3D Printing: An Introduction

This book is a remarkable resource that I highly recommend to anyone interested in the 3D printing field. It stands out for its informative and easy-to-understand content, making it suitable for beginners and experienced users alike. It covers everything from the basics to more advanced knowledge, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of 3DEach chapter is thoughtfully organized, allowing readers to easily find specific information without having to read the entire book. Whether you're seeking guidance on different printer types, understanding various printing materials, or troubleshooting common issues, this book has you covered.The authors' expertise shines through as they provide practical tips, tricks, and troubleshooting strategies. The inclusion of real-world examples and the CD with actual projects to try, further enhances the learning experience. With its well-written structure, this book offers a gradual progression from fundamental concepts to more complex ideas, ensuring a smooth learning curve.“3D printing: An introduction” serves as an invaluable quick reference book. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, this well-crafted guide will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to explore the fascinating world of 3D printing.

I recently got my first FDM 3D printer (purchase on Amazon--the Artillery Sidewinder X1), and realized it was not going to be as easy as just plugging it in and expecting quality prints. I purchased 3D Printing: An Introduction so I could really understand the technical side as well as the art of 3D printing.The book starts off with a history of 3D printing, and it's uses, which was more interesting and informative than I was expecting, then moves on to provide knowledge of the different printer types and filament available with strengths and weaknesses of each. The book also provides excellent information about currently available software for creating/manipulating 3D objects, and available Slicers (the applications used to make the 3D object file readable by the printer). The real meat of the book follows with how to configure, calibrate, and dial in the settings, what those settings actually do, and how to troubleshoot a multitude of different issues and failure types.I found the book so helpful that I marked off several pages for quick reference (as pictured above)--especially the troubleshooting section, and filament guides. I was able to follow the steps in the book to start printing some real decent quality models. I used the provided "Mow Cal" and "box" files to torture test the printer and gather the information to really tune it in, such as dialing in the flow rate, and cooling. It wasn't long until I was altering files from Thingiverse in Blender, slicing them through the Prusa Slicer, and printing great quality functional prints. See above for my first 9 hour print that is a print in place case to hold NFC coins I made for a videogame.I was so pleased with the knowledge gained and applied from this book, that I purchased a second copy for a friend who just started 3D printing. I now have the printer running pretty much non-stop, and I am very pleased with the quality of my prints, thanks to the concise and easy-to-understand instructions provided by this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested 3D printing, as it is a great starting place to learn, and provides an avenue for much better understanding of the hardware, software, and settings that all go into making quality 3D prints.

Great intro to 3D printing

This is a great introduction into the the world of 3d printing. It covers everything you can think of and in laymen's terms. Although it is poorly edited and full of spelling and grammatical errors it is still a worthy buy.This book is essential for anyone just starting out in 3d printing.

Better understanding of 3D printers

If you were stuck on an island with nothing but a 3d printer, this is the book you'd want to have by your side.If you are looking for a quick booklet that will make you an expert in 3d printing ... prepare for disappointment because that unicorn doesn't exist. Anyone that claims otherwise is just after your money. The topic is too broad, the variables too abundant and the process too intricate for such a booklet to deliver. What you really want is a guide, a guide that can be used in a precise and targeted manner when a question arises to help you through every one of the challenging phases of becoming that expert. What phases you ask? Here's a quick list of what we went through as we got into 3d printing:Phase 1: Wondering what this 3d printing thing is all about? Check chapter 1.1-1.5. You can peruse the history -and future - of the field and gain context for where we are today and are going tomorrow.Phase 2: Considering the purchase of a 3d printer and bewildered by the $30k difference in prices? Delta vs CoreXY vs Cartesian? Turn to chapter 5.1 and have a real expert guide you in how to choose the right one for your needs.Phase 3: Want to know what to print? Where to find good models? How to avoid or fix bad objects? Chapter 8 explains where to go and how to evaluate what you find there.Phase 4: What software do I need to 3d print? Whats all this slicing business? Chapter 7 has you covered, and not just with basic statistics but gives real working value with examples and suggestions for common settings so you have a place to start.Phase 5: There are hundreds of filaments - which is the right one for my project? Chapter 6 documents all the popular filament types, their relative strengths and weaknesses, and how to choose between them.Phase 6: Trying to figure out why your print doesn't stick to the bed? Or its sides are all wavy? Or you print for hours but the parts don't fit together? All the answers are right there in one book. Now I admit I scoffed at the "color pictures" claim. But when trying to debug a bad print, those pictures really help.Phase 7: So I got a printer, set it up, got it tuned for good prints, and printed a thing. But it still needs...polish. smoothing, painting, etc. Help? Yep, this book has this often-overlooked topic in chapter 13.I don't recommend reading this book straight through. Use this book like the resource it is. When you find yourself in need of context or an answer turn to it and trust that it is written by experts in the field. Unbiased answers, not shaded by any particular vendor, technology, or company.Now, before I sound too biased, this book is not perfect. It can be a little dry. Not uncommon in a compendium of this breadth, but not exactly a page turner. That said, it's not designed to be read cover to cover so I didn't find it overly problematic. Additionally, any book in a rapidly-advancing field such as 3d printing will rapidly find itself fading from the cutting edge. While this book currently extends to today's bleeding edge, I'd expect to see sections updated to reflect new materials, advancing applications, emerging best practices, etc. within five years of publication (so fresh until 2025).The only thing more daunting than choosing the right 3d printer is getting it setup right. Don't think of it as driving a car off the lot - its more like setting up a pro race car. Tune it right and it can create magic, but dial it wrong and you've got a platter of spaghetti. This book is like that old guru mechanic that hangs out the front of the garage. Turn to it when you need the wisdom, ask good questions, and you will be dialed in and running perfect in no time.TLDR: If you are interested in 3d printing this book will pay for itself, again and again.