Development of a 3-D printer selection engine

Abstract

This paper focuses on the deployment of a tool that will enable any category of end user to match their needs and product specifications to 3D printers by means of a webpage. Any user connected to a network can enter the CAD geometry and product specifications into a web based form to select the most appropriate 3D printer. The parameters that drive the selection of 3D printers have been inspired by the largest/biggest/most well-known 3D printer manufacturers. The purpose of the selection system is to display printer specification in a common format so users are able to make "apples to apples" comparisons. The resource and the database will continuously expand and improve the 3D printing pairing engine. The technology, techniques and methods of designing the 3D printer selection engine is reported in this paper.