Big Picture - January/February 2018 - 19

Fuse deposition modeling (FDM) is the most common
method of 3D printing, where a single-color plastic or
plastic-like fi lament is melted and deposited in layers to create
a model. This is a long way from how we all print. Both of the
units in question here utilize UV printing - and it's a pretty
good guess that this choice and expertise was influenced by
the companies' 2D printing histories. The 3DUJ-553 uses a
liquid acrylic in six colors, and the 1800 uses a single-color
UV-cured acrylic gel. And UV curing technology leads to the
next technical advantage, which is speed.
The 3DUJ-553 is significantly faster than traditional FDM,
and the 1800 is in an entirely different league than any other
3D printer as far as production speed. This will be critical to
the success of our industries crossing paths - especially if and
when more machines enter this niche of the market; we don't
have time to wait, and neither do our customers.
A NEW FACE FOR 3D CAD
These two printers represent an evolution, maybe a revolution, in 3D printing. This transition prompts us to take a fresh
look at 3D CAD software. Because 3D printing has historically
focused on an engineering type of output, software has also
been geared in that direction.
But imagine you have a client who wants a life-size pink
flamingo for their store window display. Your 3D CAD
designer and software are focused on designing gears. You
have a 3D print system capable of producing a life-size
flamingo, but you need to design a 3D rendering of the bird
before you can print it. A flamingo is not a gear.
Enter the new world of 3D CAD that is represented by
programs like Mudbox, ZBrush, Rhino, or even Blender. If
traditional 3D CAD is engineering in design, this new generation of CAD programs represents art of design - which brings
me to an observation about how this corresponds to what is
happening in our educational institutions and our society.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the acronym STEM, which
stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We
want our kids to grow up and have resources available to them
so they can excel in STEM if they have the aptitude and desire.
But there is a new movement in education under the acronym
STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art of Design, and
Math. Turns out many STEM students have a talent for art that
may have been suppressed by not having the opportunity to
express it during their STEM-focused education. This new
emphasis in the art of design is what is being interjected into 3D
printing by these new printers and the accompanying artistic
3D CAD software. STEAM may result in more elegant and
artful design influencing the technical side of our world. We
have talked to engineering-focused CAD designers who have
been learning these more artfully focused programs, and it has
certainly influenced the quality of their designs.
ALWAYS EVOLVING
We're looking at the beginning of a trend in 3D printing. It will
herald the adoption of more artful 3D printing by industries
like ours, as well as in medicine, education, interior design,
and other disciplines. And just because these printers can
produce artful and colorful shapes doesn't mean they have

lost the ability to produce engineering and manufacturing
models. In some instances, they may even do the job better.
The transition will also help ancillary technologies thrive.
There will be greater demand for 3D scanning once better ways
to print these scans become more commonplace. The ability to
print photorealistic or life-size people and objects will promote
growth in the field of photogrammetry - that is, the scientific
use of photographs to measure distances between objects in
surveying and mapping - including 360-degree 3D photogrammetry booths, drone-captured photogrammetry, and opportunities for photographers. At the finishing end, monochromatic
printers like the 1800 will open jobs for print finishers to prepare
the surfaces and paint the objects.
The printer operation itself does not seem to be more
difficult than running a wide-format machine. The greatest
challenge of adapting to a 3D print world will likely be finding
the software and the people with the ability to operate it. We
are developing our ability to design 3D in high-resolution color
and huge builds, fi x these types of customer files to make
them print-ready, and run the files through each printer's
unique "slicer" program, the 3D equivalent of RIP software.
In our almost 24 years of operation, we have evolved by
being an early adopter of new technologies. This began with dye
sublimation, expanded-gamut printers, CNC routers, lasers, and
UV printers. We see 3D printers that lend themselves to our
markets as just another evolution of our company, and a way of
expanding our capabilities for our customers. Do you?

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - January/February 2018