For all of its virtures, 3D printing poses a lot of dilemmas, and we will have to decide how to deal with those problems soon. The future is closer than you think. The architects plan to have the Amsterdam house printed before the end of the year. Someday in the future, millennials will have to decide whether they want to buy an existing house or have one printed.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
"Print Me a Cruiser" : The Future of the US Fleet
According to the Navy publication Proceedings Magazine, “The 3D printing revolution will radically change naval construction.”
In the magazine's most recent issue, Lt. Cheney-Peters and Lt. Hipple argue that the future of naval design and manufacturing could be based on a 3D printing paradigm. In an interview with MakerBot’s Peter Schmehl, Cheney-Peters learned that 3D printing could “radically change ship construction, making designs that might not be possible using conventional techniques.” Provided the build volume was large enough, a ship’s hull, along with its duct work and piping, could be built in one fell swoop rather than relying on numerous crews to complete construction in a step-by-step fashion.
The idea of a large build volume eventually led to the second, and possible most profound, advantage of 3D printing a ship. “The traditional production technique, subtractive manufacturing, starts with a “billet” and whittles it down to the desired product, wasting up to 90 percent of the material.” With the cost of modern materials increasing with their sophistication, the Navy is looking for a solution to reduce material costs, and 3D printing is the obvious answer.
However, the two authors don’t see 3D printing's benefits ending at the design and manufacturing phase. They believe that, in the near term, 3D printers could find a home aboard today’s ships. “Augmenting shipboard supply departments with 3D printers can alleviate the need to carry large stocks of pre-manufactured stores. Instead of spending weeks trying to track down a repair part or seldom-used consumable, a repair-parts petty officer could scan the discarded part labeled with a barcode or quick response (QR) code, or some other embedded identifier that, once scanned, sends the item’s schematics to queue at the nearest printer.”
While the authors readily admit that many of their ideas are “visions of the future, in some cases quite far off, should they ever really come to pass,” the fact that the Navy is considering 3D printing as a strategy shows an openness to technological develop that can only serve it well.
"Print Me a Cruiser" : The Future of the US Fleet > ENGINEERING.com
According to the Navy publication Proceedings Magazine, “The 3D printing revolution will radically change naval construction.”
In the magazine's most recent issue, Lt. Cheney-Peters and Lt. Hipple argue that the future of naval design and manufacturing could be based on a 3D printing paradigm. In an interview with MakerBot’s Peter Schmehl, Cheney-Peters learned that 3D printing could “radically change ship construction, making designs that might not be possible using conventional techniques.” Provided the build volume was large enough, a ship’s hull, along with its duct work and piping, could be built in one fell swoop rather than relying on numerous crews to complete construction in a step-by-step fashion.
The idea of a large build volume eventually led to the second, and possible most profound, advantage of 3D printing a ship. “The traditional production technique, subtractive manufacturing, starts with a “billet” and whittles it down to the desired product, wasting up to 90 percent of the material.” With the cost of modern materials increasing with their sophistication, the Navy is looking for a solution to reduce material costs, and 3D printing is the obvious answer.
However, the two authors don’t see 3D printing's benefits ending at the design and manufacturing phase. They believe that, in the near term, 3D printers could find a home aboard today’s ships. “Augmenting shipboard supply departments with 3D printers can alleviate the need to carry large stocks of pre-manufactured stores. Instead of spending weeks trying to track down a repair part or seldom-used consumable, a repair-parts petty officer could scan the discarded part labeled with a barcode or quick response (QR) code, or some other embedded identifier that, once scanned, sends the item’s schematics to queue at the nearest printer.”
While the authors readily admit that many of their ideas are “visions of the future, in some cases quite far off, should they ever really come to pass,” the fact that the Navy is considering 3D printing as a strategy shows an openness to technological develop that can only serve it well.
Scientists use 3D printer to make tissue-like material
Scientists use 3D printer to make tissue-like material
Not sushi: Scientists have used a 3D printer to create networks of droplets separated by lipid bilayers that could act like living tissue. Photo: University of Oxford
British scientists have used a custom-made 3D printer to make living tissue-like material that could one day serve medical purposes, according to findings released on Thursday.
The material is made up of thousands of connected water droplets, encapsulated within lipid films, that can carry out some of the functions of human cells.
These "droplet networks" could be the building blocks of a new technology used to pass on drugs and, down the road, could even replace damaged tissue, said a statement from Oxford University, where the scientists are based. Their findings were published in Friday's issue of the US journal Science.
The droplet network folding itself into a ball.
Since the so-called droplet networks are completely synthetic, don't have a genome and and don't replicate, they lack the problems linked with other methods of creating artificial tissues - such as those using stem cells.
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"We aren't trying to make materials that faithfully resemble tissues but rather structures that can carry out the functions of tissues," Hagan Bayley, a professor at Oxford's Chemistry Department who headed the research, said in a statement.
"The droplets can be printed with protein pores to form pathways through the network that mimic nerves and are able to transmit electrical signals from one side of a network to the other."
According to fellow Oxford scientist Gabriel Villar, "the printed structures could in principle employ much of the biological machinery that enables the sophisticated behaviour of living cells and tissues".
Each droplet measures about 50 microns in diameter (0.05 millimeters), or about five times the size of living cells. However, the researchers believe "there is no reason why they could not be made smaller".
This synthetic material can be designed to take on different shapes once printed.
In this way, a flat shape can be programmed to fold itself into a "hollow ball", the statement said.
As for the 3D printer used, it was custom built at Oxford.
In February, researchers said they had engineered artificial human ears that look and act like the real thing thanks to 3D printing.
Cornell biomedical engineers and Weill Cornell Medical College physicians said the flexible ears grew cartilage over three months to replace the collagen used to mold them.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Biztech2.com India - 3D Printing Tech Adopters Could Gain Innovation Advantage Over Rivals: Gartner - News on Enterprise Solutions
3D printing is disrupting the design, prototyping and manufacturing processes in a wide range of industries, according to Gartner, Inc. Enterprises should start experimenting with 3D printing technology to improve traditional product design and prototyping, with the potential to create new product lines and markets. 3D printing will also become available to consumers via kiosks or print-shop-style services, creating new opportunities for retailers and other businesses.
“3D printing is a technology accelerating to mainstream adoption,” said Pete Basiliere, Research Director at Gartner. “It is a technology of great interest to the general media, with demonstrations on science shows, on gadget websites and in other areas. From descriptions of exciting current uses in medical, manufacturing and other industries to futuristic ideas — such as using 3D printers on asteroids and the moon to create parts for spacecraft and lunar bases — the hype leads many people to think the technology is some years away when it is available now and is affordable to most enterprises.”
The material science behind 3D printing processes and materials will continue to progress, and affordable 3D printers are lowering the cost of entry into manufacturing in the same way that e-commerce lowered the barriers to the sale of goods and services. As a result, the 3D printer market will continue moving from niche adoption to broad acceptance, driven by lower printer prices, the potential for cost and time savings, greater capabilities, and improved performance that drives benefits and markets.
“Businesses must continuously monitor advances to identify where improvements can be leveraged,” said Basiliere. “We see 3D printing as a tool for empowerment, already enabling life-changing parts and products to be built in struggling countries, helping rebuild crisis-hit areas and leading to the democratisation of manufacturing.”
3D printing is already established in industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to consumer goods to the military, as well as the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Businesses can use 3D printing to design personalised products, components, working prototypes and architectural models to promote their brand and products in new and interactive ways. Indeed, there are opportunities to create entirely new product lines in which the finished 3D-printed product is what the consumer purchases.
3D printers are now priced so that any size business can invest in them and start experimenting with the myriad ways to monetise them. By 2016, enterprise-class 3D printers will be available for under $2,000. Early adopters can experiment with 3D printers with minimal risk of capital or time, possibly gaining an advantage in product design and time to market over their competition, as well as understanding the realistic material costs and time to build parts. Furthermore, enterprise uses for 3D printers have expanded as capabilities of 3D scanners and design tools have advanced, and as the commercial and open-source development of additional design software tools has made 3D printing more practical.
Gartner believes that the commercial market for 3D print applications will continue expanding into architectural, engineering, geospatial and medical uses, as well as short-run manufacturing.
Major multinational retailers have the means to market the technology to consumers and generate revenue by selling printers and supplies, as well as from sales of individual 3D-printed pieces. One vision is for the retailers to not only sell the printers, but also offer a service bureau that prints custom items or personalised variations on stock items, a key consumer trend.
Another possibility is for roving display vans to visit the retailer's stores. Customers would visit these self-contained vans parked in front of the store that contain two or three operating printers and watch parts being made (including possibly their own personalised 3D item). Alternatively, the consumer could order the custom or personalised part to be made while they are shopping, or to be available for pickup the next day.
“3D printing is a technology accelerating to mainstream adoption,” said Pete Basiliere, Research Director at Gartner. “It is a technology of great interest to the general media, with demonstrations on science shows, on gadget websites and in other areas. From descriptions of exciting current uses in medical, manufacturing and other industries to futuristic ideas — such as using 3D printers on asteroids and the moon to create parts for spacecraft and lunar bases — the hype leads many people to think the technology is some years away when it is available now and is affordable to most enterprises.”
The material science behind 3D printing processes and materials will continue to progress, and affordable 3D printers are lowering the cost of entry into manufacturing in the same way that e-commerce lowered the barriers to the sale of goods and services. As a result, the 3D printer market will continue moving from niche adoption to broad acceptance, driven by lower printer prices, the potential for cost and time savings, greater capabilities, and improved performance that drives benefits and markets.
“Businesses must continuously monitor advances to identify where improvements can be leveraged,” said Basiliere. “We see 3D printing as a tool for empowerment, already enabling life-changing parts and products to be built in struggling countries, helping rebuild crisis-hit areas and leading to the democratisation of manufacturing.”
3D printing is already established in industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to consumer goods to the military, as well as the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Businesses can use 3D printing to design personalised products, components, working prototypes and architectural models to promote their brand and products in new and interactive ways. Indeed, there are opportunities to create entirely new product lines in which the finished 3D-printed product is what the consumer purchases.
3D printers are now priced so that any size business can invest in them and start experimenting with the myriad ways to monetise them. By 2016, enterprise-class 3D printers will be available for under $2,000. Early adopters can experiment with 3D printers with minimal risk of capital or time, possibly gaining an advantage in product design and time to market over their competition, as well as understanding the realistic material costs and time to build parts. Furthermore, enterprise uses for 3D printers have expanded as capabilities of 3D scanners and design tools have advanced, and as the commercial and open-source development of additional design software tools has made 3D printing more practical.
Gartner believes that the commercial market for 3D print applications will continue expanding into architectural, engineering, geospatial and medical uses, as well as short-run manufacturing.
Major multinational retailers have the means to market the technology to consumers and generate revenue by selling printers and supplies, as well as from sales of individual 3D-printed pieces. One vision is for the retailers to not only sell the printers, but also offer a service bureau that prints custom items or personalised variations on stock items, a key consumer trend.
Another possibility is for roving display vans to visit the retailer's stores. Customers would visit these self-contained vans parked in front of the store that contain two or three operating printers and watch parts being made (including possibly their own personalised 3D item). Alternatively, the consumer could order the custom or personalised part to be made while they are shopping, or to be available for pickup the next day.
How 3D Printing Could Change The Developing World - The Borgen Project
While domestic 3D printing is relatively new, it has already been making huge waves in the tech and manufacturing community. People have been manufacturing everything from gun parts to industrial tools in the privacy of their own rooms.
As this technology grows, it becomes more and more applicable as a means for small business startups in the third world. 3D printers are easy to use and very practical for creating things such as toilets, water collectors, and even boats.
The benefits of creating materials using 3D printers is not only that the business would not need large scale production lines and lowered start-up costs, but also that the materials used by 3D printers are generally found in waste materials such as milk jugs and plastic pop bottles. Using these materials is doubly beneficial because they are inexpensive and their use helps clean up the environment.
Organizations such as Just 3D Printing and WOOF, Washington Open Object Fabrications, have teamed up to distribute 3D printers throughout impoverished communities in India. These communities will be trained in using 3D printers and given access to open source software to assist in further developments.
Just 3D Printing believes that the model being applied to India can be applied to other developing communities. Implementing this technology could very well be a huge step toward creating sustainable and eco-friendly industry in less developed countries
Doctors use 3D printer to rebuild cancer victim's face
When restaurant manager Eric Moger surprised his girlfriend by proposing over Christmas dinner, he could have no idea that less than a year later his life and appearance would be changed beyond recognition.
As he started to make plans for his wedding to Karen Hunger four years ago, doctors discovered an aggressive tumour the size of a tennis ball growing beneath the skin of his face.
Emergency surgery to deal with the cancer removed almost the entire left side of his face, including his eye, his cheek bone and most of his jaw, leaving a gaping hole where his features had once been.
Now, after years of having people stare and recoil at his disfigurement, surgeons have employed cutting-edge three-dimensional printing technology to create a prosthetic face for Mr Moger, 60, in what is thought to be the first procedure of its kind in Britain.
By making scans of what was left of his skull and using computers to recreate what his face would look like, they were able to use a new type of printer that builds up layer upon layer of nylon plastic to produce the components they would need.
The prosthetic face has transformed the father-of-two's life, allowing him to drink his first glass of water and taste food for the first time since he underwent surgery to remove the tumour. Until now he has had to eat and drink through a tube directly into his stomach.
"I was amazed at the way it looks," said Mr Moger, who lives in Waltham Abbey, Essex, with his fiancee. "When I had it in my hand, it was like looking at myself in my hands. When I first put it up to my face, I couldn't believe how good it looked.
"Before, I used to have to hold my hand up to my jaw to keep my face still so I could talk properly and I would have liquid running out the side of my face if I tried to drink.
"When I had that first glass of water wearing the prosthetic face, nothing came out – it was amazing."
Three dimensional printers were developed by the manufacturing industry to produce prototype components quickly.
Dyson, the vacuum cleaner and technology company, has made extensive use of them in research and development, but they have rarely been employed in medicine.
Andrew Dawood, a dental surgeon and implant specialist, began using 3D printing a couple of years ago to help produce replicas of his patient's jaw bones so he could practise surgical procedures.
3-D printers save money for manufacturers, architects
In shape and size, it looks like an ATM.
And while it might not shoot out wads of cash, it's saving manufacturers big bucks when it comes to designing and redesigning products before they hit the assembly line.
In an economy where every penny counts, the three-dimensional printer - a device that forms plastic models using a computer-generated object - is king.
"If you're a manufacturer, you come up with two-dimensional drawings. You need dies cut just so you can produce that thing to test it," said Lou Mazero, regional manager and business development for Print-O-Stat. "Maybe you get it back and it doesn't work. It's a very expensive process to do over and over."
Along with selling the Stratasys line of 3-D printers, the York-based company has one in its West Market Street office that is used to print objects for clients, from architects to manufacturers.
They bought the machine for in-house almost three years ago.
"I was surprised," said Ron Seiple, Print-O-Stat applications engineer. "We had an open house here for some of the printers, and people kept gravitating toward this thing. Within a week, we had orders."
A 3-D printed model starts as a stereolithography, or STL file of the project to be printed. That file is programmed into the printer, which unravels a spool of thin plastic filament into a nozzle that heats the plastic to 300 degrees. Once heated, the machine layers the plastic into the shape specified by the STL file.
If you look closely, you can still see the thin pieces of plastic melded together in the model.
"Not only are you printing 3-D, but you're printing with moving parts," Mazero said, showing a 3-D printed monkey wrench with a twistable part for tightening. "It's all one print. You don't have to assemble the part after."
Recent projects for clients have included prototype shapes for surveillance cameras, tractor parts, and even a 3-D model of the amphitheater at Long's Park in Lancaster County.
"Now
architects are using it for visualization," Mazero said. "You can see a 3-D model in a computer, but when you go to show it to a client, visualization is important. You want something big enough that it's going to be impactful."
Print-O-Stat charges $25 per cubic inch for models, Seiple said.
Having your own printer can cost a little more. A small "desktop" 3-D printer costs between $16,000 and $18,000.
The one Print-O-Stat uses - the Dimension SST 1200es - can print objects measuring 10 inches wide by 10 inches long by 12 inches high. It costs about $36,000, Seiple said.
"Yes, the printer costs 'X' amount of money, but we made that up in the last two years," said Cory Golden, expeditor at Voith Hydro's hydraulic testing lab.
The West Manchester Township company, which manufactures large components used in hydroelectric generation, bought its first 3-D printer six years ago.
That printer - one of the earlier versions of the technology - built parts out of a plaster-like powder that needed to be coated with glue to keep it from easily breaking.
"They were flimsy," Golden said. "If you touched it the wrong way, it would literally break."
That printer was used only a couple times per month - mostly for desk ornaments, Golden said.
Soon, more useful, newer technology emerged.
Voith bought its Stratasys printer from Print-O-Stat more than two years ago for use in its lab, which sits across East Berlin Road from the company's manufacturing plant. The printer is used at least a couple of times per week, Golden said.
At the lab, Golden said, employees test small-scale hydroelectric equipment models in large tanks using two 500 horsepower motors that pump 150,000 gallons of water.
Those smaller models start on the design floor where an engineer creates a computer simulation of a turbine runner, rotor blade or related part.
The object can then be 3-D printed in plastic and turned into a mold for a stainless steel, testable component.
This process has come a long way.
Before 3-D printing, Golden said, Voith sent its designs to an 80-year-old man in York who would build the model component from half-inch sections of wood before blending it all together to fit the specs.
It took the man two weeks to model some parts, Golden said.
The printer, at maximum, takes four days to create some of Voith's detailed parts, which can also be shown off to customers who want to know what kind of product they're getting.
What's next?
Maybe 3-D printed consumer products you and I can buy at our local stores, Mazero said.
"A few years ago, nobody had any idea about this kind of technology," Golden said. "Now it's growing."
What is 3-D printing?
3-D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. The technology helps manufacturers and architects cut weeks - even months - from design schedules.
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