Wish you have a great holiday .   

By Bruce 

FDM Method is very simple. but when you search FDM printing . they are a lot of brands and got the big difference in pricing,
from a few hundred Ringgit to a few Hundred Thousand Ringgit. 
It is confusing if you don't understand.

The technology is simple and it exists more than 30 years. but to make it work correctly that is another story.

FDM material is mainly with thermal plastic. 
Most popular are PLA and ABS, PETG but (non-comprehensive) also printable like PP, Nylon, HDPE, ABS HDPE blend, PCL, Polycarbonate,Low melting point metals etc.

Ofcause not all Machines can run all materials, it limited by the machine components. You do not expect a thousand Ringgit China machine to print Nylon without modifying replace the machine with an expensive part and casing. If you are willing to spend time into the mod. yeah, you could save little money. 

Most of the time. PLA PETG are supported for most of the machines.ABS material will require heated bed and case to avoid temperature drop causing warp or crack. 

And industrial FDM 3D printer can cost alot. it depend on printing size, feature material , machine structual software etc.

one important thing is all well calibrated FDM machine no matter cheap/ expensive they can achive exact same result by using normal material like PLA. here is some sample.  

by default most of the printer come with 0.4mm nozzle and print on 0.2mm Layer height
to achinve higher find detail either lower down the layer height setting or replace smaller nozzle and it will causing the 3d printing time longer.

To achive high quality 3D printing service , in FDM catogory , We ( B3D-online.com ) mainly use The BEST OVERALL 3D Printer Original Prusa i3 MK3S (Best 3D Printer Feature all3DP 2019 Winter)

FDM is the basic it support by major hobbies/Engineer/inventor market/home use Market. We help most of the customer design and build part with this technology. With our reliable and affordable service you can forcus on your Idea. 

To know more about FDM limitation you can click the link below
​https://www.b3d-online.com/blog-news/ffffdm-3d-print-101-layer-height-infill-support


Next story we will share about Next level of detail: What is Resin/MSLA/SLA/DLP 3D printing

just incase here is Wikipedia info.
Components of Industry 4.0 
“Industry 4.0” is an abstract and complex term consisting of many components when looking closely into our society and current digital trends. To understand how extensive these components are, here are some contributing digital technologies as examples:[24]

• Mobile devices
• Internet of Things (IoT) platforms
• Location detection technologies
• Advanced human-machine interfaces
• Authentication and fraud detection
• 3D printing
• Smart sensors
• Big data analytics and advanced algorithms
• Multilevel customer interaction and customer profiling
• Augmented reality/ wearables
• Fog, Edge and Cloud computing
• Data visualization and triggered "real-time" training

Mainly these technologies can be summarized into four major components, defining the term “Industry 4.0” or “smart factory”:[24]

• Cyber-physical systems
• IoT
• Cloud computing
• Cognitive computing

while alot of people still do not understand 3D printing, Media start buzz 4D Printing ...
ok not much to said just one picture help you understand what actually is 4D printing...

so if you ask me , Bruce can you 4D Print ? 
I will ask you check this smart 4D model 3d printable design. 
https://fab365.net/

Build 3D online(B3D) always help customer select the best setting for their model after check one by one manually. Our client do not need to worry the setting on 3D print.

Just in case if you interested to see how is the setup, what quality you could select. These are the commons setting for FDM/FFF 3D print technology.

​​Layer height – sometimes also called the “Z-axis resolution” has a major impact on both print times and overall surface finish of the printed object. Higher values lead to faster prints and more visible layers on the surface of the object. This effect is especially prominent on surfaces that are nearly parallel to the print bed. Most of the time, layer heights of 0.15mm - 0.20 mm are preferred. Lower layer height leads to more detailed prints (less noticeable layers), however, the printing time is extended. We use PrusaSlicer has a function for configuring variable layer height - it means we will help choose which parts of the object will have lower layers (detailed or sloped parts) and which parts can have increased layer height to achieve higher print quality and fastest print time.

What is 3D printing?
3D printing is an automatized process, which enables manufacturing of real physical objects based on digital data (3D model).

How much does it cost to run a 3D printer?
Highest costs come from the machine (3D printer) & material (filaments). The price for printing a single object depends mainly on its weight.
use normal FDM 3D printing for an example: our price is from RM0.75/gram - RM1.5/gram. SLA is start from RM3.5/L. SLS and SLM you could send us the model for quote.

Is FFF/FDM 3D printing considered eco-friendly?
As with many of manufacturing methods, even in 3D printing part of the processed material ends up as waste (supports, failed prints). However, a large majority of 3D printing materials can be recycled. The most used filament, PLA, is actually biodegradable because it’s made of starch. Also, another thing to consider is the fact that thanks to 3D printing, we are now able to repair things that may have very well ended up in waste, which would be a bigger ecological burden. A handle for a fridge can be one of the examples. 

Is it possible to print a house?
Yes, there’s already a number of successful attempts using concrete or similar materials. It works the same way as 3D printing with plastics. 

Can 3D printers print human organs?
Not yet. However, scientists from all over the world are working hard to make this possible. There are news published about this topic almost every day. The problem (and the challenge) is the fact that human organs are incredibly complex and dependant on other organs. Scientists are focusing on printing tissues for less-complex organs, for now. 

Can I print objects larger than the print surface?
Yes, it’s possible to cut the model into pieces and glue them together after printing.

What is the difference between SLA and FFF technologies?
​FFF (or FDM) 3D printing uses filament as the source material – a strand of plastic. The material is melted and extruded through the nozzle, which is a part of an extruder. SLA, on the other hand, is based on solidifying of liquid resins using UV light. Objects printed on FFF 3D printers have more visible layers compared to SLA. On the other hand, SLA printing has different disadvantages - such as the use of liquid resins, which are potentially harmful chemicals.

How long does a print job take?
A simple question that is difficult to answer. It depends on many different factors: primarily, it’s the size of the printed object, but also the density of the infill, number of perimeters, lower and upper shells, nozzle diameter, layer height, model complexity, number of supports and other factors. Printing a figure 5 cm tall will take a couple of hours. However, with large and complex objects, you can easily get into dozens of hours of printing. You could send your model to use for check.

Can I print a cup or a plate and use it for drinking and eating?
Yes, but there’s a couple of things to keep in mind! PETG and PLA are harmless plastics that can get in touch with food. However, it’s not advised to use the printed objects for eating or drinking without post-processing them first. Tiny gaps in layers are perfect for accumulation of bacteria and it’s nearly impossible to clean these parts well. Before you start using a printed cup, use food-safe epoxy to coat 

​Is it possible to 3D print a gun?
Theoretically, yes. If you take your time with post-processing, it can even look quite real. Would you put a real bullet in a plastic gun and pull the trigger, though? No? Neither would we! The plastic gun would most likely shatter in your hand and hurt you. Also, it would be impossible to take this gun through a metal detector, because the shell casing of the bullet would trip an alarm anyway. So maybe you’re thinking: “How about using metal powder (SLS printing)?” Yes, that would be theoretically possible. However, this scenario is completely pointless due to the high price of manufacturing. If you, for whatever reason, want to produce a gun at home, a simple lathe is more than enough. 

3D printing architecture models have become an interesting alternative. Learn how to easily 3D print your architectural models.
​
Model building has helped architects represent their projects for as long as we can think. The initial draft is transferred into a scaled architectural model.

Typically, architectural models are made of cardboard, wood or other moldable materials. Architects need models to study the aspects of their design. It is often changed in order to get a perfect concept of their idea. Whether it is just an ad-hoc model or a fully developed project, all this can be displayed with a 3D printer. Due to the stored files, it is possible to change digital structures easily and print the model again. Also, the architect can convince his customer thanks with a faultless and precise model.
​

You can alter your digital model, try out variations on the fly and visualize problems easily. Once you start designing in the digital domain, the benefits of 3D architectural models are pretty clear:

• save time and effort, thanks to pre-scaled models
• build more accurate models with homogeneous surface structures
• produce a cost-effective model
• create complex designs
  
  

Whether you’re a student, working on your own or have an office with 20 assistants, 3D printing can definitely increase your productivity and lower the cost of material.  By the way, most materials used in 3D printers are recyclable, so you don’t have to worry too much about the environment if you use PLA or PET instead of ABS filament.

The following tutorial will guide you through the process of 3D printing architectural models. Without getting out your model-building material, you’ll be able to quickly visualize your idea. It will definitely be more laid back than building your model by hand. Please be advised, that 3D printing an architectural model takes on average around 3-9 hours. The most complicated part is to get the architectural models converted for 3D printing – but we got you covered here.

The beauty of 3D printing is: You don’t even have to own a 3D printer to get to a great architecture model – you can always resort to 3D printing services (get the best price by email your model here).

The most complicated part is to get the architectural models converted for 3D printing – but we got you covered here.

by Max Gicklhorn