We are seeing an explosion of development of the three-dimensional printing. Three-dimensional printing has existed for 30 years, the market leaders are:
SHAPEWAYS,
Stratasys
New technology takes off in a three-dimensional printing:
Printing organs for transplants http://www.organovo.com/
Printing clothes, food.
Printing houses.
Printing electronics.
I remember when people from 70-80ties were dreaming of traveling at speeds faster than sound. That time there were CONCORDE supersonic aircraft which was flying from London to New York in 2 and a half hours.
Trials were conducted suborbital flights 2 hours flight from London to Sydney, Australia. There were plans to build a permanent base on the moon. Planned flight to Mars. How do these dreams ended we all know.
Flight from London to Sydney, Australia continues today 36H stunning journey of change in Hong Kong. Is the situation of 70-80ties going to reapet? Will the dream of 3D printing come true?
Are we going to print at home - clothes, food, electronics and other everyday usage stuff?
Currently operating three-dimensional printers start at $ 40 000. Cheap 3D printers do not work very well. The printer’s owner needs to handle a lot of knowledge in the creation of three-dimensional objects and hundreds of hours of optimization.
REP-RAP Printers rig cost after $ 2,000. Truth is howerever you will not able to use them in effective way.
The leader of the cheap printer is https://www.makerbot.com/.
This printing technology to print FDM liquid plastic.
Printing material is PLA “Polylactic Acid, is a biodegradable plastic” and ABS “acrylonitrile butadiene styrene LEGO"
Commercial Printing 3D is just beginning as before personal computers.
At the moment you can see lot of advantages:
Production of personalized goods tailored to your personal tastes.
Furniture, clothing, electronics houses, etc.
No waste in production.
Instant production, lack of transport of the produced things.
Energy efficient, fully automated process.
There are however disadvantages and risks:
The most serious drawback is the possibility of producing a complete printer by another the same printer. Amplification is a feature of the living structure and it is not a virtual computer virus but reality.
No need for a factory to produce anything.
Unnecessary transportation.
Printing organs from their own stem cells eliminates all sectors of the pharmaceutical companies.
Printing any chemical and biological agents. Threat of biological and chemical terrorism.
The biggest threat is the lack of motivation to make money, everything practically could be available almost immediately.
Do you think that 3D printing will be available in every home in the future?
Do you think that the three-dimensional printing is a threat or an opportunity for modern civilization?
3D printers becoming a common household object seems like a reasonable assumption to me. It's beneficial for both consumers and retailers alike, each gaining something from it. No need to waste storage space on finished products, when all that's needed is simply uploading the necessary blueprints to the customer. One can download apprioriate plans and print the desired object at home, at their own leisure.
ReplyDeleteThe limiting factor might be the production resources. The printer can, in theory, create anything. The results may vary depending on its quality, size, software, precision, but the option is there. However, it still needs the necessary materials, be it metal, paper, plastic or anything else. No matter how wonderful this technology seems, it doesn't create something out of nothing.
It's quite likely that balancing this aspect will be the biggest challenge of 3D printers. A theoretical cubic meter of substance A has a set price, but can be used to create two items of different value. How does one solve this? Purely through the prices of blueprints?
If we go with this approach, the security becomes another fundamental problem. Either the blueprint is one use only, or the seller has to assume that the buyer can make unlimited amount of copies. Perhaps the materials are included in the price... but can you copyright materials? What if I buy them from a cheaper source or have someone prepare them for me? Is every object digitally signed in some way to ensure blueprints aren't immediately pirated?
All in all, it's a huge opportunity for modern civilization, but presents many challenges. They aren't much of a problem now, since the market is fairly new and far too expensive for the average consumer. Once this technology becomes reasonably common, we will have to face these challenges.
Also, from the article: "printer printing its own copy" - isn't that wrong? Unless I'm fundamentally wrong about the design - or physics in general - printer cannot create object of the same size as itself. It can create the necessary parts, but those still have to be properly assembled and I'm not sure if it's a trivial task.
DeleteWell, unless the printer can alter its size on the fly, which - while theoretically possible - hugely complicates the design and add a lot of moving parts. Or science fiction style stretching materials, at which point we're probably getting closer to 22nd century rather than near future.
Kamil, you have touched very interesting issues, particularly those relating to copyright problems. This makes me realize that future generations can have very intriguing legal battles regarding the theft of intellectual property on a completely different level.
DeleteI agree with Kamil that 3D printers seems to be a common equipment of households in the future. I suppose that it would not have place only if people invented something more attractive. Of course, not every household will need to have the 3D printer. It also seems to be impossible to print everything using one printer thus some households will probably have several such devices.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Kamil that 3D printing is an opportunity for modern civilization (being at the same moment a threat for these people who have benefits from the absence of such technology). I think that using 3D printers will move us to the next level of mechanization. For instance – nowadays there are a huge wastes of materials in the building industry. Common using 3D printers should allow for more efficient using goods because machines are simply more efficient than people.
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ReplyDeleteDo you think that 3D printing will be available in every home in the future?
ReplyDeleteSure, why not? Plastic things are useful and with other materials, the possibilities are endless. The only problem is, we'll need bigger houses to store all that stuff. Unless we print houses too.
Do you think that the three-dimensional printing is a threat or an opportunity for modern civilization?
There are threats associated with 3D printing. Printed weapons are one of them (and we've seen first attempts to create them). Another problematic issue, are printed objects that are not safe to use because they have dangerous design flaws and no one tested them properly.
Recycling is another challenge. Although it will make economic sense to reuse the plastic for other objects and simply save money on printing materials - not everyone will bother to do it even then. I think that might outweigh any benefits coming from more efficient manufacturing processes (as mentioned by Grzegorz).
These aren't things that might threaten our civilization and I wouldn't advocate restricting this technology.
Hi Piotr,
ReplyDeleteNice to read this article since I know you are a 3D printers freak and you showed us your author’s objects printed in 234 classroom. Therefore I don’t want to dive into too many details because I treat you as an expert. But in my humble opinion you arise very interesting issue. Namely, self-created 3D printers. I can imagine robots which are able to print something at place.... and very quickly ensemble something from the parts that they have printed. Maybe they could be able to clone themselves ? Its nice vision but very far from entering into force. Nevertheless, 3D printing will be available in every home soon. Even as an gadget everyone will want to have it on his desk. First of all – it must be cheaper and easier to handle.
Do you think that the three-dimensional printing is a threat or an opportunity for modern civilization?
Nowadays, it as opportunity. And this state will be lasting very long time until we will get every knowledge about three-dim printing. When we used up all the possible opportunities to explore 3D printing it might became a threat. But I can’t predict the future.
I think that 3D printers will be common equipment of households in the future this is only matter of time. For now 3D printers are expensive because production and materials which 3D printers use are expensive but in technology everything what is new is expensive but over time, the price of such things become reasonable
ReplyDeletebecause they are becoming more popular and the technology of their production becomes more efficient.
I think that in some areas for sure 3D printers will be an opportunity for modern civilization for example in organs for transplants. Now a day production of artificial organs is very difficult and expensive thanks to 3D printer it can be may be easier and cheaper. Thanks to that 3D printers could save many lives. On the other side 3D printer may pose a threat to the economy. If everyone will be able to print out most of the things which they need it can cause that a lot of factories will go bankrupt and what maybe lead to an increase in unemployment and poverty.
I believe that 3D printers will surely be a household equipment in the future, I even dare say this century :) . However there are certain limitations which will not allow for replication of anything that we wish. The biggest one is the materials used in the process. Unless we find an efficient way of altering matter and create/modify them accordingly on an atomic level, we will need to rely on basic ones like plastic or common food ingredients. So in order to create a pizza we will need flour, milk, ham, tomato sauce, salt and mushrooms. I can't imagine having all those materials stored in our home at any time given. Such printers would hold a lot of space and would be impractical. However my guess is that perhaps we could use a generic material to produce fillings or replacement of small furniture, figures and decoration, miscellaneous boxes/packages and similar.
ReplyDeleteI am not that afraid of 3D printers. Perhaps they will simplify the acquisition of dangerous items like weapons for common people but I doubt they would be more deadly than anything you can create with available materials on your own. For example currently it is possible to find blueprints for the creation of a nuclear bomb on the internet, but we haven't had any incidents involving one yet by terrorists, simply because getting the materials to make one is nearly impossible.
I think that the 3D printing will be avaliable in every home. At the moment we can buy some printers, but price is very hight. In next 2-3 years it will cost less than 200$.
ReplyDelete3D printing like everything has got plus and minus. I see mostly opportunity :) like print object for the small fraction of what they cost now.
3D printing is a very popular topic on this blog. I believe that during the last 4 semesters this subject has been raised 2 or 3 times already. But each time I learn something new about this concept.
ReplyDeleteI find 3D printing to be one of the most interesting trends that is starting to be more and more popular nowadays. I would love to have such a machine in my home and be able to create most of the items that I need in a heartbeat. And I would like to see 3D machines become as popular as the traditional printers are now. But as with most new technologies, they are quite expensive at the start and only a very limited group of people can experience the benefits that these machines provide. I would be more that happy if this situation were to change so that 3D printers would be affordable to an middle-class household.
When talking about whether this technology can be treated as a opportunity or as a threat to society I would have to say that it's both. The possibility of printing weapons has been raised on numerous occasions or the problem of unlimited use of blueprints created by someone else (sometimes referred to as piracy).
I believe that in future 3D printers will be in every house but the same like in case of normal printers we will use more like for prototyping. Actually when we need a books we go to a bookstore instead of printing it at home. The same will be with a 3D printing we will make a prototypes at home but final product will produced using others more durable technologies and materials. I do not know how big impact on our civilization three-dimensional printing will have. Perhaps I underestimate value of this technology but for me there is not something that radically change the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Piotrek, at the beginning 3d printers will be a great tools for prototyping due to the fact that the quality of the produced objects will not be as good as the products from factories. You gave a great comparison with standard printer even though I know people who were printing books using corporate printers to save money ;)
DeleteI would like to comment on “drawbacks” that you pointed out.
ReplyDelete“The most serious drawback is the possibility of producing a complete printer by another the same printer. Amplification is a feature of the living structure and it is not a virtual computer virus but reality.”
I completely don’t get what is wrong with that? We already have software that can write software, or write you a science paper. ;) What’s wrong with printers printing themselves?
“No need for a factory to produce anything. “
I definitely don’t see it coming at the moment. I think cars, buildings, roads, will be still build the “classical way” using components from “factories”.
But who knows maybe in the long run every household will have a 3D printer (just like everyone has a fridge) and we will be just “downloading” (buying) new stuff that our printer will make for us. On the other hand I can imagine lots of equipment that is hard to assemble or to produce so is will always be made in professional “factories”.
“Unnecessary transportation.”
Well if logistics will become unnecessary (which I strongly doubt) then ok… what’s the problem here? Many occupations died out during centuries..
“Printing organs from their own stem cells eliminates all sectors of the pharmaceutical companies. “
That would actually be a blessing, but I doubt that either. Printing organs doesn’t mean that we won’t need any medicine.
“Printing any chemical and biological agents. Threat of biological and chemical terrorism.”
Could get worsen but now it’s also quite easy to make chemical weapon.
“The biggest threat is the lack of motivation to make money, everything practically could be available almost immediately.”
But printing itself isn’t free You have to pay at least for the material that will print your organ or food or whatever. Besides you won’t 3D print your vacation in Egypt…
Do you think that 3D printing will be available in every home in the future?
I hope so, and looking at the direction at which this industry is going I believe that many households will have a 3D printer but I can’t see a reason why everyone would have it.
Do you think that the three-dimensional printing is a threat or an opportunity for modern civilization?
I totally don’t see any threat in it… really…
1 Yes, ofcourse. Nowadays prices of these devices are already within reach of many people. Ofcourse this is a still matter of needs.
ReplyDelete2 Yes, ofcourse. Nowadays 3D printer changes many things.
http://mashable.com/2013/07/02/3d-printed-duck-foot/
Do you think that 3D printing will be available in every home in the future?
ReplyDeleteI am sure that in our lifetime 3d printers will be something as common as smartphones now. Probably not everyone will want to have it - just like today not everyone can see the point of using a smartphone / tablet, but low prices will make will it available to everyone. I hope that in the near future I will be a happy owner of one of them.
Like colleagues, I believe that it is hard to imagine that these printers will be able to produce everything, but probably the production of consumer items such as toothbrushes, spare parts or toys will be normal thing. I dream of a machine similar to those of the TV series Star Trek called replicator which were able to recreate any object at the molecules level.
Do you think that the three-dimensional printing is a threat or an opportunity for modern civilization?
As I wrote earlier I'm very intrigued by matters relating to copyrights issue and there I see the first threat. At the current stage of development, it is difficult to talk about other real dangers both economic and concerning usage, because probably technology will change several times and capabilities of such printers can not be easily predicted.
3D printing is a very interesting field for me. Not spent it yet enough time
ReplyDeletebut I am very pleased with the progress in this field. I'm glad that you can
print with ever larger quantities of materials. Knowing that in the future,
you can print anything on these printers, printers will be in every home. It's
hard to predict what will then be to sell but no one thinks about the future.
Also hard to foresee what risks this will bring but I want to take these
tests. I think that nobody will be producing weapons to kill.