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Three dimensional printing was developed at MIT. It's often used as a direct manufacturing process as
well as for rapid prototyping.
The process starts by depositing a layer of powder object material at the top of a fabrication chamber.
To accomplish this, a measured quantity of powder is first dispensed from a similar supply chamber by moving a piston
upward incrementally. The roller then distributes and compresses the powder at the top of the fabrication chamber.
The multi-channel jetting head subsequently deposits a liquid adhesive in a two dimensional pattern onto the layer
of the powder which becomes bonded in the areas where the adhesive is deposited, to form a layer of the object.
Once a layer is completed, the fabrication piston moves down by the thickness of a layer, and the process is repeated
until the entire object is formed within the powder bed. After completion, the object is elevated and the extra powder
brushed away leaving a "green" object. No external supports are required during fabrication since the powder bed
supports overhangs.
Three dimensional printing offers the advantages of speedy fabrication and low materials cost. In fact, it's probably
the fastest of all RP methods. Recently color output has also become available. However, there are limitations on resolution,
surface finish, part fragility and available materials. The closest competitor to this process is probably fused
depostion modeling.
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