I found this article on Howstuffworks, it’s an article on the process of creating a real model out of a 3D model. This process is really complicated and therefore cost a lot of money to produce. They use this same method in the car industry to create prototypes of various components in a car. The following is a picture of a stereolithgraphy machine, taken from the howstuffworks article.
This machine contains four important parts to actually be able to create a 3D model
* A tank filled with several gallons of liquid photopolymer. The photopolymer is a clear, liquid plastic.
* A perforated platform immersed in the tank. The platform can move up and down in the tank as the printing process proceeds.
* An ultraviolet laser
* A computer that drives the laser and the platform
I tried to find some companies that makes these 3D models in UK, and found a company called 3T RPD. They look professional and can create a model out of a CAD design. I looked for some prices on their site, but didn’t manage to find any, which always is a good sign of something that costs a lot of money. It seems like the target group for this company is businesses and not students like me.
Another 3D printer, which looks like a more new and advanced printer than the above. This is from ThingLab, which is based in London. Instead of me explaining what this printer is capable of, I’ll show a video from ThingLab.
ThingLab also provide a 3D printing service, which is very expensive. There is an example on this which shows what it would cost to make a model. Depending on the finish and size, the prices range from around £100 to upwards of £400.
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