Printing A 3D Revolution
Michael Merrill
ENG 1201.375
Professor Dean Leonard
14 July 2013
Printing A 3D Revolution
Tired of waiting in checkout lines at stores or delayed deliveries from online orders? What if anything of desire could simply be downloaded from a website and created with a press of a button right from a machine sitting on a desktop? Everyone has ideas and designs in their head they would like to make reality. Fear or misunderstanding tends to keep these ideas locked away. What if there was a home device that would wipe out the fear and misunderstanding? Business ideas, functional parts, visual knick-knacks, even kids toys from the mind of a creative parent can easily be made physical with the power of 3d printing. This evolutionary technology is a type of additive manufacturing which uses a plastic extrusion technique to build objects from the ground up, one layer at a time. To watch the process is almost like watching an idea magically appear before one’s very eyes! With promises of creative freedom, consumer independence, and entrepreneurial opportunity, home 3d printers are poised to be the most exciting development since desktop computers. Ease of use, evolution of capabilities, and product awareness are all important obstacles to clear for this revolution to occur.
The idea of 3d printing is almost mystical in nature to some, but it really shouldn’t be. The process is very easily explained. A computer file containing location data tells a set of motors where to go and when to be there while an extruder heats plastic to its melting point, pushing it through to a base for the object to sit on. The no longer heated plastic then hardens as the extruder is carried to the next spot in the data, over and over again, until the end of the data file. If everything is done accurately and the data file was programmed correctly, the plastic will have been formed into the object.
While the process is easily explained, some of the steps may sound much more difficult than they are. Most people are probably already thinking, “How does one program a data file?” This is where some of that fear and misunderstanding comes into play. 3d computer drafting is something people attend college for years to learn and plainly put, is not something an average person is going to pick up and master overnight. According to Iancu, Iancu, and Stăncioiu, the file format used to feed a 3d printer the data is typically STL. This is a very common file format used by many 3d software packages. While some of these packages are very expensive and the average consumer would never buy just to try out a technology that is completely foreign to them, there are some very good packages available for free or very cheap. (Iancu, Iancu, and Stăncioiu)
Obtaining the software is one thing, being able to use it is a whole separate issue. For the novice user there are tutorials all over the web to help one get started. For those who prefer a more traditional approach there are plenty of books such as Practical 3D Printers: The Science and Art of 3D Printing, by Brian Evans. This book contains a breadth of knowledge about how a 3d printer works and how to get creative ideas into production. Following tutorials from this book is practically like following a recipe in the kitchen. They are designed so that anybody can do it, to varying degrees of success. There are even ways to completely bypass the creation of a model, by just downloading the file from the internet. (Evans)
Satwant Kaur has coined the term, “Internet of the 3D Printed Products", which is one way that a person not wanting to learn about a 3d software package will still be able to partake in the revolution. Most people with a computer, and at this point that is most people in the nation, know how to download files from the internet and print to a standard printer. The process is almost the same when it comes to 3d printing. One can download an STL file and send it to an attached 3d printer and when the printing process completes, that item is now in physical form. Kaur brings up a very important dilemma with such ease of creation; intellectual property rights. (Kaur) There are many small toys or trinkets that would suddenly be a download away from people owning these items illegally, or one step further, producing multiples and selling for profit. Another thing to consider at this point would be how to determine who created similar items first. With such simple ways to fabricate ideas there would be a boom in inventions and it would be foolish to think similarities would not exist in many people’s products. Law suits could get a little out of hand.
There are other limitations to the capabilities of 3d printing. Especially home sized printers in the current state of the technology. One that will probably not be easily overcome is size and weight limits. This is somewhat to be expected however. Would it really be reasonable to expect to print a full sized working automobile from a desktop sized 3d printer after all? This does however bring up another point. Most items considered so far are simple inanimate objects made out of plastic. How about other materials or electronic and mechanical items?
Typically a 3d printer can print with plastic, but what if one needs a metal product of some sort? While some of the more expensive models can use metals, desktop printers are usually limited in their material selection; still some others besides plastic have been used. One such thing is food. Chocolate or other syrup like ingredients can be used in most 3d printers to produce artistic culinary productions.
Next we have Lopes, MacDonald, and Wicker, who have made clear that with integration of stereo lithography and 3d printing, the lack of electronic components in prints is a problem that will soon be rectified. While this technology will not be immediately available in standard desktop 3d printers, it is something to look forward to and proves this technology is constantly evolving. (Lopes, MacDonald, and Wicker)
Mechanical parts are something that actually is possible now. Car parts, moving toy parts, and more have already been printed and serving their purposes every day. Rachel Ehrenberg discusses the many things already being printed in her article ‘The 3-D Printing Revolution.” She talks about the first thoughts of many, making trinkets and coat hooks, but then goes on to tell us about the more intricate and useful items already being printed. Medical use is a huge focal point. Artificial bones and organs have already been created or prototyped. Some things that can be printed are also controversial. Though nobody believed it feasible at first, 3d printed firearms have been proven possible. Things like guns, not to mention more rudimentary types of weapons such as knives, swords, or arrows, could hinder the growth of 3d printing technology. (Ehrenberg)
With such power at the fingertips of any person with a computer and the internet, why is there not a 3d printer in every home already? Besides the general thought that it takes a technical genius to operate the machine, product awareness is a hurdle that has yet to be passed over.
Moilanen and Vadén have conducted a statistical survey of the current market for 3d printers, with plans to continue the survey on an annual basis. During the survey they found that almost every user of a 3d printer is a person who would generally be considered ‘tech savvy’ and therefore would know there way around the software and/or machine. To support this notion, Figure 1 shows the results of the survey question, “Do you consider yourself a part of the maker movement?”
Fig. 1. Survey results showing a person’s view on whether they are part of the maker movement. (Moilanen and Vadén)
These results show that the average consumer either doesn’t know about 3d printers or is demonstrating the fear and misunderstanding mentioned earlier. They further explain the situation and provide a good reason for why the technology is not as popular as it could be. The market is too “immature” and operates almost completely on what they call a “commons-based peer production” model. This basically means the only people who know about the technology are people who have sought it out or people who have been told about it from somebody else who has sought it out. This marketing model has served the open source maker community well but does not do much for furthering 3d printers into the mass market. As of now the majority of desktop 3d printers come in kits that require assembly or are built in basement operations and shipped out a couple weeks later, which is great for the current community but is not going to cut it for main stream use. The lack of product awareness and a solid consumer driven printer for the market to really get behind is hindering the popularity of the technology. (Moilanen and Vadén)
One company, Pirate3d, is putting a lot of effort into bringing these devices to the public. They have gained a following and financial support through the use of the crowd funding website, kickstarter. Currently in the process of producing a very competitively priced 3d printer that isn’t much bigger than a regular desktop printer, Pirate3d doesn’t just stop there. Recently in an attempt to raise awareness for the technology, they have donated 10 of their buccaneer 3d printers to local libraries for public use. (Pirate3d)
The economical repercussions of a 3d printing revolution could be another issue unseen. If every person in a nation had the ability to simply download and print most of anything they want or need, what would happen to retail stores? What would happen to manufacturing companies? Would the economy balance out with the many small businesses and entrepreneurial inventors that would inevitably spring up?
Some companies may be okay if the cost justifies it. 3d printing is a very powerful tool that many people will eventually take advantage of but the costs involved are still uncertain. After all, who is going to pay hundreds of dollars for a machine and twenty or thirty more for a shipment of plastic when they could drive to the market and get the item they wanted for a couple of dollars? If company A can produce a product on a mass scale, saving enough money to sell the item for a very small amount, while people printing one at a time are stuck paying for full containers of plastic, this could be problematic for the home user. Of course if the home user has many other prints in mind the container of plastic cost may equal out to justify printing over store buying. All of this is conjecture at the current state of the market, but things that can be pivotal in the growth of 3d printing nonetheless.
Will 3d printing be the next industrial revolution? It is too early to tell for sure but with the creative potential, market freedom, and business opportunities waiting, the possibilities are endless. One technology to rightfully compare 3d printing to is that of desktop computing and by extension the internet. The mainstream market has embraced home computing in almost every aspect of life despite the fear and misunderstanding that came bundled with the technology. People of all ages and cultures are learning to use desktop computers in schools, libraries, or homes; many with the purpose of utilizing the internet. In addition, desktop computers have spawned so many technological marvels, such as smart phones, printers, scanners, the internet, digital video, digital audio, and more, 3d printing may just be another of these desktop extensions or may be something bigger.
With the increase in awareness, the progress of the technologies capabilities, and the depletion of the fear and misunderstanding surrounding its ease of use, given time 3d printing will gain notice and will make its way into more and more schools, libraries, and homes across the nation.
The Revolution has begun.
Works Cited
Ehrenberg, Rachel. "The 3-D Printing Revolution." Science News 183.5 (2013): 20. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 30 June 2013.
Evans, Brian. Practical 3D Printers: The Science and Art of 3D Printing. Berkeley: Apress, 2012. Book.
Iancu, Cătălin, Daniela Iancu, and Alin Stăncioiu. "From Cad Model To 3D Print Via "Stl" File Format." Fiability & Durability / Fiabilitate Si Durabilitate 1 (2010): 73-80. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 June 2013.
Kaur, Satwant. "How Is "Internet of the 3D Printed Products" Going to Affect Our Lives?" IETE Technical Review 29.5 (2012): 360-364. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 June 2013.
Lopes, AJ, E MacDonald, and RB Wicker. "Integrating Stereolithography and Direct Print Technologies for 3D Structural Electronics Fabrication." Rapid Prototyping Journal 18.2 (2012): 129-143. Science Citation Index. Web. 30 June 2013.
Moilanen, Jarkko, and Tere Tere Vadén. "Statistical Studies of Peer Production." Statistical Studies of Peer Production Manufacturing in Motion First Survey on 3D Printing Community Comments. P2P Foundation, 31 May 2012. Web. 30 June 2013.
Pirate3d. "Digital Manufacturing Report: Pirate3D to Promote Public Awareness of 3D Printing." Digital Manufacturing Report: Pirate3D to Promote Public Awareness of 3D Printing. Digital Manufacturing Report, 11 June 2013. Web. 30 June 2013.
ENG 1201.375
Professor Dean Leonard
14 July 2013
Printing A 3D Revolution
Tired of waiting in checkout lines at stores or delayed deliveries from online orders? What if anything of desire could simply be downloaded from a website and created with a press of a button right from a machine sitting on a desktop? Everyone has ideas and designs in their head they would like to make reality. Fear or misunderstanding tends to keep these ideas locked away. What if there was a home device that would wipe out the fear and misunderstanding? Business ideas, functional parts, visual knick-knacks, even kids toys from the mind of a creative parent can easily be made physical with the power of 3d printing. This evolutionary technology is a type of additive manufacturing which uses a plastic extrusion technique to build objects from the ground up, one layer at a time. To watch the process is almost like watching an idea magically appear before one’s very eyes! With promises of creative freedom, consumer independence, and entrepreneurial opportunity, home 3d printers are poised to be the most exciting development since desktop computers. Ease of use, evolution of capabilities, and product awareness are all important obstacles to clear for this revolution to occur.
The idea of 3d printing is almost mystical in nature to some, but it really shouldn’t be. The process is very easily explained. A computer file containing location data tells a set of motors where to go and when to be there while an extruder heats plastic to its melting point, pushing it through to a base for the object to sit on. The no longer heated plastic then hardens as the extruder is carried to the next spot in the data, over and over again, until the end of the data file. If everything is done accurately and the data file was programmed correctly, the plastic will have been formed into the object.
While the process is easily explained, some of the steps may sound much more difficult than they are. Most people are probably already thinking, “How does one program a data file?” This is where some of that fear and misunderstanding comes into play. 3d computer drafting is something people attend college for years to learn and plainly put, is not something an average person is going to pick up and master overnight. According to Iancu, Iancu, and Stăncioiu, the file format used to feed a 3d printer the data is typically STL. This is a very common file format used by many 3d software packages. While some of these packages are very expensive and the average consumer would never buy just to try out a technology that is completely foreign to them, there are some very good packages available for free or very cheap. (Iancu, Iancu, and Stăncioiu)
Obtaining the software is one thing, being able to use it is a whole separate issue. For the novice user there are tutorials all over the web to help one get started. For those who prefer a more traditional approach there are plenty of books such as Practical 3D Printers: The Science and Art of 3D Printing, by Brian Evans. This book contains a breadth of knowledge about how a 3d printer works and how to get creative ideas into production. Following tutorials from this book is practically like following a recipe in the kitchen. They are designed so that anybody can do it, to varying degrees of success. There are even ways to completely bypass the creation of a model, by just downloading the file from the internet. (Evans)
Satwant Kaur has coined the term, “Internet of the 3D Printed Products", which is one way that a person not wanting to learn about a 3d software package will still be able to partake in the revolution. Most people with a computer, and at this point that is most people in the nation, know how to download files from the internet and print to a standard printer. The process is almost the same when it comes to 3d printing. One can download an STL file and send it to an attached 3d printer and when the printing process completes, that item is now in physical form. Kaur brings up a very important dilemma with such ease of creation; intellectual property rights. (Kaur) There are many small toys or trinkets that would suddenly be a download away from people owning these items illegally, or one step further, producing multiples and selling for profit. Another thing to consider at this point would be how to determine who created similar items first. With such simple ways to fabricate ideas there would be a boom in inventions and it would be foolish to think similarities would not exist in many people’s products. Law suits could get a little out of hand.
There are other limitations to the capabilities of 3d printing. Especially home sized printers in the current state of the technology. One that will probably not be easily overcome is size and weight limits. This is somewhat to be expected however. Would it really be reasonable to expect to print a full sized working automobile from a desktop sized 3d printer after all? This does however bring up another point. Most items considered so far are simple inanimate objects made out of plastic. How about other materials or electronic and mechanical items?
Typically a 3d printer can print with plastic, but what if one needs a metal product of some sort? While some of the more expensive models can use metals, desktop printers are usually limited in their material selection; still some others besides plastic have been used. One such thing is food. Chocolate or other syrup like ingredients can be used in most 3d printers to produce artistic culinary productions.
Next we have Lopes, MacDonald, and Wicker, who have made clear that with integration of stereo lithography and 3d printing, the lack of electronic components in prints is a problem that will soon be rectified. While this technology will not be immediately available in standard desktop 3d printers, it is something to look forward to and proves this technology is constantly evolving. (Lopes, MacDonald, and Wicker)
Mechanical parts are something that actually is possible now. Car parts, moving toy parts, and more have already been printed and serving their purposes every day. Rachel Ehrenberg discusses the many things already being printed in her article ‘The 3-D Printing Revolution.” She talks about the first thoughts of many, making trinkets and coat hooks, but then goes on to tell us about the more intricate and useful items already being printed. Medical use is a huge focal point. Artificial bones and organs have already been created or prototyped. Some things that can be printed are also controversial. Though nobody believed it feasible at first, 3d printed firearms have been proven possible. Things like guns, not to mention more rudimentary types of weapons such as knives, swords, or arrows, could hinder the growth of 3d printing technology. (Ehrenberg)
With such power at the fingertips of any person with a computer and the internet, why is there not a 3d printer in every home already? Besides the general thought that it takes a technical genius to operate the machine, product awareness is a hurdle that has yet to be passed over.
Moilanen and Vadén have conducted a statistical survey of the current market for 3d printers, with plans to continue the survey on an annual basis. During the survey they found that almost every user of a 3d printer is a person who would generally be considered ‘tech savvy’ and therefore would know there way around the software and/or machine. To support this notion, Figure 1 shows the results of the survey question, “Do you consider yourself a part of the maker movement?”
Fig. 1. Survey results showing a person’s view on whether they are part of the maker movement. (Moilanen and Vadén)
These results show that the average consumer either doesn’t know about 3d printers or is demonstrating the fear and misunderstanding mentioned earlier. They further explain the situation and provide a good reason for why the technology is not as popular as it could be. The market is too “immature” and operates almost completely on what they call a “commons-based peer production” model. This basically means the only people who know about the technology are people who have sought it out or people who have been told about it from somebody else who has sought it out. This marketing model has served the open source maker community well but does not do much for furthering 3d printers into the mass market. As of now the majority of desktop 3d printers come in kits that require assembly or are built in basement operations and shipped out a couple weeks later, which is great for the current community but is not going to cut it for main stream use. The lack of product awareness and a solid consumer driven printer for the market to really get behind is hindering the popularity of the technology. (Moilanen and Vadén)
One company, Pirate3d, is putting a lot of effort into bringing these devices to the public. They have gained a following and financial support through the use of the crowd funding website, kickstarter. Currently in the process of producing a very competitively priced 3d printer that isn’t much bigger than a regular desktop printer, Pirate3d doesn’t just stop there. Recently in an attempt to raise awareness for the technology, they have donated 10 of their buccaneer 3d printers to local libraries for public use. (Pirate3d)
The economical repercussions of a 3d printing revolution could be another issue unseen. If every person in a nation had the ability to simply download and print most of anything they want or need, what would happen to retail stores? What would happen to manufacturing companies? Would the economy balance out with the many small businesses and entrepreneurial inventors that would inevitably spring up?
Some companies may be okay if the cost justifies it. 3d printing is a very powerful tool that many people will eventually take advantage of but the costs involved are still uncertain. After all, who is going to pay hundreds of dollars for a machine and twenty or thirty more for a shipment of plastic when they could drive to the market and get the item they wanted for a couple of dollars? If company A can produce a product on a mass scale, saving enough money to sell the item for a very small amount, while people printing one at a time are stuck paying for full containers of plastic, this could be problematic for the home user. Of course if the home user has many other prints in mind the container of plastic cost may equal out to justify printing over store buying. All of this is conjecture at the current state of the market, but things that can be pivotal in the growth of 3d printing nonetheless.
Will 3d printing be the next industrial revolution? It is too early to tell for sure but with the creative potential, market freedom, and business opportunities waiting, the possibilities are endless. One technology to rightfully compare 3d printing to is that of desktop computing and by extension the internet. The mainstream market has embraced home computing in almost every aspect of life despite the fear and misunderstanding that came bundled with the technology. People of all ages and cultures are learning to use desktop computers in schools, libraries, or homes; many with the purpose of utilizing the internet. In addition, desktop computers have spawned so many technological marvels, such as smart phones, printers, scanners, the internet, digital video, digital audio, and more, 3d printing may just be another of these desktop extensions or may be something bigger.
With the increase in awareness, the progress of the technologies capabilities, and the depletion of the fear and misunderstanding surrounding its ease of use, given time 3d printing will gain notice and will make its way into more and more schools, libraries, and homes across the nation.
The Revolution has begun.
Works Cited
Ehrenberg, Rachel. "The 3-D Printing Revolution." Science News 183.5 (2013): 20. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 30 June 2013.
Evans, Brian. Practical 3D Printers: The Science and Art of 3D Printing. Berkeley: Apress, 2012. Book.
Iancu, Cătălin, Daniela Iancu, and Alin Stăncioiu. "From Cad Model To 3D Print Via "Stl" File Format." Fiability & Durability / Fiabilitate Si Durabilitate 1 (2010): 73-80. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 June 2013.
Kaur, Satwant. "How Is "Internet of the 3D Printed Products" Going to Affect Our Lives?" IETE Technical Review 29.5 (2012): 360-364. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 June 2013.
Lopes, AJ, E MacDonald, and RB Wicker. "Integrating Stereolithography and Direct Print Technologies for 3D Structural Electronics Fabrication." Rapid Prototyping Journal 18.2 (2012): 129-143. Science Citation Index. Web. 30 June 2013.
Moilanen, Jarkko, and Tere Tere Vadén. "Statistical Studies of Peer Production." Statistical Studies of Peer Production Manufacturing in Motion First Survey on 3D Printing Community Comments. P2P Foundation, 31 May 2012. Web. 30 June 2013.
Pirate3d. "Digital Manufacturing Report: Pirate3D to Promote Public Awareness of 3D Printing." Digital Manufacturing Report: Pirate3D to Promote Public Awareness of 3D Printing. Digital Manufacturing Report, 11 June 2013. Web. 30 June 2013.