WEBVTT - How 3D Printing Works 0:00:00.960 --> 0:00:04.400 Welcome to you stuff you should know from house Stuffworks 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:13.760 dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:18.680 and this is kind of unusual with me. Is Ben Boldin? 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:23.840 Say Hi everybody, Ben, Hey, everybody, Um, Ben you are 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:29.080 here because well we have some pretty big news. Um well, 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:32.840 because we can't really say exactly why, but um, Chuck 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:35.800 was called away and it's not going to be with 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:39.839 us any longer. Unfortunately. It's a very very sad day 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.120 for all of us here. Um. You know, Chuck was 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.760 part of this almost from the beginning. Bend. Yeah, Chuck 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:52.519 started in July two. Yes, nice homework, Yeah he did. 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.279 And um, you know I always said like that's when 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.920 the fireworks happened, like everything, just like that first Chuck 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.800 episode of at Least the Amazing. So um, not to 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:05.000 set you up for anything, obviously, but you know, there's 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.080 some big shoes to fill and Chuckle be missed. And 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.200 I know you love him and everybody out there loves him, 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.880 but we've got to keep going on. You know. Yeah, 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:15.080 Chuck is doing what he has to do, and uh, 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:18.720 it falls if alls us. I um, I want to 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:22.800 be respectful. Well, yeah, a long time fan first Time 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.560 co host. Well that hopefully that that you know, that 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.040 will translate to this that you know that you have 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:31.280 an enthusiasm for not just the topics, but for stuff 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:33.200 you should know in general. You know, like that'll I'm 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:35.319 sure people will appreciate that. I know this is a 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:38.720 little odd. This is it was quick, it was sudden. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.520 He is out of the blue. But hats off to 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:43.640 you man for stepping in like you you're a braver 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.039 soul than I am. Ah. Yeah, I'll be honest with you. 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.600 I'm a little scared. You're doing good. What Aaron Cooper 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:52.400 is gonna think everybody else is is gonna do. But 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:54.720 I think Aaron Cooper is the least of your worries 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:59.840 probably the show. So well with that, let's go on 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.440 with the show. We're talking today about three D printers. 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:09.960 Are you pretty familiar with three D printers? So I 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.520 I am as well kind of you know, mostly just 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.880 from keeping up with like the big news stories, um, 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:18.280 but the ins and out the details of a three 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:21.919 D printer, um, the machine itself, how it operates. I 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.960 didn't really know a lot about until I read this article, Like, 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:31.400 were you familiar with the intricacies of it? Yes, yeah, Um, 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:34.200 didn't you guys have one in the video department. I 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:35.840 don't know if everybody knows this or not, but you 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:38.520 originally started out you're a video guy, and then you 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:41.120 made the leap over to editorial and now here you are, 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:45.040 um and stuff you should know too. Um, but wasn't 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.120 there a three D printer in the video department for what? Ye? 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:53.440 And you guys made some pretty good use of that, right, Uh. Yeah. 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.880 The three D printer that we had is one of 0:02:56.919 --> 0:02:59.640 the early models, so it has some advantages. It can 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.639 prints really cool stuff, but as pretty small, uh pretty 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:07.240 small production capacity, it takes a while to get to it. 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:09.480 It's cool. We only have one kind of plastic, so 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:12.760 everything is really bright green. Yes, I remember seeing that. 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.080 That's the kind of gives you a headache. Yes, yeah, 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:21.359 and that is that is probably um the bulk of 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:23.799 the cons when it gets to that. But I think 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.959 that three D printing is a fantastic and exciting thing. 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:30.840 And a lot of people don't know this, but not 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:35.400 all three D printing is created equally. There are a 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:39.000 couple of different types. So what we were hoping to 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.200 talk about in today's episode, right, is that h three 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:45.520 D printing isn't just for you know, cute little chess 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:50.400 pieces or car parts, right, you could do um, you 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.360 could do all sorts of things. As a matter of fact, 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:56.640 mentioning news stories we we recently were talking off air. 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:58.800 In my head, I was imagining that we were talking 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:04.080 off air rather about printing human tissue with a with 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:07.320 a three D printers. Some guys at harbor, which is 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:17.880 a gosh, what wake up? Wake up dude? What do 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:20.480 you do? Oh? Man, he got eyeboggers? Yeah, sorry about it. 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.680 That's so weird. Like I came in here, Jerry's all 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:26.120 set up in your asleep in your chair. I think 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:30.760 she put something in my coffee, you knockout pills or something. Well, 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:33.159 you looked like, I don't know, you were restless. Yeah, 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:35.400 it was weird. It has had the worst dream, like 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:40.680 you'd gone somewhere, some vague place no one knew where. 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:45.599 We weren't saying and Ben from stuff they don't want 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.120 you to know. Yeah, Ben was like in your place 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.839 and he was doing like a really good job. You 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:56.680 mean Ben, I left work and Ben took my job. Yeah, 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:58.640 I mean he was he was giving your job. He 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:01.720 was stepping up. Try to fill your shoes kind of thing. 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.400 He was doing good. So was it like it didn't 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:07.839 look like a nightmare? I gotta say, I mean it was. 0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:12.120 It was nightmarish and that um I didn't like what 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:15.839 I was wearing. But Ben was doing great. So it 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:17.960 was a dream. It was a dream. It was a 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:22.360 pretty pedestrian, mundane dream. But I guess it was like 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.080 April Fool's dream of some sort. Uh you know, is 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:27.880 that what this is? I guess because there was a 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:31.280 dream today, today's April Fool's day, it all makes sense, 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.560 which would make it an April Fool's dream. Wow. Man, 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:36.560 All right, well you got a little drool on your 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:38.480 lips still, But otherwise I'm ready to go with I 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:41.640 have to say it was nightmarish. I'll just fess up. 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:44.200 The idea of doing stuff you should know without you 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:47.640 is you could have lead with that, you know, and 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:50.480 keep you in suspense. All right, Well, I'm just gonna 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:54.320 go have been killed very quickly, and then we probablyshod 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.640 because I mean, ask anybody who was hearing my dream 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:01.000 like it was. He was good. I seed his warm. Yeah, 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:05.000 he did do that a few times. All right. So 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.680 well here's the weird thing in my dream we were 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:12.000 about to talk about three D printing. What topic are 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:16.960 we about to cover? Now? Three D printing? What? This 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:19.479 is the craziest dream I've ever had in my life? 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.400 All right, my dreaming? Now, now this is for real, 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.880 like in fact, I have somewhere to be, so I'd 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:27.120 like to get on with it. Okay, well let's do that. 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:28.880 Then let's put you back to that afterward, and you 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:31.080 can dream about me being dead all you want, because 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:35.080 I still I'm kind of grog. All right, uh so chuck, Yeah, 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.599 you're ready to wrap about three D printing. Yeah, it 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:41.760 bugs me already that they call it printing why because 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:46.360 it's not printing. It's uh okay, I see where they 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:48.440 get the name, but it's it's to me, it's a 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:51.440 little bit of a confusing thing. So you're an additive 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:54.960 manufacturing guy, Is that what you're into? Yeah, because that's 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:56.560 the other term for I mean, there's a couple of 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.760 other terms summer kind of old timey, like stereo lithography. 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:03.880 It sounds a time um, but additive manufacturing is the 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:07.160 umbrella term for what three D printing is or three 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:10.320 D layering. I like that, Yeah, which is a little 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:14.520 more accurate than printing. Um. Although the reason that they 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:16.800 call it printing, as we will see, is because it 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:21.640 dovetails well with traditional two dimensional ancient printers. It uses 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.800 a lot of the same form and function. Yeah, I 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:27.520 get what they said. Yeah, but you mentioned additive manufacturing though. 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.760 That's the key is that it's it's not a computer 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:34.240 numerical controlled machining, which is when you start with a 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.760 block of something in the carpet down. This is actually 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:39.800 starting from nothing and adding to it, which is really neat. 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.080 It's the reverse of that. Yeah. Yeah, And with with 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:44.720 three D printing, I'm just gonna call it that, I'm sorry, 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:49.640 that's what we're gonna okay, or three D p I 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.160 call it three D p o um. And he'd say 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:55.360 it with like a smile and his teeth weak thing. 0:07:56.800 --> 0:07:59.960 He's got great breath. Um he does. It's pretty pleasant. 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:03.680 Uh we we let's just get past the spent thing. 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:07.720 I'm sorry about my print okay, okay, um. So anyway, 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:09.840 with with three D printing, the whole basis of it 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:14.200 is is you you print a three dimensional object or 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:18.320 you manufacture a three dimensional object layer by layer by 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:22.400 layer by layer, layers can be a micron up to 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:27.160 a millimeter or so thick, and um as each layer 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.800 is deposited on top of the next, you have a 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.000 three D object that's built. That's I mean, that's there's 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:37.720 some total of it, like everything from I think Ben 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:42.280 even mentioned chess pieces to like you know whatever, I mean, 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:45.600 whatever you can think of. You can three D print virtually, 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:50.080 including guns in potentially one day, bodily organs and things 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:52.360 like that. Ye I can see like an artificial heart 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.160 being three D printed. They're working on it. Yeah, yep, 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.480 there's I mean, like you say, anything you can come 0:08:57.559 --> 0:08:59.920 up with somebody who's trying to three D print or 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.920 already has. It's the latest and greatest. It is, and 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:04.839 in fact, Chuck, a lot of people think it's going 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:08.800 to be the next industrial revolution, honestly, and there's a 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:11.280 lot of reason to put some money behind that because 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:14.920 if it, if it does take off, and it's becoming 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.319 increasingly possible that it does, is costs come down for 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:23.240 materials and the actual printers themselves, um, the the the 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:25.439 more and more barriers are coming down. And if if 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:31.680 it becomes widespread, man, so long manufacturing and transportation sectors 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:37.400 as we know them. Yeah, and say hello too custom everything. Yeah, 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.680 broke your spatula in your kitchen and it's like one 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:42.600 in the morning and you're one of those weirdos eats 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:44.320 dinner at one in the morning. You get a broken 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.920 spatula and you can't go to bed, bath and beyond 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:49.080 or else you'd have to break in and know. All 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.040 you do is go to your your office computer at 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.880 home say hey, Amazon, I need a new spatulate. It 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:58.280 sends the designs to your three D printer, print, you 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:01.040 out a new spatula, wait till cools down, and then 0:10:01.080 --> 0:10:04.560 you go finished cooking spaghetti. Yeah. I think the trick is, 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:08.559 uh is cost, Like with any kind of early technology 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:12.000 like this, like costs and size, that's got to come down, 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:13.680 and it already is. And you can buy these things 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:15.640 for like eight hundred bucks. Now you can get them 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:18.800 for I think there's you can get unassembled ones for 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.040 like two hundred. Really you can get assembled for like 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:24.320 three or four or five. Yeah. So alright, so should 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:27.000 totally have one in the office we do? Was that 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.880 was that real? What was what real? Were you controlling 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.599 my dream? I knew it? I knew you were controlling 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.840 my dream. Really, that's why I was wearing that. Yeah, 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:41.439 dressing up. It's a little bope. Yeah, I didn't like it. 0:10:42.040 --> 0:10:44.840 Uh yeah, there is one somewhere and it really works 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:46.800 like we have used it. Yeah, I remember the did 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:48.880 you you have you not seen the little green like 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:51.640 chest pieces that he was talking about, And no, unless 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:54.080 I saw them and didn't realize that they're awful, some 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:57.120 awful neon green. But yeah, there there's a as far 0:10:57.200 --> 0:10:59.760 as I know, it's still here. Cool. But well, you're 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:01.920 saying like this is kind of early on in in 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:07.080 the UM. It's nascent. It's a nascent technology but going fast. Yes, 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:11.400 and it's nascent really as far as entering people's homes 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:14.679 are concerned. As far as industry is concerned, it's been 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:18.000 around for decades now. As a matter of fact, the 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:23.560 mid eighties was when UM additive manufacturing, the the prototypical 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:28.240 three D manufacturing UM or three D printing was really 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:33.320 introduced to the industry sector and saying, hey, guys, you 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:39.560 know you're prototyping process, Well, prepare to cut it by 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:44.040 like seven eights. Yeah, and speed wise, speed wise, materials wise, 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:48.360 c O two output wise. In every way it's called 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.400 rapid prototyping, and that, like you said, in the eighties 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.720 and early nineties is when they said, you you have 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.920 some ideas for maybe a car part or something, how 0:11:57.920 --> 0:11:59.880 would you like to And you know what prototyping is 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:04.280 is when you build something to test out. Basically, yes, 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.560 as a manufacturer your prototype, but um, they said, how 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:12.280 would you like to work with that prototype tomorrow instead 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.079 of you know, a month from now, manufactured and then 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:17.800 like coming up with the design sending him overseas, having 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:22.520 the the prototype built, shipped back to you, finding out 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.360 that it didn't quite fit, recalculating, singing it back like 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:31.160 this was the prototyping process until like the rapid rapid 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:35.040 prototyping was introduced. Yeah, and I think, like in many 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:39.000 cases with technology, we have m I T to Bank, 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.920 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They were definitely one of them, 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.880 but it seems like there was a several different people 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.200 or companies or institutions that were coming up with this 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.360 at about the same time. I think car companies had 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.880 a lot of the early They definitely bought a lot 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.559 of the early ones for sure. So like in in 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.520 the in the mid eighties, a guy named Charles Hole 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:02.480 came up with this technique that's still in use today, 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:06.480 where you use a laser two turn some sort of 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:11.720 um plastic e dust a polymer dust into something solid. 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:16.600 It's called alchemy, but pretty much photo polymerization. And it 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:19.319 was one of the earliest types of three D printing. 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:21.800 And like I said, it's still in use today. Um 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.719 and Hole went on to create a company called three 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:28.000 D Systems that's still around today, one of the leaders 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:31.840 in three D printing. So he's loaded. Yeah, he's still 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:35.080 the CTO of the company. Uh. Well, I guess we 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:38.320 should talk about the two main processes on direct and 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:44.240 binder printing. Uh. Direct printing is uh, that's the one 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:47.480 that looks and behaves most like your regular like ink 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.360 jet printer when you see it moving along. It's the 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:52.559 little metal bars. It looks, you know, a lot like that. 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:56.199 It's got a little nozzle and it's gonna instead of 0:13:56.240 --> 0:14:00.400 dispensing inc though, it dispenses either a plastic polymer or 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:05.360 a waxy substance, something that's heated up and melted sprayed, Yeah, 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.280 in a pattern that it's supposed to be onto the surface, 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:11.360 and then it cools and harden. Yeah, And that's the 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.560 key is it has to come out really hot, and 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.559 it has the cool really fast. And if you've seen 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.600 these nozzles, it's like you can think of it kind 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.240 of like a hot glue gun. Um. That's sort of 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.960 what the tip looks like, except much finer obviously, And 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:29.240 it'll even leave like if you're printing like uh, like 0:14:29.280 --> 0:14:33.720 a Yoda head which people love to print, and you 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.200 have to come from the head to the ear that 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.560 sticks out, there's a gap there. There will be even 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.360 like little hot glue strings left behind the stuff you 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:43.440 gotta go and like clean up later, right, which is 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.320 part of the process. Um. So that's uh, that's direct 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:51.400 three D printing. There's another type that's similar called um 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.880 binder three D printing, and it's called binder because you 0:14:55.040 --> 0:15:00.360 use a like your base substance is a powder, yeah, 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.560 polymer something it's but it's in powdered form and that's 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:08.400 sprayed or laid down in the arrangement that it's supposed 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.240 to be for that layer, and then a binder of 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.680 like glue or some sort of um liquid that holds 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.040 it in place and steals it together um is sprayed 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:21.360 over it. Yeah, So it's two passes, powder pass and 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:23.600 then the liquid paths right, and even though it's there's 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:26.960 two passes, it's actually faster because you don't have all 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.640 these different nozzles having to add all this different stuff. 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.400 It's just like there's your powder, there's your binder. Yeah, 0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:35.040 and you can use that's where you can like use 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:37.760 metals in ceramics and things like that. It really opens 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:41.720 up your world material wise. And then there's multi jet modeling, 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:44.600 which is pretty cool. That's when you have, well you 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:46.760 have many of those jets and if you've seen these 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.920 things at work, it's like really cool, just all operating 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:52.800 at the same time, building something right in front of 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:56.160 your eyes, moving like little robots, spraying plastic all over 0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.280 the place pretty much, um, but in very precise places. Yeah, 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.080 like you said, microns at times. And then there's another 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:04.800 one we wanted to give a shout out to called 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:10.040 fueled fuse deposition. I think yes, fuel fuse. Wow, I'm 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:15.160 really having trouble with this one. Fused deposition modeling, which 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:19.120 is basically you're using like even smaller nozzles that are 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:22.800 actually they're not spraying their injecting things, which gives you 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:28.320 an incredibly intricate amount of detail. Or amount of intricate detail, 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.880 so you get direct and binder and those are kind 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.360 of common, right, they are, yes, very common, and then 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.880 there's kind of subsets of those. There's basically, if we 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:40.640 did this episode five years from now, we'd be like, 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:42.680 here's how three D printing works. Going to be one 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.320 of these. That's what I had a feeling that as 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:47.440 time goes on, then some of these will fall away, 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:50.280 Like definitely, they're all right now, they're competing to be 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:53.560 basically the three D printing technology that becomes the standard 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:57.760 for all like inkjet. Inkjet printers were invented in the sixties, 0:16:58.000 --> 0:16:59.920 but there was dot matrix, all these others, and then 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.160 it just became clear that inkjet printing was the way 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.080 to go. I think that's what's going on with three 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.399 D printing right now. Whichever one is most viable for 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:09.240 the consumer is the one that will usually went out 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.880 exactly because that's the one that companies will put all 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.840 their money into, and then that's that's where all the 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:17.720 breakthroughs will come from. And maybe on on the manufacturing side, 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:20.320 they might still have their own, like super expensive ways 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.800 of doing things, but if you want one at your house, 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:24.960 they're going to have to like scale it down, you 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:29.080 know exactly. So one of the you've got binder printing, 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:31.040 you've got direct three D printing, and then you have 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:34.040 different ways that these can be used. So um, for example, 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:39.040 remember I mentioned Charles Hole in his photo polymerization. Um, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:42.160 that's you can use that for binding, right. So that's 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.480 the laser one. Yeah, so you would use some sort 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:47.640 of powder, right, and then you would use a UV 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:52.639 laser too that expose that powder and turned it into 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:56.240 a solid, right. Just I think it makes that sound. 0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.879 That's why people love that three D printer. Um. So 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:02.840 you were using like a technically a three D bind 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.600 or printing method, but you're using photo polymerization as the 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:11.000 technique to actually buying this stuff together. Right. And then 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:13.800 depending on your material, you might want to use a 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.879 different kind of technique like um, selective laser centering is 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:21.879 really good for metals. Yeah, and that that's a laser 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:26.760 as well, and it melts actually melts this plastic powder 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:29.760 and then solidifies it after that, or it can melt 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:33.919 metal powder. So if you're creating like something that normally 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:36.000 would have to be like die cast or machined or 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:38.840 something like that, you're creating a structure that's just a 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:41.800 sturdy But here's the big This is one of the 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:45.720 reasons why three D printing could lead to a revolution 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:50.959 and manufacturing. Um. When you are creating something using a 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:55.760 three D printer, you are able to you're creating a 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.720 cross section of it layer by layer. But it's just 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:04.159 a dirty is something solid? Yeah, like the insides of these, 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:08.480 it's neither hollow nor solid. It's got like a lattice 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:12.159 support systems if that's what it calls for. Right, So 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:14.400 you can do honeycomb, you could do lattice. You can 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.880 you can subtract a lot of what has to be 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:21.040 in something that's die cast, just because the human hander, 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:24.440 the machines we have aren't capable of making something so intricate. 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:27.000 So you have a lot of waste in manufacturing. There's 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:30.159 a lot of um extra metal in a widget that 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:33.280 doesn't have to be there. With three D printing, you 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:36.159 use just the amount of material you need, and you 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:40.800 can make the thing as lightweight as it's structural soundness 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:42.800 can call for. So like if you want to make 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:46.359 a die cast Civil War soldier, right that's six inches tall, 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:51.760 it can be hollow and use less material. Right, If 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:54.479 you want detail in his laces, you use a three 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:57.359 D printer for that. If you want this clumpy Homer 0:19:57.400 --> 0:20:01.600 Simpsons shoes, you can make it die cast. But but but 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:04.520 to to use an even more to the point real 0:20:04.560 --> 0:20:08.359 world example, if you're making airplane parts and you are 0:20:08.440 --> 0:20:14.639 making a hinge and the hinge made using die cast 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:18.600 techniques is blocky and clunky, and the one with three 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:21.720 D printing is like lattice. Like you said, the lattice 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:23.639 one is going to be more lightweight. If you have 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:26.800 a thousand hinges on a plane, all that extra weight 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:29.680 adds up in the die cast one. It's not there 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:32.600 with the three D printed one, which means the plane 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:36.040 weighs less, which means it uses less fuel, which means 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:38.960 it puts out less c O two or could carry 0:20:39.000 --> 0:20:41.920 more even right exactly, and it's possibly even more sound 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:47.000 structurally because this thing has been so intricately created, why 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:50.760 it's really almost endless. The applications for this in the future. 0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:57.400 Oh yeah, you spatula is to airplane hinges, Simpson civil 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.640 war figures. Well, I guess we should talk a little 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:02.960 bit about the process because this is where it and 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:04.840 you should look at a video if you haven't yet 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:06.520 of a three D printer in action. It's pretty neat 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:10.439 it is, but also it's very tough to describe UM, 0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.480 and it's just so much easier to just see it. Yeah, 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:17.000 there's a good TED talk from I think two eleven UM. 0:21:17.240 --> 0:21:19.119 I can't remember the woman's name, but she does a 0:21:19.119 --> 0:21:21.680 good job of just step by step, here is the 0:21:21.720 --> 0:21:25.119 basis of of UM three D printing. And here's some 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:27.840 you know, video footage that you're just like, Okay, I 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:30.720 totally get it now. So here's us clumsily. It's something 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:36.000 to explain it well. They all use a similar approach. UM. 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:39.879 Step one is uh C, a D computer aid to design. 0:21:39.920 --> 0:21:41.320 This is what you have to start with. It's a 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:45.520 software that you know. It's the same as when you 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:48.320 do like a three D graphics for a motion picture. 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:55.000 What you're doing is just creating a three dimensional structure 0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:59.359 on your computer screen. That's basically your blueprint. Yeah, it's 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:01.520 what you're gonna end making. It's CAD software. It's like 0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:05.000 the same stuff that architects or engineers use because not 0:22:05.119 --> 0:22:08.239 only can you design it in three dimensions, you can 0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:11.639 also test its soundness. You can model it. Yeah, like 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:14.840 a big warning light goes on the breachieve model that 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:18.399 isn't gonna hold cars. Uh number two. And this is 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:20.959 some you know, kind of technical, geeky stuff, but it's 0:22:21.000 --> 0:22:23.840 all part of the process. You have to convert that 0:22:23.920 --> 0:22:29.320 to something called the st L format Standard Tesselation Language, 0:22:30.280 --> 0:22:33.520 and that's basically just a file format developed in the eighties. 0:22:34.320 --> 0:22:40.000 UM that allows the two the machine to read the 0:22:40.040 --> 0:22:43.560 CAD software. Right, it translates it from the CAD yeah 0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:47.880