India’s first 3D-printed post office inaugurated in Bengaluru: How does 3D printing work?

Source: The post is based on the article “India’s first 3D-printed post office inaugurated in Bengaluru: How does 3D printing work?”  published in Indian Express on 19th August 2023

What is the News?

India’s first 3D-printed post office was inaugurated in Bengaluru’s Cambridge Layout.

Multinational company Larsen & Toubro Limited built the post office with technological support from IIT Madras.

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process that uses computer-created design to make three-dimensional objects layer by layer. 

It is an additive process, in which layers of a material like plastic, composites or bio-materials are built up to construct objects that range in shape, size, rigidity and color.

How is 3D printing done?

To carry out 3D printing, one needs a personal computer connected to a 3D printer. All they need to do is design a 3D model of the required object on computer-aid design (CAD) software and press ‘print’.The 3D printer does the rest of the job.

3D printers construct the desired object by using a layering method, which is the complete opposite of the subtractive manufacturing processes.

These machines are capable of printing anything from ordinary objects like a ball or a spoon to complex moving parts like hinges and wheels.

What are some of the notable examples of 3D Printing?

3D printing is being used in a host of different industries like healthcare, automobile and aerospace.

In May 2023, aerospace manufacturing company Relativity Space launched a test rocket made entirely from 3D-printed parts, measuring 100 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide.However, shortly after its take off, it suffered a failure.

At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the healthcare industry used 3D printers to make much-needed medical equipment, like swabs, face shields, and masks, as well as the parts to fix their ventilator.