3D Printing for the Design and Manufacturing Engineer

by Todd Grimm, Editor

Welcome to the 3D printing section of Engineering.com.

This brand new content area focuses on coverage of 3D printing (a.k.a. additive manufacturing) with a twist. We will deliver practical, usable information for the professional design engineer, manufacturing engineer and management.

Our goal is inspire you to innovate applications, products and processes in sensible, productive ways.

Practical and Useable Information

Engineering.com will sift through and filter the news of the day to provide you facts and insight that is real. If you want fluff pieces and unsubstantiated hype, you will have to go elsewhere. We will leave grandiose claims and fantastical applications to the mainstream media that has become enamored with 3D printing and the prediction that everyone will be printing their own parts from home.

While we will cover breaking news and hot topics that are all the rage, we will dig deeper. Expect (demand) the details behind the story that help you to make wise decisions when it comes to the rapidly changing 3D printer industry.

• Hardware (systems)
• Software
• Materials
• Services
• Applications

We will reveal applications and innovations with an account of how this was made possible and obstacles you may face. Where practical, we will elevate the voice of the user over the promises of the vendors. Our prime questions will be “how?” and “why?”

3D Printing

The landscape of 3D printers is immense. It spans low-cost, DIY kits to million dollar systems.

Under the conclusion that you, the professional engineer, have different needs and interests from the consumer/hobbyist, we have consciously decided to limit our coverage to the systems designed and manufactured for commercial applications.

Yes, many argue that the home user and professional engineer can be the same person. This is true. But we assume that you want your information for your day job and evening recreation kept separate. Instead of a hodgepodge that you have to sort through, you want informational that is consistently on point.

Rest assured that the content in Engineering.com will address the stories that interest you most when you have donned your work-day mentality.

However, we can’t totally ignore the “maker” market, but when we cover it, the story will be reinterpreted for the professional user. We will go deeper to report what you need to know about the consumer-grade system market and why.

In our pages, you will quickly discover that we have adopted 3D printing as our term of choice. We wrestled with terminology and opted to go with popular opinion and general consensus. So, additive manufacturing will be used only in a limited fashion when needed to clarify the context.

Under the banner of 3D printing, we will discuss all applications, from concept models through manufacturing. For the latter, we will dig into professional topics like lean, sustainability and justification, to name a few.

Manufacturing Industry

3D printing is used throughout many industries and disciplines. It plays a role in biotech, architecture, cartography, electronics, medical services and education. However, with the interests of our readers in mind, we will limit our conversations to the manufacturing world.

On occasion, we will report on the truly exceptional stories from market segments. But as with makers, when we do, the information will be reinterpreted to bring you actionable ideas and details.

In a nutshell, Engineering.com will make these stories relevant to your day-to-day tasks.

Your Destination

We intend to become your destination for 3D printing content, a lofty goal.

How? By bringing you:

• Information that helps you, and you company, do things better, faster and cheaper when leveraging 3D printing technology. 
• Content that helps you maximize personal efficiency, solve daily challenges and make the best possible products.
• Insight that helps you get more from 3D printing, do more with the technology and make the right choices for you unique circumstances.

To make it the best possible 3D printing destination, we are seeking your help. Please share your thoughts, experiences and interests. Let us know what we get right or wrong; express your opinions; and submit topics that you want covered. And if you have your own story to tell, submit it so that we can share it with your peers

3D printing is an exciting world with amazing technology and a fantastic future. It’s also rapidly changing and often confusing. We hope that you turn to Engineering.com to get the real story.