4 Ways 3D Printing Will Impact the Near Future

You have most likely heard about 3D printing or even worked with it in some capacity. It is an additive process that uses plastic based filament that is melted and extruded in layers or it can be a liquid resin where a laser cures each layer of the printed object. 3D printing hardware is becoming more affordable and accessible. Units can range in size from tabletop models good for creating items up to a half-meter up to industrial size machines that can print an entire house.

The current and potential uses for 3D printing is vast and seemingly only limited by our imaginations. The production landscape is changing rapidly and will have wide-ranging impacts on many aspects of our lives.

• 3D printing is beginning to democratize the production of goods.
• How we manufacture, invest in infrastructure, and produce medical and biological parts is changing.
• We can visualize data in tangible form by printing scan data from a variety of sources.
• By using old materials or waste products as printing material can create a more sustainable practice (+Social Good, 2018; Berke, 2020).

Democratization of the Production of Goods

Production has, up until now, been a centralized function of society. 3D printing is changing that to be a more distributed and decentralized process. We can create products/objects on-demand, customized to individual consumers’ preferences (Petch, 2020). The move away from one-size-fits-all solutions to more personalized options will mean greater flexibility in terms of product design (Forbes, 2020).

People can rapidly prototype their ideas using a 3D printer without having to go through a cost prohibitive process. This allows for faster ideation and testing. The DIY and maker communities have already begun to gather around this technology that can facilitate their creative needs (Forbes, 2020).

This move to a less centralized approach to production could benefit marginalized and more remote populations with needed products and the means to produce them at the local level. Products produced in this manner reduce time to delivery and don’t need to be transported, reducing pollution (+Social Good, 2018; Petch, 2020).

Medical and Healthcare

3D printing is even going to impact the medical and healthcare industries. Printing organic matter can be done, but it is expensive and the technology isn’t quite there yet in terms of being able to print a viable replacement heart, for example. Incorporating a patient’s DNA into the organic printing medium is needed and where we are heading (Petch, 2020).

What we are able to do now is print prosthetics that are more affordable enabling the millions of people that need them where it wasn’t a practical solution before (Forbes, 2020). Prosthetics can be printed, such as joints and hands that can be articulated by servos and mechanisms allowing the user a great deal of mobility and dexterity.

Data Visualization

Data visualization is another application where 3D printing can be useful. For example, taking a scan of an archeological dig site or artifact and being able to print the data to examine as a tangible object. This allows for more in-depth analysis, better pattern recognition, and deeper information absorption of the data being examined (Berke, 2020).

Sustainability

How can 3D printing impact sustainability? By using sustainable material as the printing medium. There is the possibility of using algae as a base for printing filaments. This could reduce the overall energy required for the process by eliminating the need to manufacture plastic filament material.

Some of the more ambitious ideas in this realm are converting carbon dioxide into concrete for the larger print machines and converting waste products into viable printing materials (+Social Good, 2018).

In the near future, we will even be sending 3D printers to the Moon and Mars to build structures out of the raw materials on-site in preparation for human habitation. Not having to launch all the required building materials will save money, energy, and other resources.

Conclusion

As we invest in this technology and innovation sets the pace, we will see an increase in productivity, a wider range of printing materials, and a more sustainable way forward. 3D printing will make it possible for “injuries heal faster and at a lower cost, why cars can drive further, batteries last longer and planes fly with much fewer emissions” (Petch, 2020).

We aren’t readily printing food or human replacement parts on a mass scale, but the ideas are there and being worked on and tested, so it is only a matter of time. This is a transformative technology that we need to work to make accessible to as many people as possible (+Social Good, 2018). It is exciting to watch this technology develop and will be interesting to see where it takes us.

References

+Social Good. (2018, May 1). How 3D printing could revolutionize the future of development. https://plussocialgood.medium.com/how-3d-printing-could-revolutionize-the-future-of-development-54a270d6186d

Berke, L. (2020, Jan. 23). How 3D printing and big data are working together. Dimensional Insight. https://www.dimins.com/blog/2020/01/23/3d-printing-big-data/

Forbes. (2020, Oct. 1). 10 exciting ways 3D printing will be used in the future. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/10/01/10-exciting-ways-3d-printing-will-be-used-in-the-future/?sh=7a6f2fc85c7f

Petch, M. (2020, Jan. 23). 100 3D printing experts predict the future of 3D printing in 2030. 3D Printing Industry. https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/100-3d-printing-experts-predict-the-future-of-3d-printing-in-2030-167623/