Additive manufacturing machines, or 3D printers, are being hailed as the next industrial revolution, but what are they? To understand the various types of AM machines and their capabilities take a closer look at some of the more popular models. Each of the devices below was developed by separate OEMs (although at least one has

Formlabs was founded by a handful of top engineers who realized that additive manufacturing was an amazing technology that still was unattainable for so many people. To fix that problem they decided to drive down the barrier to entry and went with the relatively new funding technique of crowd sourcing through Kickstarter. When they launched they had

In early 2009 a handful of interested parties were creating kits that could be assembled into 3D printers. RepRap, the original organization, was a non-profit group that met to discuss and advance the interests of it’s members. Not unlike the groups in silicon valley that met to dicuss personal computing, the groups that ultimately led

Admittedly I have never seen a functioning EOS machine but it has one feature that just seems like fun. Titanium. That’s right, 3D printing in one of the hardest manufacturing materials around. Billed as “for aerospace and engineering applications and biomedical implants” this is one of those features that will break new technological ground. One

ZCorp used to be one of the larger manufacturers of 3D printers and additive manufacturing machines and then they were bought by an even larger player in the space, 3D Systems. Once the acquisition of ZCorp went through 3D Systems began rolling most of the existing ZCorp line into their own. One of the primary

Not to be outdone by printers that use chocolate or paper, ExOne’s M-Lab printer outputs materials in metal. Direct Metal Laser Sintering or DMLS works with under nearly the same principles as many of the printers that use plastic but instead can use proprietary materials to produce parts in stainless steel, bronze, tungsten or glass.

The Fortus series of 3D printers, or additive manufacturing machines, is in no way designed for the everyday consumer. Instead Stratasys has positioned each of these machines as a high end industrial solution for manufacturing. Basically these machines are competitors to full fledged machine shops and injection molding machines. If their marketing videos do not

Not all 3D printers are created equal. Mcor separates themselves from the pack very clearly by creating 3D parts with paper. This modern day origami machine puts down layer after layer of regular sheet paper, cutting each one into the cross section required. Because paper is so common and inexpensive Mcor boasts a lower relative

The 3Doodler is not a 3D printer, it is however an additive manufacturing device. The difference is very clear when you look at the form factor. As a handheld device there is nothing controlling where the 3Doodler lays down material except for the user. It’s interesting that an industrious hacker could put together a small