3D printing

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Amid a potential shortage of nasal swabs to collect samples for coronavirus testing, researchers have come up with an alternative: 3D-printed nasal swabs.

Concept:

• 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model
• The term “3D printing” can refer to a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object,with material being added together (such as liquid molecules or powder grains being fused together), typically layer by layer.
• 3D printing starts by making a virtual design of the object to be created. Virtual design can be made using a 3D modelling program such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) or 3D scanners.
• The 3D digital copy is then put into a 3D modelling program. The model is then sliced into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers in preparation for printing.
• This prepared file is thus uploaded in the 3D printer which reads each slices in 2D format and then proceeds to create the object layer by layer and the resulting object has no sign of layering visible, but a 3 dimensional structure.