3D Printing With... Paper

It’s completely recyclable, uses no toxic products, and produces a high-resolution, color model

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 11:13

A lot of us have been following the advancements in 3D printing and have noted the variety of materials that can be used to create objects. The most common of these are plastic, nylon, and metal. One of the key expenses of 3D printing, other than the printer, of course, is the cost of the material. Other issues may include the ability to recycle scrap or consumables, toxicity, and the ability for precise, on-printer coloring of the finished object.

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Enter the IRIS printer from Mcor Technologies. This 3D printer uses water-soluble glue and three reams of plain-old office printer paper as its print medium.

Sound funky? Well, keep in mind that the finished product—glued paper—is essentially a piece of wood. It’s completely recyclable, uses no toxic products, and produces a high-resolution, continuous-tone color model. OK, the shading isn’t quite as good as a full-color print on a single sheet of photo-quality paper, but the quality is still pretty amazing.

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Yes. Because it will be available at a common retailer (Staples... only in the Netherlands for now) it will really open up possibilities for artists. As a photographer I have a photo printer that prints up to 17" wide, but use a couple of different service bureaus that print up to 60" inches wide. I foresee that in the near future, an artist will go to a nearby service bureau that can afford to invest in a 3D printer (Staples or someone else) and print out a 3D sculpture with the same ease that they today print out large, 60" 2D artwork. And at a reasonable cost. Amazing.

Some artists are already doing this with other 3D technologies, but the cost is prohibitive for most.

I just want to know that Is there any special plugins require to view the video which you have shared above? because I am not able to view the video, and also if possible please share some tutorials for how to design a model using paper with 3D printer.

Regards,

Garyy - Support Team Member @ 3D Stuff Maker

I took on the challenge of installing a hardwood floor, including the stair case. After a very slow start, I realized I needed to make some jigs for my router, table saw, and mitre saw. This technology could have been very handy in making those jigs, rather than the hours and hours it took me to fabricate them. My draftsman buddy says he could have made the CAD drawings for a couple of them in 20 minutes. And then off to Staples!

Yep. And then think of this. As 3D printing gets more prevalent, so do consumer and prosumer CAD tools. Remember when high end photo-manipulation cost an arm and a leg. Now you have pixlr and GIMP, online freeware that are powerful enough for most photo manipulation. So watch for low cost, easy to use and understand, 3D CAD packages that anyone can use.

Updated: I see ADB mentioned Blender. There ya go. Game on.

If you mean that 3D Printers are a flash in the pan and will bite the dust. I disagree. They are already being integrated into manufacturing processes, for both large and small projects. It's kind of like saying photo printers, robots, and digital cameras will go away.

If, on the other hand, you mean that these technologies will be replaced by something better... well... no doubt.

Wonderful!

I'm very familiar with 3D printing using plastic materials (in which I include metal) and excited by its enormous potential implications. This story, though, caught my emotional imagination more than any for a long time.

It's a direct conceptual analogue of traditional revelatory sculpture, where a raw block of wood or stone is pared back to reveal the final form.

Some questions which came immediately to mind (to which, of course, I'm sure I'll find answers when I finish this comment and start searching) are...

...what's the glue? While I'm not doubting the "nothing toxic" headline, I'd like to know the details.

...what (since it limits two dimensions of the output artefact) is the maximum paper size handled? Letter/A4/foolscap? A3? Larger? Presumably (given the "three reams" limit on the third dimension, A4?

...have they given any thought to a future option for generating completely enclosed hollow space interiors? With the present process as described (removal of waste at the end) it would be impossible but would allow significant weight reduction in (for example) a sphere.

An alluring promise of future adventures ... which I will now off and explore! :-)

Excellent questions Felix. Fortunately we will have Conor MacCormack on our live show this Friday and I will definitely ask him those questions. I too, wonder about hollow areas, small through holes, and so forth. Quality Digest Live airs live at 11 a.m. Pacific, 19:00 your time, at www.qualitydigest.com/QDL-Weekly-play.php The show is recorded, so you can always watch the recorded version on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/technorazzilive

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