Performance increase of a 3D printer

The diploma paper discusses the comparison with the pre-established software conditions between the factory and modified 3D printer and if the modified 3D printer offers any improvements.

At the start, there will be a brief overview of the history and basics of 3D-printing and the responsible people for this contribution, what a 3D printer even is and where the idea came from.

Furthermore, there will also be mentioned how the first prototype of a 3D printer came into existence. After that there follows a deeper emphasis on the description and the overall advantages and disadvantages of different technologies.

There’ll also be a short description on a variety of different materials or so called filaments such as different plastics, nylon, ceramic, concrete and even some edible filaments just to name a few and their different physical characteristics and appliable uses.

We can use for 3D printing and a quick overview of the software program aspect of making a 3D model, what even is modelling in the 3D printing world, different modelling techniques, software programs and data files for saving or sharing digital models and how we can bring this model into a real printable product.

Before the process of printing and adding add-ons to the 3D-printer, I’ll present the 3D printer in its factory specifications, settings and it’s performance capabilities, then follows the printing of a starting point of a small standardized model of a ship for future references when compared to the spent time and filament of the same model printed on the modified 3D-printer.

There’ll follow a short description of every add-on piece and its effectiveness for the modified 3D printer, which will later be applied and print the starting point model with the same preset software conditions like on the model printed on the factory 3D printer.

From an economic point of view there will also be mentioned a price on a finished product, with the variety of factors in mind like cost of electricity, price of the filament, maintenance of 3D-printer parts, hourly rate and profit.

Based on this factors, there will also be a theoretical example mentioned on the topics of pricing a finished product.

The goal of my diploma paper is to define, can a 3D printer really be improved upon just from the perspective of adding 3D printable add-ons on a factory 3D printer, and the comparison in working conditions and finished products between the factory and modified 3D printer.