In 1986 Charles Hull invented the 3D printer (Lewis). Hull’s 3D printer has come a long way since then, and in all those years 3D printing has finally shifted its way into the public eye. This bout of fame and recognition for printers though is both a blessing as well as a curse. 3D printers are finally being given the attention and appreciation they deserve; even President Obama saw their potential when he gave a $30 million dollar grant to the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Ohio (Lewis). Unfortunately, the 3D printer’s new found popularity comes with a price. Like any budding young star the 3D printer is under constant scrutiny and has lost some of the freedom it once had, freedoms like exemption from …show more content…
Once one creative medium is given free reign from intellectual property laws, what excuse is there not to make exceptions for all other creative mediums as well? Why should books, photographs, sculptures, digital artwork, etc. all not be liberated from intellectual property laws as well? Another fear, held by both companies and consumers alike, is the possibility of counterfeit products. Individuals would have the power and opportunity to print and sell different products to buyers who believe they are purchasing and paying for the original and genuine product. Those who oppose leaving 3D printers unrestricted also anticipate that it could lead to intellectual property laws being eradicated completely, as the government loses complete control over 3D printing all together.
The current difference between all other creative mediums and 3D printers at this time is that all the others are well established and known by the public throughout the world. 3D printing is still so young, it was only in the 1980’s that engineers began to use 3D printers in their work (Barnett). Most of the general public have only now begun to learn about the existence and understand what a 3D printer is. Due to the fact that 3D printing is such a new and up and coming technology, it still has a very long way to go development wise. 3D printers are far from being perfect. In order for 3D printing to continue to expand though it needs to be nourished by both creativity and freedom.
To fully understand whether or not 3D printing will have a positive effect on the future of our society, we must first know exactly what 3D printing is and how it works. In 3D printing, a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file or a 3D scanned file is used in conjunction with a computer-controlled printer to make a three dimensional solid object using the additive process. In the additive process an object is created layer by layer, starting from the bottom
What if there was a machine that could make anything, in any combination of materials with infinite complexity, enabling users to manufacture goods instantly at home? There would no longer be a need to go to a store or order a product online, saving people time and money. Fortunately, this technology was invented 33 years ago and is known as 3D printing (Reichental). It is a reality today to create, 3D scan, or download 3D blueprints for any physical object and manufacture them affordably in the home. With such technology, it is possible for anyone to produce high quality products without having to buy them. This revolutionary technology is proving to be a game changer in the world of manufacturing, but it is causing many to question the ethics of hyper-localized manufacturing and the ability for anyone to make anything. 3D printers are generating controversy surrounding the ownership of designs, copyright laws, patent infringement, democratized counterfeiting, and illegal possession. 3D printing is ushering in a new industrial age, but is challenging the current US patent system and compromising intellectual property rights, requiring reform to support next generation design and manufacturing systems.
As the new age of manufacturing is beginning, it brings with it the associated technology, which caused the change. In this case it is 3D printing. There are significant revolutionary differences between using 3D printing for manufacturing and traditional manufacturing techniques, like the ones that are more commonly used.
3d printing is no longer a theory or a concept. It has been available to industrial manufactures for the last few year but now as technology is advancing at its usual frightening pace the first home consumer printers are becoming available and like the original printers they are rapidly moving on from their slow, expensive and cumbersome beginnings . The Makerbot replicator 2 is an example of a 3d printer available to the consumer retailing for approx $2000. 3d printing relies on additive manufacturing which allows objects to be built layer by layer only using the exact amount of material needed reducing waste and of course allowing for more complicated designs to be printed in full form. Users can design a 3d model in computer software
The technologies are being developed quickly and change the world 's vision. 3D printing is the innovation that will make the further breakthrough and turn the world upside down. One can print everything, starting from the plastic figures finishing with the tools, clothes, bicycles, weapon, and human body organs using the stem cells. Moreover, there are the printers that are capable of replicating itself. Three-dimensional printing transforms the computer model of the object into a really-existing one applying many thin layers that are programmed on the computer.
When you think of printing, you probably think of printing out some words on a piece of paper or making copies to print out. It does not come to mind to think of being able to print something in 3D. Imagine if there was a way to print objects in 3D and with a simple press of one button, you could print them out. This idea may seem futuristic, but it is becoming a reality. With today’s technological and scientific advances, the possibilities of 3D printing is not only happening but it is also being designed so that it reduces economic costs.
The use of 3D printing has raised a major issue that has risen from ability of the individual to produce different range of goods not limited to weapons. This issue incorporated with others brings out the concern for the both morals and the ethical behavior that will come along with the 3D printing. Different countries, individuals as well as the states will utilize the machine in different ways, for instance, for hospital usage, food production, environmental as well as pirating and the goods will need only to be evaluated so as to determine the potential threats or the success of the 3D printing. Therefore, many countries have found the use for the 3D printer, for example, the Peoples Republic China is using it in bio printing while Canada is making use it as an educational tool for the children.
3D printing lets us quickly produce any prototypes or small versions of the original product. This helps researchers and engineers plan the actual object and look for flaws may affect quality and functionality.
The Economist (2012) titled its article about 3D printing as ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’, implying that 3D technology has a potential to do so. Will it really be happen? The answer remains to be seen, but considering the capabilities of 3D technology, it seems absolute. When we look back to history, wheel, steam engine, and light bulb were all breakthroughs that shaped the way societies lived. In the 21th century, 3D printing is the biggest nominee for the title of new ‘breakthrough’ or ‘game changer’. Taking into account the varieties of products that are the harvest of 3D printers, 3D printing has already deserved that title and changed many traditional production rules. 3D printing or AM is used not only in civilian logistics but also in military applications. Although it has some implications and drawbacks, 3D printing provides great opportunities for humanity, if used correctly. On one hand, it can reduce costs and help us to gain more; on the other hand it can save the lives of people who are in need of urgent medical help.
Creative can be at any age, it has no limitation that for being creative. However, many people find out that, they cannot make their design come to a real product, as they do not have a machine to produce their design. Therefore, the invention of 3D-printing can behave this situation, letting everyone can design their own and manufacture their own. 3D-printing is just simply requiring a computer with installed of 3D design program and a 3D-printer, which is usually a paper printer size. Thus, more and more people can be a designer, and manufacturing their own products.
In 21st century 3D printer becoming one of the most discussed and popular technology in the world. There are many advantages and disadvantages of 3D printer are discussing on TV, in internet and in other well known magazines. Thus, positive and negative sides of 3D printing are one of the significant issues for today’s time. 3D printing technology is quickly advancing and is soon expected to become one of the basic leading technologies in society. With more advancements being made every day, a lot of discoveries have been unveiled on many other applications of 3D printing that make it an extremely important technology for society. Also, the fact that the price of 3D printers is declining, has attracted a lot of attention across the world to this revolutionary technology (Wellington).
As with any new technology, 3D printing will encounter competition among vendors and across all tiers of quality. As the product becomes easier to duplicate and manufacture and as equipment costs go down, the number of competitors will increase..
In simple words, the technology that allows you to create a 3-Dimensional object is known as 3 D printing. Now, this object can be designed by a number of processes, one of which is to add layers one on top of the other and molding the object to the shape you desire. The device used for this is commonly known as the 3D printer. The coolest thing about 3D printer is it can print another 3D printer. How cool does that sound? Technology is at its pinnacle now and with the evolution of 3D printing life is going to be much easier and fast paced. 3D printers have an advantage of modeling any size an shape objects with minimum tools. This technology evolved back in 1980’s
Thanks to personal computing developing into a revolutionary innovation in the early 1970s, 3D printing was made possible in the late 1980’s. 3D printing technology was at one point only available for the business elites because of its high cost and limited production by few companies. This technology in the the late 1980s began as a new additive manufacturing, changing and speeding up what use to be subtractive manufacturing. Subtractive manufacturing relied on tooling and assembly lines since it began, 3D printing however made it possible for companies to fabricate prototypes on demand. However 3D printing is no longer limited to manufacturing, but has developed into various categories as printer cost continue to go down, making it more
The printing press invented by German goldsmith Johann Gutenberg in 1448 has been called one of the most important inventions in the history of humankind. When compared to the standard printing methods of the day, the printing press revolutionized how mass quantities of books were printed. The enlightenment in Europe and America were greatly affected by its invention. From its beginnings in 1448 the printer has evolved into today 's modern laser jet printers. One printer that most people don 't think of is the 3D printer. While the idea has been around for years, just recently within the past 10 years has it really taken off. The 3d printer uses the concept of printing a picture of a part, but instead of creating a 2D image, it prints a 3D object. This is a revolutionary manufacturing method that has changed how companies do business. Like the printing press, the modern 3D printer has the chance to revolutionize the world. While it may face challenges, the 3D printer has an enormous upside and a variety of uses.