1999 to 2011: 3D Printing’s Adolescent History. The history of 3D printing begins in 1981 with Dr. Hideo Kodama’s patent application for a rapid prototyping device. This is when the term “personal 3d printers” was introduced, therefore many companies were born to quickly positioning themselves as sellers of home 3D printers. The term Stereolithography is coined 11 March 1986. The history of 3D printing from it's invention to today. Print; Main. In addition to Z Corp’s acquisition of 3DP technology in 1995, a German institute began developing a process called selective laser melting (SLM). 3D Printing History was really made when The FDM Patent expired. The market was flooded with DIY 3D printer kits, all based on the open-source RepRap model. The birth of 3D printing as we know it today can be traced back to at least 1984, when Charles “Chuck” Hull invented stereolithography, a printing method that uses UV light to create a 3D object by building up layer after layer 1. 3D Printing is 30 year old technology. We split the history of 3D printing into four main parts: History of 3D printing Part 1 – Inception: 1980 – 1995. History of 3D printing Part 2 – Adolescence: 1996 – 2009. Dr. Bryony Core, a Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, explains: "3D Printing technologies have existed since the 1980s; however, it was not until the expiration of Stratasys' patent in 2009 protecting their ownership of the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process that affordable consumer thermoplastic extrusion printers proliferated. Japan. The lead-up to Y2K was thrilling–not only because, in 1999, the first Beverly Hills 90210 entered itfs final season on the air, but also because the initial 3D-printed manhood was planted in humans. For 3D Printing, that beginning was way back in the late 1980’s or, as I like to call it, ‘Pre-Me’. Three years later, in 1984, Charles Hull made 3D-printing history by inventing stereolithography. 3D Printing developments. The first 3D Printer invented by Chuck Hull in 1983. As far as we’re aware, Dr. Kodama is the first person ever to apply for a patent in which laser beam resin curing system is described. [citation needed] Then, when FDM patent expired, the bubble burst. Charles "Chuck" Hull invented the first form of 3D printing - Stereolithography. The key to stereolithography is a kind of acrylic-based material known as photopolymer. Invention of 3D Printing 1984. The history of 3D printing is a long story, and we felt it was important to include everything relevant to the last 30 years of progress. Charles Hull invented the SLA Printer around 1987. Stereolithography lets designers create 3D models using digital data, which can then be used to create a tangible object. It was invented first in 1984 by Charles Hull – the father of 3D Printing. The very first 3D printing process was SLA – StereoLithography – and works by solidifying liquid resin with light. Hit a vat of liquid photopolymer with a UV laser beam, and the light-exposed portion … The Fraunhofer Institute ILT in Aachen, Germany created a process where thin layers of atomized metal powder are fused together with a focused laser beam. The expiration of subsequent patents covering … The term 3D printing originally referred to a powder bed process employing standard and custom inkjet print heads, developed at MIT by Emanuel Sachs in 1993 and commercialized by Soligen Technologies, Extrude Hone Corporation, and Z Corporation. The market was flooded with DIY 3D printer kits, all based on the RepRap... 1981 with Dr. Hideo Kodama ’ s patent application for a rapid prototyping device –... 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