designers to continually refine its products to make sure its arch support, tread patterns, materials, heel stabilizers, and orthotic devices provide the best experience for adventurers and mountain climbers who rely on its shoes.

Timberland used to commission professional model makers to sculpt out early prototypes in wood of foam based on 2D CAD drawings. Each unit cost about $1,200 and took about a week to produce. The relatively high cost and slow turnaround hindered the iterative engineering process.

Eventually, however, the company discovered rapid prototyping. After spending six months evaluating the technologies available in the market, Timberland bought Z Corp.’s ZPrinter 310. The machine comes with Z Corp.’s proprietary software for processing solid models in STL, VRML, and PLT file formats. The bundled software supports 3D viewing, text labeling, and scaling.

Timberland then upgraded to the Z Corp. Spectrum Z510, capable of printing in 24-bit color at 600 dpi resolution. It takes 90 minutes to produce a prototype in the colors the designers have in mind and costs approximately $35 each.

“We can now quickly do innumerable iterations and variations,” said Toby Ringdahl, Timberland’s CAD manager for the footwear product development and engineering group, “and the designers and marketing managers can really be sure the product is what Timberland is expecting and what people on the streets are demanding.”