Three dimensional printing was developed at MIT. It's often used as a direct manufacturing process as well as for rapid prototyping.

The process starts by depositing a layer of powder object material at the top of a fabrication chamber. To accomplish this, a measured quantity of powder is first dispensed from a similar supply chamber by moving a piston upward incrementally. The roller then distributes and compresses the powder at the top of the fabrication chamber. The multi-channel jetting head subsequently deposits a liquid adhesive in a two dimensional pattern onto the layer of the powder which becomes bonded in the areas where the adhesive is deposited, to form a layer of the object.

Once a layer is completed, the fabrication piston moves down by the thickness of a layer, and the process is repeated until the entire object is formed within the powder bed. After completion, the object is elevated and the extra powder brushed away leaving a "green" object. No external supports are required during fabrication since the powder bed supports overhangs.

Three dimensional printing offers the advantages of speedy fabrication and low materials cost. In fact, it's probably the fastest of all RP methods. Recently color output has also become available. However, there are limitations on resolution, surface finish, part fragility and available materials. The closest competitor to this process is probably fused depostion modeling.
 

3D graphics is the process whereby you add dimension and/or motion to your printed marketing displays. "Lenticular" means "pertaining to lenses," and "lenticules" are the plastic lenses that create the illusion of dimension in depth imaging. Placing special lenses, or "lenticules," over a two dimensional print allows the eye to simultaneously view alternating sections of multiple images.

High-quality two-dimensional displays and posters are everywhere. A 3D image or flipping animation will stop traffic. 3D graphics from Big3D entertain without electronics or special viewing devices.

Today's lenticular 3D graphics are a vast improvement over the cheesy novelty items of the 1950's. Holographic and volumetric images are catching on as the way to capture attention while entertaining. Lenticular 3D images do not require any special equipment to view, and are adaptable to many types of installations and uses.

Large format 3D graphics easily combine up to five images or more into a single graphic to convey depth, motion, or both. Photo images. Digital artwork. Stop action sequences. Your wildest creations.

Types of Effects...

Four basic types of effects are created with lenticular graphics.

• Depth Images

• Flip Images

• Animation Images

• Morph Images

Stop traffic at your next trade show!

Get the competitive edge. Competition is fierce for the attention of viewers. Research shows that the trade show exhibitor has three to five seconds to capture the attention of an attendee. In that brief amount of time, the decision is made whether or not the person will stop at the exhibitor's booth. You need something that will smack them upside the head and scream, "get over here!"

Increase sales!

High-impact graphics increase retail sales. Approximately 66% of purchase decisions are made in the store; 53% of them made on impulse, according to the Point of Purchase Advertising Institute. Imagine a 3D graphic showing a model striking different poses as a customer moves their viewing angle. Imagine live action morphing of images. Show a product demonstration with stop action sequencing. 3D graphics are adaptable to lightboxes, fixtures, display cases, signholders, and much more.

Large Format Display and Point-of-Sale examples:

• Trade Show Graphics

• Airport & Mall Displays

• Retail Exhibits

• EndCap Promotions

• Murals

• POP Posters