We all have heard about this new hype of “3D Printing” but is it really a temporary thing or a keeper? Well, its definitely a keeper!
3D printing is going to be what will shape our future, allowing us to make objects of any size at a incredible fast speed at low cost. Also, you can make anything you want, there are already millions of 3D Blueprints on websites like The Pirate Bay which will allow you to manufacture anything as long as you have a 3D printer, one man even made a working gun!
Why is 3D printing so important?
Lets just put a example of what 3D printing could mean to us and is already doing for us. NASA has started using 3D printing to manufacture rocket engine injectors, the process of previously making one took years and with 3D printing the duration has been lowered to just 4 months and the cost has been reduced to 70%. These changes are even bigger compared to the last revolution to the manufacturing industry which was the introduction of machinery and the mass-production of parts and products. where the cost was reduced by 50% and the production time by a few hours.
What can it mean to us, the consumer?
Allowing manufacturer to create products faster and cheaper only means 1 good thing for us: Higher quality and cheaper products. With the low cost of the material and the use of the 3D printer we will see small plastic things like pens, cups etc. being manufactured by 3D printers. Can you image going to a 3D printing shop with your blueprint to get a specific part for something made, and in less then 5 minutes you have that exact part in your hands how you imagined it?
What are the industries that use 3D printing the most?
As of now there is no exact category that has a higher percentage of 3D printers, however the industry it is most obvious to seeing adapt the 3D printer soon is the Medical industry. Allowing doctors to create hearing aids, dental implants etc. with the push of a button. The most awesome thing is that a 3D printer can make everything at a size the user request it to, so you will have perfectly fitting dental implants in less then a minute, while it normally took a lot longer for them to get manufactured, but thats not all, even organs are being 3D printed, all though this is still in early stages, there are printers that will allow us to manufacture organs.
What are the biggest Challenges to overcome with 3D printing?
3D printing does have certain challenges that we will have to overcome in order to truly make 3D printing “a thing”. Like mentioned before, there is a man that made a working gun with a 3D printer (shown in the video bellow)
This just shows the danger of a 3D printing, since no one has control of what is being manufactured. Another big issue is the quality of the products, with the introduction of 3D printing millions of new products will be made and designed, but is there a guarantee for the quality of these products? Are they really safe?
Share your thoughts on 3D printing with us, how do you think 3D printing will shape the future?
