Thank you for purchasing the following enhanced e-book —another quality product from

 ______________________________________
Daily 
Warm-Up
7
Nonfiction: Current Events
3D Printing
Imagine you want to make the perfect plastic storage 
container for your locker or a drawer at home. You 
could take the measurements and go shopping, but it 
would be more convenient to simply enter the 
measurements into your computer and print it out at 
home. One cell-phone manufacturer is using this 
technology and making custom phone cases for 
customers with three-dimensional (3D) printers.
Additive manufacturing makes 3D printing possible.
This ability to manufacture small items and parts is 
now a reality and will become more prominent in the 
years to come.
Surprisingly, the technology is approximately 30 years 
old. Early 3D printing started with a solid object, and a 
model was made by removing thin layers of material.
Today, printheads deposit thin layers of liquid plastic 
or other materials onto a platform. In this way, 
material is added to make the model.
Materials such as metal alloys, plastics, aluminum, and 
stainless steel are used in three-dimensional printing.
Paper and ceramic powders are also used. Printers 
have been set to create a wide variety of objects. There 
have even been experiments to create human organs.
Making a 3D item is a multistage process. First, a CAD 
(computer-aided design) model is made of the object.
From there the program is transferred to a printer-
friendly version. The printer is then set to make 
the object.
As you might imagine, 3D printing can be very 
expensive. Some printers initially cost $250,000 and 
liquid plastic can be $800 per gallon, but technology has 
drastically reduced the price. Today, 3D printers that 
make items with dimensions of eight inches square are 
less than $30,000. Some small home printers can cost 
less than $1,000.
3D printing is intricate and powerful. It is expected to 
dramatically change manufacturing and consumer 
purchasing as we now know it.
Text Questions
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 
 1 . What is the meaning of three-dimensional as it is used in this passage?
a. It appears to be real.
b. An object has depth in addition to height and width.
c. It lays flat and cannot be measured in height.
d. It can only be viewed with special glasses.
 2 . What tools does 3D printing require?
a. a screwdriver and screws
b. a computer and a printer
c. a camera and film
d. models and clay
 3 . According to the passage, which of the following is not a material used in 3D printing?
a. wood
b. ceramic powders
c. plastic
d. metal alloys
 4 . What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
a. It explains the process of 3D printing.
b. It gives details about why 3D printing will not work.
c. It gives examples to introduce the topic.
d. It gives examples to explain the process of 3D printing.
 5 . For what applications might 3D printing be useful?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
©Teacher Created Resources 
77 
#3658 Daily Warm-Ups: Reading

---

Name