The Types Of 3D Printing

3D printing is a pretty fascinating form of manufacturing technology in my opinion; there are many branches of 3D printing such as Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM), or Ink Jet 3D printing. Each form of additive manufacturing is significant in its own way through its own niches. I'd like to cover some applications of each.

Stereolithography or SLA methods involve ultraviolet beams of light hitting curable resins to result in final parts. These parts play an active role in creating many medical applications. For example, SLA methods are dominant in the 3D printing world for dental applications, hearing aids, and similar implants. SLA 3D printing has been great for creating extremely precise parts.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) stands out in the 3D printing world as "metal 3D printing" for a reason: it is metal 3D printing! Through a layer by layer process of using laser technology to melt powdered metal together, it isn't difficult to manufacture intricate organic metal pieces. DMLS is known for "one-upping" the machining industry. When parts can be manufactured in a matter of hours at detail levels far superior than traditional machining, 3D printing caught the attention of product developers and engineers. Not to mention, DMLS is almost entirely geometrically independent when it comes down to designing parts; good bye machinists and CNC cutting, hello DMLS 3D printing!

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is very similar to DMLS, but typically it just revolves around different materials. Layers of material powder will be stacked up on a build table and melted together in accordance to the design, just like DMLS. The part will be able to "float" within a bed of powder, so supports aren't necessary! This technology is great for product developers and designers around the globe, as a wide variety of materials can be made at great detail without the use of supports!

Fused Deposition modeling (FDM) is an interesting form of 3D printing, and one of the most popular. Essentially, a nozzle aided by a computer will draw from a spool of material in wire form. This nozzle is very hot, and will melt the material and stack the melted material layer by layer to create a final product. Think about a hot glue gun as an analogy; material (or the glue) will be pushed through the hot nozzle, and the glue (or material) will be stacked up to make a final product. Stratasys, a 3D printing company, truly outdid themselves when they developed this technology and they are making it more affordable than ever!

Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM) is very similar to FDM technology. Imagine the same exact process, except there are multiple nozzles. Objet, another well respected 3D printing company, did a great job when they came out with "digital material," in which multiple colors and materials can be used in a single print.

Ink Jet 3D Printing is one of my favorite styles, as it allows for full color prints out of sandstone like material. It is very similar to DMLS and SLS methods, as it stacks up layers of material powder and fuses them together. There are two large differences between those two and Ink Jet printing. Ink jet printing does not use a laser to melt pieces together, it uses an adhesive chemical to bond the powder together. At each layer, the ink jet itself will actually color the product in accordance to the design! You can have your face printed! Full character models and great prototypes result from this technology. The only down side to this in my opinion, is that the product pulled from the printer is very weak, and filled with around 40% air. To fix this, technicians will dip the product in a super glue like liquid or epoxy to infiltrate the product... then you have your piece!

Learn more about 3D Printing or read another interesting article about 3D Printing

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Sensational Custom Flags

Custom flags are just about everywhere. They're so prevalent, you may almost miss them. They are posted in front of parking garages, at the entrance of new housing developments where open houses are being held, outside of supermarkets, car dealerships, grand openings, art galleries and universities. Custom flags are slim and attractive, feather shaped or slim inverted triangles designed to stand out in a non-obtrusive way. They may move in the breeze due to their lightweight and slightly bendy configuration.

Custom flags are ideal for businesses which are short on advertising space and yet need to get their brand name recognized. Sports-type products particularly lend themselves to advertising flags, although the sky is the limit. At any outdoor sporting event, function or crowd pleaser, make a point of looking around to see how many of these cloth flags are posted for their customers' viewing pleasure.

You can use feather or pole-mounted flags at a food court to advertise your yogurt, burgers, or drinks. Custom flags are great at public events, garden party type promotions, any outdoor court or large festive functions.

An advertising banner flag does what a larger custom banner would do in a larger place - it advertises your firm. These feather or teardrop banner flags can't fail to be noticed. They are excellent for smaller locations where traffic is heavy and space is limited. The feather-shaped custom flag looks like a piece from an Indian headdress and contains vital information that will help your firm get public recognition.

A small but efficient flag is large enough to contain the information that you deem most important - your name, URL, and perhaps a keyword or picture of your product. These images are enough to send the message that you want and need to your clients. With the website, the interested customer will easily check their smart phone or iPod for more details. The point is to "flag" down your potential user and let them know that you are here and ready to serve, entertain, or otherwise make their lives better. These small but efficient custom flags do exactly that.

Flags can be for a variety of causes. Not only for advertising, fabric flags can be used as markings leading a client to your home office. There are a million uses for custom flags. They may serve for promotions, personal affairs and even parties and festivals. The name of the person being honored may be placed on the flags with an attractive photographic profile in a black on color design. There are more uses for flags being invented every day.

Custom fabric flags look good in the grass, along the sidewalk, along the bordered edges of a golf course, country club or outside a sports+ center. They complement the entrance to an automobile dealership, a shopping center, or a university. They don't take up a lot of space, but like the flags in front of the United nations, they make a powerful impact and always get noticed.

Instead of shouting "come over here right now!", custom flags whisper "psst!" The custom flag gets attention in modestly. It waves and bends in the wind, never begging but always attracting. Banner flags are patient - they will wait, but they will be noticed.

Barry Brown has been in the Sign, Banner, Decal and Display Business for over 20 years. It isn't what he thought he'd do with his life, but he says he knows too much now to do anything else!

He has been marketing these products online since 1998, and the company he was general manager of in 1998 was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo!

Barry is a great resource for information regarding Signs, Banners, Decals, and Displays, and is also an outstanding source of information on how to shop online without getting ripped off.

He invites you to visit our website below, and call him if you have any questions regarding safely purchasing products from any site online, or regarding our company and product offerings.

http://www.visigraph.com/

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Not Science Fiction - Wall Clings Are Practical, Attention Getting and Effective

What are wall clings? They definitely know how to "cling on"! They typically consist of plasticized vinyl, clear or white, and stick effortlessly to a glass surface, taking advantage of the slight stickiness produced by the excess plasticizers. That's right, no adhesive to apply and clean off later! They are great for spur of the moment informational displays. How many times have you seen big red letters sticking to the glass with messages like, 30% off - Today Only or In Store Clearance or other hot news? Window or Wall clings do the job up right, with a minimum of fuss, bother and expense. Talk about environmentally friendly! No sticky chemicals and sprays.

By nature, wall clings are extremely outgoing! Not shy at all, they are short and sweet and to the point. They may be printed up in large block letters, in many cases, to fit in with the mood of LOOK HERE and RIGHT NOW!

Wall clings are ideal for stores and businesses with a large glass window facing the street. Because many wall clings are on clear material, they don't block your view to outside of the store. Better yet, they don't block the customer's view looking inside the store, which is key for businesses. Most customers prefer to look in before they walk in the door. Wall clings are great for giving the message without impairing your chances that they will ever set foot inside.

Wall clings can be made in color too, in a mural type display. Custom color and Pantone Color Matching is available, helping you get the tones that get the message across. These large static cling stickers are on every corner. Once you realize just how common the static window clings really are, you will begin to notice them in places that you never noticed before. They were always there, but in such a way to bring in the business and advertise some of your best products.

Window clings can be transparent or colorful. They can be white backed with colorful logo or short message. What a spectacular, contrasting presentation that doubles as an advertisement! It's a great way to show the world that your business is here, alive and functioning well.

Static wall and window clings are a little like the vital signs of your business. When you show wall clings every now and then that means the goods are moving and the business cycles are happening. Out with the old and in with the new. So look into the wall clings with the message that helps spring clean the goods you need to move out in order to make room for the new seasonal shipment. Not only will you add a little verve to your front window display, it will raise the consciousness of the passersby who out of curiosity can't resist the temptation of seeing whether your big discount has something for them inside. Window clings are like that - and that's not science fiction.

Wall static clings are great for a temporary special, promotion or offer that will be used for a short time. The static clings stick to the glass immediately. Taking them down is just as easy. Luckily, they are very rapidly produced, which means you can have a personalized order ready in as little as five working days. They can be stuck on the inside and the outside windows. They also work well on a mirror, acrylic backed boards and other shiny, smooth surfaces. Most colored clings are backed with white to prevent them from looking washed out.

Digitally printed on wide rolls of media or screen-printed on sheets, wall decals look great and are a breeze to put into place. Highly visible and attractive, they are hard to not notice. Designed to be seen from the street, even passing autos can easily get the message that you are trying to convey. It's a great option for a temporary promotion, so if you wish, stick with a message that you can use time and time again. In just a moment's notice, the wall clings can be up on the wall and flagging down traffic designed to bring in the traffic to the store when you want and need it the most.

Barry Brown has been in the Sign, Banner, Decal and Display Business for over 20 years. It isn't what he thought he'd do with his life, but he says he knows too much now to do anything else!

He has been marketing these products online since 1998, and the company he was general manager of in 1998 was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo!

Barry is a great resource for information regarding Signs, Banners, Decals, and Displays, and is also an outstanding source of information on how to shop online without getting ripped off.

He invites you to visit our website below, and call him if you have any questions regarding safely purchasing products from any site online, or regarding our company and product offerings.

http://www.visigraph.com/

View the original article here