How to become A 3D Printing Technician

• 3D Printing Operator
• Additive Manufacturing Technician

What do 3D Printing Technicians do?

A 3D Printing Technician would typically need to:

• Work in a manufacturing or production environment, assisting in the design and programming of products, ranging from prosthetics to 3D miniatures
• Receive, prioritize, and process 3D model print request activities; manage new and ongoing customer projects from planning to execution
• Evaluate customers’ designs to ensure compatibility with 3D printing; recommend technical solutions, including systems, to the customer
• Adjust engineering designs of products or parts of products to meet customer requirements
• Operate 3D computer graphics software and tools to enable digital editing, modeling, rendering, and composition of graphics
• Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design, and to print products in layers
• Create daily schedules for the printers; organize prototyping shop facilities, facility workflow, and queues to optimize resources and ensure prompt job delivery
• Assist in audits; proactively maintain an inventory of components, supplies, tools, and consumables for printing machines
• Maintain, repair, and operate various types of 3D printers and related technologies; define optimum settings for new materials
• Collaborate with the product management team on product development; work in other production roles as needed due to personnel absences or staffing issues
• Comply with training and reporting requirements; adhere to safety programs; contribute to the improvement of internal automation tools, software, and factory processes
• Perform printer finishing tasks like sandblasting, polishing, spray painting, and resin dripping; inspect 3D printed models for quality
• Harvest, clean, assemble, finish, package, and ship prints; confirm completion, update logs, and notify recipients
• Work to guarantee and improve sustained customer satisfaction; contribute to the company culture

In general, 3D Printing Technicians work on the manufacturing shop floor or in a research facility’s design lab. The specific environment and the equipment, processes, and materials they work with would depend on the nature of their employer’s business. The shop floor may be relatively noisier.

Local or international travel that necessitates overnight or weekend absence from home may not be frequent unless attending a conference or meeting a client. Your dress code in the lab would typically adhere to your employer’s guidelines. Safety clothing and equipment may be mandatory.

The job would generally follow standard working hours unless there is a particular project deadline to meet that necessitates overtime.

3D printing has a broad scope of employability, ranging from self-employment to contractual employment and industrial jobs. Its expanding range of applications makes a growing number of businesses keen to employ 3D technicians.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. 3D Printing Technicians can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

3D Printing Technicians are generally employed by:

• Aerospace Companies
• Automotive Manufacturers
• Oil & Gas Companies
• Energy Companies
• Industrial Goods Manufacturers
• Consumer Goods Manufacturers
• Medical Devices Manufacturers
• Railways
• Entertainment Industry
• Academic Institutions

Professional associations and organizations such as the American Society for Metals are crucial for 3D Technicians interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• High expectations and demands on the part of employers; the required technical and engineering skills range widely from equipment design to material technology or data management
• The constant pressure to be creative, resourceful, and prepared to “figure things out” in a continuously evolving field
• Working with an aging population of seasoned manufacturing talent that may be reluctant to adapt to new design paradigms and skills
• Rise of additive manufacturing expected to raise demand for cross-functional technical and managerial competencies
• Shortage of specific training programs, which increases the need to learn on the job
• Constant adaptation to new techniques, such as part finishing and machine calibrating; acquiring expertise in working with new machinery
• Record, maintain, and update 3D data using more and more complex systems which need you to develop new IT and software skills
• Cautious handling of resources and finished products as the work involves relatively untried materials
• Using appropriate ventilation and other methods to prevent materials in the form of powder from spreading
• The need to use safety measures while using or storing materials that may be spontaneously combustible, particularly metal powders

A lack of specific accreditations adds more significant value to career-proven skills and hands-on experience using 3D printers and computer-aided design (CAD) software. Professionals with 3D printing experience are in high demand but also relatively rare. If you have worked with 3D printers before, those experiences should stand out in your application. Include a portfolio of past work to show off your capabilities.

Even if your experience is limited, you may still have the skills necessary to work in 3D printing. To increase your chances of success, focus on your transferable engineering, materials science, coding, or 3D modeling skills. Have clarity on how you can apply your existing knowledge to the responsibilities that your desired position in 3D printing will entail.

Prospective 3D Printing Technicians typically need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, biomedical technology, fine arts, or computer science. Courses in animation, creative design, and model-making will help you find jobs with a manufacturing or 3D printing company. Look for schools that offer their students access to 3D printing labs and maker spaces.

Certification demonstrates competency in a skill or set of skills, typically through work experience, training, the passage of an examination, or some combination of the three.

Certification in Microsoft Office Suite and customer relationship management (CRM) software from an objective, credible and reputed organization can help you gain professional credibility, stand out in a competitive job market, and become an independent consultant. Some employers may mandate a valid driver’s license.

Performance, experience, and acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. 3D printing is a specialized area of knowledge. Yet, the applications are so varied that anyone with an understanding of how they can be best adapted and utilized could find excellent employment opportunities.

One of them is 3D design, where your ideas evolve logically into digital versions that can be printed anywhere. Another is 3D printing, where you must have the ability to make designs meet customer specifications - debugging, adjusting, and formatting them to various printers for the best output.

3D customization and prototyping is also an innovative space. As a 3D prototyper, you will deliver altered versions of furniture or medical prosthetics in a timely and cost-effective manner. You could also explore the field of education where instructors need to provide training on using 3D Printers in schools.

Additionally, you could specialize in parts fabrication that involves providing replacement parts for out-of-stock or unique products such as antique cars, artwork, home décor using 3D Printing.

One can also work for a company specializing in printing items, such as custom-made prosthetics, construction prototypes, or models of archaeological remains and historical buildings. There are several opportunities in print equipment sales and training too.

The job market for 3D Printing Technicians is highly competitive. Degrees in engineering, design, animation, medical technologies, and software development can help increase your chances of a job.

Training and development in the beginning stages of your career will primarily be self-initiated. Some employers may sponsor you to take professional courses in Animation.

The Modern-Day 3D Revolution 3D printing is gaining momentum in the 21st century. Printers can create three-dimensional objects, layer by layer. Manufacturers are now trying to develop more cost-effective, reliable, easy-to-use 3D printers that produce more accurate and durable components. Downloadable templates for everyday items make it simple to print 3D objects at home.

A fairly broad term, 3D printing refers to diverse technologies that work with both polymers and metals. A subset of the larger process of additive manufacturing, its early applications appeared in the aerospace industry, with the healthcare and medical sector going further to make innovative use of the technology.

Now, most verticals (companies in the supply chain process in the same industry) are investigating the use of 3D printing from fashion and art to the construction industry. Its versatility has led to businesses in diverse sectors, even across Fortune 500, pioneering its use particularly in the area of innovation. 3D Modeling It is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of an object via specialized software. The product is a 3D model displayed as a two-dimensional image through 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation of a physical phenomenon. What Makes 3D Printing the In Thing? 3D printing enables companies to produce complex shapes while using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. It has the potential to radically transform almost every major industry and change our lifestyles at home and work as well as our entertainment.

3D printing for rapid prototyping has been used since the seventies because it is relatively inexpensive and quick, yielding results in days instead of weeks. You can make iterations without costly molds or tools. It is now used in rapid manufacturing or short-run/small batch custom production. How Does It Work? 3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file using additive processes. The technique is different from traditional subtractive manufacturing, which cuts or hollows out a piece of metal or plastic, using machines such as a milling machine.

The starting point is a 3D model, which you can create from the ground up or download from a 3D library. Next, the printable file needs to get in shape for the 3D printer. Using slicing software, you slice up the 3D model into hundreds or thousands of layers. Feeding the file to your printer via USB, SD or Wi-Fi prepares it to be 3D printed, layer by layer.

There are several 3D printing technologies and processes such as stereolithography (SLA), fused deposition modeling (FDM), fused filament fabrication (FFF), and others. What Goes Into It? When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is (almost) the limit in terms of what materials you can use, and researchers are continually making new materials 3D printable. Plastic is the most affordable material, used in its pure form or combined with aluminum, carbon, or plants. Resin, although not as cheap as plastic, has excellent mechanical properties.

Metals such as aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, silver, bronze, and brass are used to create goods in aerospace, aeronautic, and consumer industries. New materials are released quite often, allowing to create brand new projects, find new advantages, and make the most of new material properties. Graphene is the strongest material thus far, while 3D printed wood filament and concrete are definite game-changers. What Are Some Applications of 3D Printing? The advantages of 3D printing are being channelized by manufacturers of consumer products (eyewear, footwear, design, furniture), industrial products (manufacturing tools, prototypes, functional end-use parts), dental products, prosthetics, and architectural scale models & maquettes. The technology is also proving useful in reconstructing fossils, replicating ancient artifacts, reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology, and even building movie props. What Comes Next? Now, in the first quarter of the 21st century, 3D printing technology and its proponents are speeding forward to find more and more innovative and useful applications such as bio-printing.

Biotech firms and academia are looking at 3D printing for tissue engineering applications which build organs and body parts using inkjet techniques to deposit layers of living cells onto a gel medium and slowly build up three-dimensional structures.

It is possible to work for a company specializing in custom-made prosthetics, construction prototypes, or models of archeological remains.

3D printing is versatile - nearly every hearing aid in the last 17 years has been 3D printed, and automotive enthusiasts use 3D printed parts to restore old cars.

The most crucial factor is the readiness to commit to a career that blends innovative design with the mathematical precision of advanced mechanical engineering. If you are intrigued with new technologies and have an eye for precision and detail, then the expanding world of 3D printing could become your field of expertise and your playground.

There are many types of 3D printers, which operate in almost similar ways with significant differences. Know the pros and cons of each technology. Help the customer choose the best option based on the model and how they expect to use it.