Jennifer Deo

Mrs.Spears

Capstone

10/30/17

3D Printing

What is 3D printing? The world of 3D printing is a vast and bold new frontier that makes

your imagination into reality. It is technology that brings a simple design on a computer into the

world. Accordingly, this has caused more and more interest in the industry. “According to a

recent update to the Worldwide Semiannual 3D Printing Spending Guide from International Data

Corporation (IDC), global spending on 3D printing will experience a five-year compound annual

growth rate (CAGR) of 22.3% with revenues reaching $28.9 billion in 2020.” As more and more

people realize the potential of the industry, it has rapidly grown. The versatility of the

technology allows for shorter production time, lower costs, and greater customizations. "Thanks

to the broader variety of 3D printers and materials that can be used, and also to lower prices, 3D

printing is becoming more sophisticated and devoted to newer uses.” Another key point is that

with lower production costs, costly services and goods are now within reach of the average

person. In fact, healthcare has the most gain.”IDC identifies the healthcare sector as the one with

the highest growth potential." 3D printing will revolutionize our technology by changing the way

we invent and innovate.

 However, 3D printing wasn’t always as popular as it is today. It was first invented in

1981 when it was called additive manufacturing. Hideo Kodama invented it as a quick way of

making prototypes rather than a finished product like today. The machine used photopolymers,

resin which hardens under ultraviolet light, to build a model made up of layers. Unfortunately,

the full patent for the machine wasn’t filed in time. Therefore,the real origins started with

Charles Hull’s invention of stereolithography, three years later. Stereolithography allowed users

to create a 3D model design online before making it. He then started up a company,3D Systems,

and made the first stereolithographic apparatus (SLA) machine. In the same year, another

company, made the world’s first selective laser sintering (SLS) machine. This machine utilized

powders instead of liquid resin to produce different materials. The machine uses a high powered

laser to fuse metal,ceramic, or glass powders into the desired shape. At this point,it was clear that

the technology works, however,the price of the machines were still too expensive for personal

use at home. Nevertheless, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine became the first to

3D print a functional human organ. The bladder was one of the first breakthroughs in medical

and printing history. Furthermore, it was around this time that crowdfunding websites were

becoming more popular. Consequently, with the internet making ideas more known, makers

became more equipped to launch this ideas. Inventors could be funded by interested customers

and 3D printing allowed for creative designs. With the surge in buyers, printers became more

affordable for the average person. This led to multiple innovations in the types of printers.
 Alongside SLA and SLS printers, there are also various other types such as DLP.

DLP,short for Digital Light Processing, is a form of 3d printing that involves using a light to

harden liquid resin. Unlike SLS however, the liquid is placed in a container moving back and

forth while the light is activated.

Another form is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers. What makes FDM printers

unique is that the thermoplastics they use are a higher quality than the usual resin. This allows

them to be used as a finished product rather than a prototype. The thermoplastic is heated and

pushed through a nozzle to create a layer that stacks into the desired shape.

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a form that is similar to SLS in that both use lasers to

fuse powders into a shape. SLM however, uses the laser to fully melt down metallic powers.

However, it’s expensive and can be tedious to use so it’s more used by aerospace and medical

manufacturers.

Electronic Beam Melting(EBM) is another printer that uses powder beds like SLS and

SLM machines. However the main difference is that instead of a light, EBM uses an electronic

beam. Compared to SLM though, the process is much slower and much more expensive so it’s

not a popular method.

Laminated Object Manufacturing(LOM) is the final type of 3D printers. Using LOM

printers, layers of laminates are heated and pressured together to form a block. The shape is then

cut out with a laser or knife. Because of the inexpensive raw materials, LOM is one of the most

affordable and fastest types of printers.

 3D printers have immense potential with endless possibilities. They can range from

making a small item for personal use or to produce giant airplane parts. Their various colors and

the flexibility of their designs have made them a growing industry. However, there is one very

important field that they are helping to revolutionize.

For decades, people have needed organ replacements or prosthetics,however organs are

hard to come by and prosthetic limbs are expensive to make. In addition, prosthetic limbs come

in already set sizes and can wear out in a mere 3 years. With the invention of 3D printing

however,customized limbs can be made for as little as $350. Recently, non-profit prosthetic

maker, Limbitless Solutions gave designed a custom Iron Man to a young child. “Often, young

people don't get the prosthetics they really need simply because it's too expensive to buy designs

that won't fit in a year's time. That's not the case with Limbitless' work, however. While

conventional electronic prosthetics cost tens of thousands of dollars, Alex's arm needed just $350

for materials.”

Another important use is in the construction industry. “Researchers from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a robotic system that built the basic structure

of a building in less than 14 hours. The dome-like structure is 50 feet in diameter and 12 feet

high.” Right now,the machine has to be monitored by a human but it is planned to be self-

sufficient and able to run on solar power. This machine could revolutionize the way disaster

relief organizations work, rather than having people stay elsewhere while cleanup is underway,

they could have a new home in less than a day.

 Although as miraculous as 3D printing sounds, there are still some major

drawbacks to it. The biggest strength that 3d printing has, its ease of creation, draws from the

fact that they are made in layers. This lets machine simply draw a line over the same pattern until

it's completed but it also results in a weakened product. In addition, while 3D printing is much

cheaper and faster at making certain items such as prosthetics, for simple things such as a wrench

the cost of materials and time outweigh the benefit of a wrench made at home.

In addition to concerns about the process itself, there are also concerns with the freedom

people have while using a printer. Although there are numerous files online to use and print,

more creative people can use programs such as Autocad to create a new design themself.

Normally, this is used to create items such as a figurine or a cute nightlight. However, it has

become apparent that 3D printed weaponry, such as guns can also be made. In 2013, Defense

Distributed, a firearm design organization, released the world’s first 3D printed gun. Named, the

Liberator, it’s a single shot handgun that can be printed overnight. This has roused concern in

the public about the availability of weaponry however since the files are uploaded on the

internet, they can not be taken down.

Another concern that has risen is the possibility of 3D printed drugs. During May of last

year, the FDA, has approved the 3D printing of levetiracetam, a medicine used to treat epilepsy.

Although it’s a significant breakthrough there have been concerns about less than legal drugs

being printed instead, no incidents of the sort have happened.

As people have become more and more interested, companies have also started

gaining more interest in the technology. They are investing more research and funding to explore
the possibilities available. This surge in growth will lead to more printers designed for home use

at more affordable cost.

“3D printing was no doubt one of the top technology trends in 2016. From Johnson &

Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) partnering with Carbon3D to produce custom surgical devices, to GE’s

acquisitions of two European firms specializing in 3D printing technology, there is no doubt that

this sector is growing. According to the International Data Corporation, the 3D printing market

is projected to reach $35.4 billion in 2020. With applications ranging from the healthcare sector

to manufacturing and aerospace, 3D printing is on the rise.”

This wave of investors is projected to allow the technology to reach new levels. 3D

printing is already capable of printing full scale houses, the only question is how much can they

be improved.

“... 3D printing has come a long way, quickly. In February 2011, when The Economist

ran a story called “Print me a Stradivarius”, the idea of printing objects still seemed

extraordinary. Now, it is well established. Additive manufacturing, as it is known technically, is

speeding up prototyping designs and is also being used to make customised and complex items

for actual sale. These range from false teeth, via jewellery, to parts for cars and aircraft … It is

not foolish to believe that 3D printing will power the factories of the future.”

To summarize, 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a wonderful invention that could

vastly improve the quality of life of people today. It could utilized in anything from candy

making to emergency generators. In addition, the different types allow for a myriad of uses. This

has caught the attention of companies and thus the industry is expanded.
 “...as very significant 3D printing technology developments continue to accrue. Large

companies also continue to enter the marketplace, and nobody promised an additive

manufacturing revolution overnight. Absolutely 3D printing is not doing to replace all forms of

traditional manufacturing, and no serious pundit has ever suggested so. But within twenty years -

- and possibly within less than ten -- the digital manufacturing capabilities of 3D printing and

related technologies are set to have a transformational impact on the direct or indirect production

of a reasonable proportion of products, and hence on a great many individuals and

organizations.”

However, 3D printing does have its downsides. Although it can help people, it can also

be used to harm them. Weapons and narcotics can theoretically also be made using 3D

printing,however no known illegal narcotic has ever been made using a printer. As it stands now,

additive manufacturing is a wonderful process but that is constantly growing into something

miraculous. “The 3D printing industry has been growing in recent years. In February, startup

Apis Cor announced it built a 400-square-foot house in Russia, using about $10,000 worth of

materials and a 3D-printing robot. In 2015, Oak Ridge National Laboratory 3D printed a mobile

home, and a 3D-printed backyard castle was built in Minnesota the prior year.”

Works Cited

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June 2017, www.economist.com/news/briefing/21724368-recent-advances-make-3d-printing-

powerful-competitor-conventional-mass-production-3d.
“History of 3D Printing: It's Older Than You Think.” Redshift, 9 Oct. 2017,

www.autodesk.com/redshift/history-of-3d-printing/.

Skovira, Kristen. “3D Printing Helping Knee-Replacement Patients.” WTVF, 31 Oct. 2017,

www.newschannel5.com/news/3d-printing-helping-knee-replacement-patients.

Vincent, James. “7 Year Old Gets 3D-Printed Iron Man Prosthetic .” The Verge, The Verge, 13 Mar.

2015, www.theverge.com/2015/3/13/8207133/3d-printed-iron-man-prosthetic-limbitless-solutions.

“How Long Will a Prosthesis Last?” Georgia Prosthetics, 18 Jan. 2014,

www.georgiaprosthetics.com/how-long-will-a-prosthesis-last/.

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