History of 3D Printers

What is a 3D Printer?

A 3D printer unlike the common printers, prints objects in three dimensions. 3D printers use different types of additive manufacturing technologies to create 3 dimensional objects by building the object layer by successive layer, til the whole object is complete. It is a lot like printing in 2 dimensions on sheets of paper, but with an extra added 3rd dimension.

History of 3D Printers

3D printing was created more than 30 years ago (that is in the 1980's) by a multi award winning genius by the name, Charles Hull?. Charles Hull's computer program generated 3D objects and vector shapes. These was the earliest 3D printing technology, and at the time it was called RP (Rapid Prototyping) technology. This was because the printing processes were initially conceived as faster and more cost effective methods for creating prototypes for various products development within industry.

In the early 1990s, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a procedure which it trademarked with the name 3D Printing (it was officially abbreviated as "3DP"). However, it wasn’t til January of the year 2009 that the 1st commercially available 3D printer was offered for commercial sale. Since then (2009), a host of many other similar deposition 3D printers have emerged with marginal USPs ( unique selling points) and they still continue to do so to date.

Here is the time scale of 3D printing history;

1984; Charles Hull invents SLA (stereolithography).

1991; Stratasys produces the world’s 1st fused deposition modelling (FDM) machine.

1992; 3D systems produce the world's 1st SLA 3D printing machine.

1994; The Model maker wax printer is released.

1997; Aeromet invents a laser additive manufacturing.

2000; The 1st 3D inkjet printer is produced by the Object Geometries.

2000; Z Corp makes the 1st multi color 3D printer.

2001; Solidmension makes the 1st desktop 3D printer.

2002; A 3D printed miniature kidney is manufactured.

2008; The RepRap Darwin is the 1st 3D printer to produce many of its' own parts.

2008; Stratasys produces the 1st bio compatible FDM material.

2008; The 1st 3D prosthetic leg is produced.

2009; Organovo produces the 1st 3D printed blood vessel.

2011; The 1st 3D printed car is produced.

2012 ; LayerWise (Holland) produces the 1st 3D printed jaw.

2015; The 1st pill manufactured by 3D printing is approved by FDA.