This week’s selection is “Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your First 3D Printer” by Y. S. Parham.
We often recommend books about how to perform 3D printing or other operational aspects. But what if you don’t have a 3D printer? Which 3D printer should you purchase? Should you even consider buying 3D printer?
These are questions that lie in the minds of those who have heard of 3D printing, but are unsure of how to proceed — or proceed at all.
Diving into the technology is a very big step for some, particularly those who have not previously delved deeply into a technology domain. Reassurance and explanations are required, otherwise no progress might take place. Decisions must be made.
This quick-to-read book attempts to cover those questions, and does so in a style that’s easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with the tech environment.
As you might expect, the book begins with a basic explanation of 3D print technology. Interestingly, it focuses on some of the key questions I often hear from those considering a 3D printer purchase: how big can you print? How fast dose it print? What can I print? And more.
Parham covers a brief explanation of the four main 3D print technologies, including SLA, SLS, MJF and FDM (which should really be called FFF because FDM is a Stratasys trademark.) While SLS and MJF 3D printers would certainly not be on the purchase list for first-time buyers, their explanation provides some perspective on the wider industry: it’s a lot bigger than those desktop machines you may have seen.
Parham provides a longer section on how to identify the correct 3D printer for the situation, which is a key task when purchasing. Very often I find newbies focusing on irrelevant factors, such as “bigger is better”, or “it’s the lowest price”. Normally folks need a reasonable printer at a reasonable price, but one that works reliably and has a clear support method for when things inevitably go wrong.
If you’re considering the purchase of a 3D printer and are not sure where to start, this book might help.
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Via Amazon
