The Future of 3D Printing

The realm of 3D technology has been around for a long time, since the 1950s when it was first introduced to film with primitive 3D view glasses. Since then, time has allowed for advancements that have led to the innovations of 3D television and video technologies. These are much more advanced, yet still are based on the same simple principles of optically rendered visual redefined perspective. Today the newest innovation has come in the form of 3D printer technologies.

3D printing has been fully functional for a few years, but not everyone realizes the amazing potentials that it unlocks for the information age. Almost everything that surrounds us in the world today is created through 3D printing and modeling. Most fabricated objects have been designed, engineered, conceived and prototyped using a 3D printer of some kind.

It was a company called 3D Systems that saw the road ahead for this kind of scientific printing application.

3D Systems is now the company at the forefront of 3D printing, as creators of the most viable systems using this form of technology. Their bringing together of 3D modeling and rendering, that combines with the power of physical printing or sculpting is changing the face of fabrication. With 3D printers, objects can be outputted for printing into form using plastics, metals, and from various composite materials, making physical fabrication possible for many different industries.

The CEO and President 3D Systems, Abe Reichental talks live on Bloomberg West about the great potentials of 3D Printing, ” Today most of our customers are in transportation, recreation, consumer health care, and those include all of the automotive companies, major hearing aid and orthodontics, and dental companies, toy companies. We really span the entire range, and our new customers are educators and schools.”

The slow and growing demand for what their company offers is coming of age. Within their growing base of industries and businesses, 3D systems has become the leading provider for content to printer fabrication solutions. Their devices enable many companies, individuals, and developers to achieve the high end production speed processing for production and product design. They also are the major seller of personal printing kits and professional level 3D printing systems worldwide.

When asked about competition with 3D Systems for the 3D Printing market, Abe Reichental has this to say during his Bloomberg West interview, ” There are a lot of good competitors in this business, our business model I think is very compelling and unique. In the sense that we are monetizing technology into multiple print engines. We’re the only company that has six print engines. We have multiple revenue streams that include printers, print materials, print services, and a growing portion of content that we think are really going to accelerate our growth.”

Who are the customers that 3D Systems is seeking to market towards?  3D systems sees two major markets for their systems currently, those are in real manufacturing and in the consumer sector. The goal is to bring this technology into the homes of the world, as the price range now begins to become realistic for consumers.

Some skeptics and theorists see 3D printing, as a potentially problematic and dangerous form of disruptive technology.

This is a term coined by the Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen. It describes any technological innovation that causes unreasonable displacement of an established technological form, in this case how 3D printing is likely to impact many other industries.

On the theoretical end of things, Enrico Dini has proposed the ability to build cheaper housing for the world using 3D printing. His vision is akin to the Usonian household proposed by Frank Lloyd Wright long ago. Still as profound as his goals with 3D printing are, such ideas have been met with more than a little skepticism and argument about how this might impact society.

It is realistic to speculate that 3D printers will upset several industries in the near future.

Automotive design has already been altered by robotics, now it will see changes in fabrication of parts and engineering materials design. The medical field has already quickly seen a wave of new capabilities, that may replace the need for human crafting of things like pacemakers, mayo electric arms, replacement limbs and possibly other orthopedic items. Surely this technology will have impact on the arts and any industries that model, mold, or use fabrication for their products. Many types of assembly line construction could conceivably be replaced by high tech 3D printing workstations.

This is just a lament assessment of the possibilities in the next 5 to 10 years time, assuming that there are no sudden advancements unknown to the public currently.

Another impact of 3D printing is likely to be in the area of what we define as digital content. Although 3D Systems and some other companies want to market this type technology to the general public, they are not the only powers in the market forces. Having seen how digital audio, CD burners and DVD changed the music and film industries, many companies are probably going to seek to prioritize 3D printing technology. It maybe that 3D printers become highly regulated devices, such that their ownership and usage maybe limited to protect infringement of Intellectual Property rights on general designs.

If every household had a 3D printer, there would be no need to buy parts from your local car dealer, electronic repair shop, or other fabrication specialist. This is a realistic possibility, one that is not likely to sit well with the owners of many copyrights on devices throughout the world. 3D printing could impact many industries in this way, so the future of public access still remains to be seen.

Finally in recent days there has been a stir around the gentleman who printed a firearm on a 3D Printer. Many are shouting from the rooftops that this marks the end of gun control. And to some degree it will have an impact on future legislation that may affect 3D Printers. However 3D Printers are not the only tools which can create firearms. The current tools used for manufacturing firearms are not overly regulated. Anyone can setup shop at home for much cheaper than the cost of a production quality 3D Printer. Despite these truths, the arguments for and against 3D Printing regulations will continue.

ZBuilders are built to produce parts of excellent quality. With a higher quality than the competition and 4x the resolution of SLAs, these durable plastic parts rival injection molding’s accuracy, material properties, detail, and surface finish. This finish is ultra-smooth, with razor-thin walls and sharp detail. Parts are always consistent regardless of orientation. The customer and the designer can always have faith that the finish product will hold up. Rapid-prototyping with ZBuilder technology allows designers to capture mistakes early and to fix them quickly and efficiently at a lower cost-to-market.

ZBuilder technology solves problems. Generating “problems” and solving them are all part of the design process. Communication is crucial to solving these problems. Presenting a model can best explain to the customer what works and what doesn’t. That way the customer is much more informed about the manufacturing process and is reassured that their product will sell, and they are not left in the dark. Great designers strive to have a relationship with their clients to promote future editions of products, new markets for products, and a further road-map for design development.

In this instance, the team here at STI wanted to explore how the average household could use ZBuilder technology. We surmised that regular around-the-house; quick fixes would be an excellent use of the aptly named rapid prototyping. Of course, any user of rapid-prototyping would have to have some know-how of CAD, but with new products like ANSYS SpaceClaim, most of us around the office do.

ZBuilder materials are the best on the market, and the most reliable. ZBuilder uses a high-resolution Digital Light Processor (DLP) projector to solidify a liquid photopolymer producing the same tensile strength as other SLA systems. The ZBuilder models are yellow, so we used bronze spray paint to make the opposite handle. Take a look; you’ll never know the difference!

Zcorp understands the value of education. That is why on August 30 2011, Zcorp announced their collaboration with Congressman John Tierney (D-Mass) to launch the EngineeringZONE™ program initiative. This program provides unique and valuable engineering experience for high school students. The initiative concerns Tierney as he is committed to improving New England’s local economy and persistent high unemployment.

As the only New England Member on the House Education and Workforce Committee, Tierney has a special interest in the futures of New England students. He understands that jobs focused on technology that integrate math, science and engineering are in high demand, so he wants to engage those who are interested in these fields. But he also wants to reach and inspire those who are less knowledgeable and inexperienced. Tierney believes that if all New England high school students had a leg up on the job market, they could all have better success when they enter it. “The most recent initiative ensures that local students are aware of these new and creative job opportunities,” said Tierney.

Despite the recent economic struggles the country has faced, high tech manufacturing jobs are not dwindling. From 2008 to 2018 STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17 percent. Being familiar with Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology is in great demand. Students going into engineering fields will need to learn quickly what is required to tackle problems and create solutions in manufacturing. The best way for students to embark on this learning curve would be early exposure to AM vendors like ZCorp.

Scott Harmon is Zcorp’s vice president of business development. “We’re thrilled to open our doors,” says Harmon, “this is where the magic happens.”Because of initiatives like this one, budding engineers have been using Z Corporation 3D printers, called ZPrinters, at thousands of high schools, vocational schools and universities. Through this initiative, even more students will be exposed to 3D printing, now one of the fastest-growing innovations in manufacturing. Zcorp invites students to visit one afternoon a month to not only experience 3D printing, but also CAD software and 3D laser scanning technology.

As more manufacturers adopt the process, those who have experience with it will hone their competitive edge in design, technology, and manufacturing. 3D printing brings together all of these disciplines. This combats the skill crisis well-rounded individuals. The program will allow students the unique opportunity to experience state-of-the-art hands-on training for developing 3-dimensional physical models using CAD data. With experience in 3D printing, CAD design, and Additive Manufacturing, students will have a the competitive edge needed to work for companies like Black & Decker, Cisco Consumer Business Group, New Balance, Timberland and Pixar.

Zcorp is world-renowned for creating the fastest, full color, easiest to use and most affordable 3D printers on the market. The EngineeringZONE™ initiative introduces New England high school students to the wonder of making things. Students in the EngineeringZONE™ program will try their hand at some introductory computer-aided design (CAD) software and will make their own 3D printed models. If your high school is interested, contact STI for more details.