Three dimensional (3D) printing is a technology of increasing material manufacturing, and has achieved fruitful results in the model building and design, printing equipment, scanning and monitoring and control, after the development of the past few years. The data acquisition, 3D model design and establishment, printing equipment and materials are summarized. Firstly, the principle and application of optical scanning in acquiring the model data and three dimensional (3D) measurement were analyzed, and the application value of the method in the monitoring method of the printing process was studied. Then, the 3D model of geometric calculation, light weight, static balance and other issues were summarized, explaining its important role in the 3D printing. Lastly, the 6 types of 3D printing equipment, which are widely used at present, were compared for their working principles, materials and performance characteristics. The development direction of 3D printing is forecasted, and the development trend of the model establishment and optimization, the monitoring of printing process and the green processing are put forward.