3D printing is becoming more and more popular and affordable among consumers other than big corporations. There was a special zone at CES 2014 tradeshow dedicated to 3D printing. Printers and printed object were shown, as well as web services, where you could personalize your own project or buy one.
http://www.cadalyst.com/files/cadalyst/nodes/2013/15417/MCor-Iris.jpg
There has been great progress in printing. A couple of years ago, a 3D printer cost about 15 thousand dollars. Nowadays, MakerBot, a company that specializes in 3D printing, presented a printer for home use that you can buy for 1375 dollars. So it’s ten times cheaper than the aforementioned. Of course, you can buy even cheaper ones, Chinese – for 499 dollars.
At this year’s CES, a company called 3D Systems presented a confectionery printer. Chocolate and sugar are used as toners.
See how it looks!
Their representatives say that in the future, we’ll be able to print pasta or other food that you can pulverize and use as toner.
http://www.3dprintingtrends.pl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sugar-sculptures.jpeg
There has been great progress in printing. A couple of years ago, a 3D printer cost about 15 thousand dollars. Nowadays, MakerBot, a company that specializes in 3D printing, presented a printer for home use that you can buy for 1375 dollars. So it’s ten times cheaper than the aforementioned. Of course, you can buy even cheaper ones, Chinese – for 499 dollars.
At this year’s CES, a company called 3D Systems presented a confectionery printer. Chocolate and sugar are used as toners.
See how it looks!
So if we can use materials such as sugar, chocolate or plastic to print in 3D, then why not use paper? How does paper printing in 3D look like? You need a ream of paper and an image-project of an object you wish to print. It is sent to the printer, which prints single elements, applies glue, and then connects the pieces together. If we want a colored object, we need to paint the paper before using the printer.
That way you can print phone cases, bowls, cutlery or imitation fruits.
A paper-using 3D printer has one big disadvantage. Today it costs 47 thousand dollars. Representatives of Mcor Technologies say that using such printers is profitable, because paper is much cheaper than plastic necessary for 3D printers.
What did you do in your spare time as kids? Did you assemble models, build ships, do puzzles or play Minecraft? These are all creative activities. It is very possible that in a couple of years kids will play “reality printing“. A dollhouse or a birdhouse have never been so easy to “build“.
My friend told me his apocalyptic theory recently, and it made me laugh!
One day someone will program a 3D printer to print another 3D printer and forget about it. One will print another, and so on... People will be unable to stop this, because the printers will keep printing and printing, and the World will be buried in printers!
What do you think is the future of 3D printers?
Do you think it’s a revolutionary discovery?
What would you print if you had such a printer at home (and you could use any available materials – plastic metal etc.)?
I have no idea what to hink about 3D printers. They're cool, but your apocalyptic way scared me
ReplyDeleteI think 3D printers are awesome, amazing and something I really, really look forward to. Imagine the possibilities once this technology becomes so easily available that everyone could have their own, good 3D printer at home. With time, perhaps you could print your own objects for yourself instead of buying them, such as household appliances, decorations and then in the future maybe even some electronics. And the designs could be open source or custom created by about anyone in a simple program, so you could design something yourself on your computer and then just "print" it for yourself - make the design come to life without physically needing to manufacture it.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe it's something very big and groundbreaking, or at least it has potential to be just that.
I read once about this, it is interesting that you can even print out which acts gun. The student developed a project and tested. The gun fired once and then did not get anywhere. Then the project spread quickly on the Internet. What will be like everyone starts to have access to that type of thing?
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ReplyDeleteWhat do you think is the future of 3D printers?
ReplyDeleteI heard about 3D printing long time ago. I believe that this technology will take over a large share of the industry. I also heard about large 3d printer prototype used in construction to build a house.
Do you think it’s a revolutionary discovery?
Definitely yes. It will change a lot in terms of how we produce.
Imagine a printer building your house in no longer that a week time... is that revolutionary enough ?
What would you print if you had such a printer at home (and you could use any available materials – plastic metal etc.)?
Well... 3D print give so much possibilities that it is hard to say which thing would I print. It would be probably easier to say which thing I would not print. There are many situations In life that there is something missing and we can't get it no where simple because this part is not sold on its own. If I would have 3D printer I could siple sit down design 3D file, send it to the printer and that it! Problem solved.
3D printers will become cheaper and cheaper as the technology is developing. In few years everybody will have a 3D printer at home just like we have “normal” paper printers. If you’ll need a fork one would be able to simply print one out. On the other hand there are already projects available online to download and print out weapons. The worst thing is that technology is already allowing to printout guns, it’s scary to think what we will be able to use the printers for in 5 years. The invention of cheap and accessible 3D printers definitely is and still will be a breakthrough technology.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely incredible for me that these printers really work. It can be quite revolutionary and scary at the same time. I think the pronters will pront all sorts of thing, even food. It is also a new oppourtinity for art. I am convinced that artists, especially sculptores will take advantage of such development. If I could print anything it would be clothes and bags, because I am really interested in fashion. I would also love to pront all my designs in 3d.
ReplyDelete@Simon S - I really like your point about pronting items for oneself instead of buying them.
@Dalvia - These printers scary me a lillte bit to to be honest, once I' ve read that it would be possible to pront a gun!
Invention of a 3d printer is in my opinion one of the best inventions of our times and I think that although the technology seems quite new I can easily predict it a bright future in the modern world as well as great development. It certainly is quite revolutionary as it can have so many applications in all sorts of businesses from a simple office, through garages and all the way through to medicine.
ReplyDeleteI actually have read an article about a man who used a 3d printer to create a prosthetic hand for his son.
Here is the full article:http://www.iflscience.com/technology/man-makes-3d-printed-prosthetic-hand-son-only-10
It is really mindblowing what people already can produce with such a tool and it only makes me wonder about what will come with further development of this technology. AS to the question about what I would use such printer for let’s just say that I already have few ideas.
I think that 3D printers are great. They are used in medicine to create tailored parts of bones but I hope that it will be cheap enough soon so everybody could afford one. If I had such a printer, I would probably use it to print screws or similar things that I could use to fix when something breaks. A friend of mine attends to f/x makeup course and he would definitely use 3D printers to create prosthetics parts and use it in his characterisations.
ReplyDelete