11-03-2015, 11:50 AM
3D printing is just a process - the material that is used is up to the manufacturer - cheap systems use a thermoplastic that is easy to lay down.
Systems that lay down successive layers are called "additive" systems; systems that remove material from a block (by milling etc.) are called "subtractive".
More exotic printers will even print in metals using lasers to sinter the material ("direct metal sintering") - really stunning stuff can be made this way., e.g.
![[Image: rhombic_triacontahedron_4_big_a_500.jpg]](http://www.engineering.com/portals/0/BlogFiles/rhombic_triacontahedron_4_big_a_500.jpg)
Systems that lay down successive layers are called "additive" systems; systems that remove material from a block (by milling etc.) are called "subtractive".
More exotic printers will even print in metals using lasers to sinter the material ("direct metal sintering") - really stunning stuff can be made this way., e.g.
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