Technology through the eyes of a 3D printer

Writ 340: Advanced Writing Dr. Marc Aubertin Michael Asfaw

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Introduction
Technology relates to the knowledge and utilization of tools, methods and techniques in order to assist people to meet their needs and wants. One of the main roles of technology is to make life less difficult and add improvements to make it better. Technologys significance upon people is actually great because technology enables us to adapt to our environment and overcome some of the barriers that we face. The development of high-end technology such as personal computing, a world wide web, and wireless cellular telephones helps beat connection barriers and also link the space between individuals all over the world. Tools were made by hand in the prehistoric times and not until recently were the manufacturing of tools and parts made automated due to high demands. The advancement of technology even pertains to entertainment, what used to be plays being performed live in an amphitheater in Greco-Roman times can now be viewed on a 3-D display HD screen. It can be argued that the term technology has a vague meaning due to the various elements that have been added to it during the ages; like government policies, interdependency of one technological innovation on another and the general complexity of the society and the system we live in as a whole. Even though these arguments may present a valid case, the essence of technology as I believe it has not changed. The rapid advancement of Science and Engineering has given rise to many innovations, many of which have not been fully understood or controlled. Some may even find moral issues in processes like deep-water drilling, human-cloning and advanced weapons research. An individual can conclude from common sense that all technology might not be beneficial but the advancement of the human society as a whole, which is primarily the result of the positive impact of technology cannot be denied. To give an insight to what technology offers and to show how practical its advancements are this paper will elaborate on one of the new and upcoming products, the 3D printer that many people have had an interest in and will continue to do so.

3D Printer
3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. These printers, also known as rapid prototyping machines, have been around since the early 90s. 3D printers use one of several techniques to build the layers necessary to create a part. The first of these is selective laser sintering where the small particles of plastic or metal are fused together to form an aggregate part. Another method is fused deposition modeling (FDM) mostly applicable to plastics where the part is formed layer by layer through multiple steps of small extrusions. The most applicable and widely used 3D printing mechanism today is one that consists of an inkjet printing system. The model is created one layer at a time by spreading a layer of powder (plaster, or resin) according to the shape of the layer and a binder released to hold the layer together from the inkjet head.

3D printing process
To fully describe the workings of a 3D printer, the process is divided into three main stages; the modeling or the 3D CAD File, the printing process and the final product stage.
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CAD Model
Before any step of the actual physical printing process is undertaken, a model of the object to be manufactured has to be created. Most Architects and Engineers are adept to this process; the part is modeled with all the necessary features on a CAD (computer aided design) software. Every aspect of the design has to be fully defined so that the design software slices the defined part into layers which can then be transferred to the printer. 3D printing has primarily been used as a modeling method for most designers. The object or part being manufactured is usually the first of its kind and consumers or the executive board of a company would like to see some sort of a prototype of the product the designer is proposing. Since prototyping is usually an expensive undertaking, companies would usually allocate a substantial budget while limiting the number of prototypes the engineer would make. This usually proves difficult for the engineer. In situations where there are no analytic methods to predict how airflow behaves around a streamline body, car designers and aerospace engineers have to do some guesswork and come up with an empirical solution for the problem at hand. These solutions have to be tested and models, which are usually made of wood which require a lot of time and craftsmanship to complete. All these factors add into the price of one prototype, usually in the thousands, but if the same part were printed using a 3D printer, the cost would drop by a factor of twenty or more. The time of manufacture would also come down from days to minutes. Some companies like the Z Corporation are actually adding a CT scan feature on their 3D modeling software. This feature, explicitly called Computed Tomography Scan, lets the user scan any kind of part; whether it has moving parts or a Scanner complex shape, and transforms that scan into a 3D model that the printer can recognize. Once this part has been modeled and recognized, the same shape can be reproduced multiple times. This feature comes in handy when the user is located at a remote location like a space station. If a wrench is needed to unbolt a nut and if there isnt one Part available with the right specifications, the astronaut/engineer can pull a design from the archives located on the spacecraft computer and print the desired part. Another instance where this feature comes in handy is when trying to model a prosthetic limb. Most of the prosthetics available are very monotonic so they may not appeal to the taste of the user. An actual human limb can be scanned and input into the software; since it is hard to model a human limb with all of the complex curves. It has been found by orthopedics that the part that has been 3D printed is actually much less expensive and can be made to the exact specifications of the user while still making the part dishwasher friendly.
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Printing
The printing is a step by step process where the part is already divided into layers by the modeling software and each layer is built one at a time. The most conventional 3D printing mechanism uses a composite powder well and it is solidified in certain places that correspond to the layer model when the print-head squirts a binder material, usually a resin, as it passes overhead. A coloring dye can also be used as a finish to produce a customized part. The dye is usually contained in the print head in a separate compartment from the binder material. This method of printing is the least expensive and least power consuming; the 3D printer itself is affordable to small firms and businesses which may require a lot of modeling.

The other type of printing involves a laser-sintering method. This method employs a laser which fuses plastic or metal parts into aggregates which usually turn out into final products. When aerospace parts are made of expensive metals like titanium, a lot of metal is wasted in the process of machining and the remains are rendered unusable. This proves costly therefore parts like the landing gear of an airplane are sintered together by using powdered titanium. Since there is practically no wasted material, the cost of manufacture is greatly decreased allowing the company to focus on other issues such as safety and fly by wire technologies. Another form of printing that is in research and development stage is a method that layers droplets of smart polymers which gradually build into 3D shapes. This method, being developed by UC Berkeley, is intended for 3D printing light bulbs. The trick is to print layer upon layer of conducting and semiconducting polymers in such a way that the circuits the device requires are built up as part of the body work. This method would then eventually be employed in other electronics.

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Final Product
The final product of the 3D printing process is a very much like the original one or the one intended. If the original piece was an assembly of many parts consisting of gears and shafts, the final product of the print will have the same features as well. It actually has the same functionality as the original model since the modeling software has a motion simulation package added to it. The headache of machining each part precisely and assembling it properly is removed by this one step printing process that only requires computer modeling. Since the part materials are non-toxic, toys and other non-industrial objects can be easily mass produced at a faster and cheaper rate.

Conclusion
The technology behind the3D printer and its practical uses provide us a stepping stone for current and future innovations. The ease of manufacture and cost effectiveness of the 3D printer prove to be evidence for what the advancement of technology provides us. This quick and efficient method of manufacture makes the life of a lot of individuals a lot less difficult and their pockets a lot happier as well. Even though some may argue that the complete automated manufacture of complex parts may threaten the job security of individuals who are highly skilled in machining and craftsmanship, the continued dependency on these individuals seems to be hindering designers achieve their design goals hence resulting in unsatisfied customers. Since technology is the utilizations of tools, methods and techniques to assist people in meeting their wants and needs, the 3D printer serves as a good representative of what the advancement in technology can offer.

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References
[1] NAE Website - Home. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://www.nae.edu/nae/techlithome.nsf>.
[2] Vance, Ashlee. "3-D Printing Is Spurring a Manufacturing Revolution - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. [3] King, By Rachael. "Printing in 3D Gets Practical - BusinessWeek." Businessweek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. [4] "3D Printing: The Printed World | The Economist." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

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