Last night by chance I listened to Peter Day on the BBC World Service, Global Business – New Dimensions for Manufacturing. He believes the advances in 3D printing could revolutionise traditional manufacturing and discuses a number of the applications and implications.
The programs Parts 1&2 are on the BBC web site (about 26 minutes each). I would be very interested in people’s views, as I am very ignorant on the subject. The future may well be approaching rapidly and we should be forewarned.
Yeah, I haven't read much
Yeah, I haven't read much about 3-D printing in the past couple of years, but did a while ago. The indications are really huge, especially in terms of intellectual property rights etc.
3-D printers would open up the possibility of basically "file sharing" physical objects, as well as nonphysical commodities like music, films, etc. Which would make it increasingly difficult for capital to get worker/consumers to actually pay for commodities.
Which should make things pretty interesting!
Of course, it also has lots of implications in terms of employment in manufacturing, which would probably fall significantly.
I’ve listened to the
I’ve listened to the programmes twice now to try and get my head round the technology.
Three things leaped out at me (I hope I’ve got this right!):
(1) the main barriers to 3D printing are:
a) at present it is expensive and slow
b) at present many objects can be made, though certain objects, which can be designed, need the development of new materials to enable their manufacture (e.g. it cannot make glass objects)
c) as it will render present manufacturing models obsolete, it will meet resistance within companies; even engineers who have fairly recently graduated will find much of their knowledge redundant.
(2) 3D printers are already in some schools, which should mean the introduction of the new technology will be gradually introduced as these students come ‘on stream’ in the workplace. It is already used in medicine, the aero-space industry and Formula 1.
(3) In many companies about 50% of their capital investment is bound up in machinery, spares and distribution costs. 3D printing would release this capital. (What are the implications of this?)
Big expensive equipment to
Big expensive equipment to buy atm though, I got a look at one the other day and they're not exactly household size, only really sensible in industrial contexts. What's more it's slow in comparison to other processes, so traditional mass production isn't in trouble any time soon.
Having said so, the one I saw had already switched from plastic to paper for some of the process, which for model-making apparently brings down costs and weight while retaining rigidity. Will have to see whether they can be compressed/cheapened/sped up in the long run.
In terms of what they can manage to make, there's a lot of hype going on atm (circuit boards!) but actual achieved printing is rather less impressive and is more model prototypes and the like. Basically it seems a bit early to say what the limitations might be.
Also, there may be terrible
Also, there may be terrible consequences:
Rob Ray wrote: Big expensive
Rob Ray
Yes and no. Curent limitations are resolution and materials, though someone recently figured out that cool air can up the resolution. I think it will be good to manufacture bespoke objects (such as one-off replacement parts) although the price per unit will be higher, this may be offset by no transportation costs and, potentially, open standards or "pirated" parts.
It's a bit like print-on-demand v. offset printing at the moment. I can't see it replacing traditional centralised manufacturing and networks of distribution for most things. Some pretty exciting applications for it though.
Okay it's small but $1,300
Okay it's small but $1,300 plus spools at £50 a pop for tiny objects is still a lot!
3D additive-printing (rather
3D additive-printing (rather than CNC, substractive "printing") is pretty sweet, but it's still a nascent technology. As others have pointed out, resolution is still really low, materials (i..e "ink") are limited (though, some printers can use wood, ceramics, organic tissue, food etc. so it's not that bad) and expensive. And often you can print out small objects only, unless you have a huge printer. But when these things take off and become more like Star Trek replicators, printers having more than one ink at a time, can print circuitry, mechanical parts etc. we'll likely see piracy of all kinds of objects (there are already filesharing site for CAD files. See thingverse.com). Currently the only cease and desist case related to 3D printing was one dude uploading a cad file he created for the cube from Super 8, but we'll likely see more of that soon.
As far as I can tell, 3D printing on a commercial scale is used mostly for models for e.g. architecture firms and other forms of prototyping (hence, 3D printing's other name: rapid prototyping) and to create action figures for folks' MMO characters (specifically World of Warcraft).
Remembered I’d not thanked
Remembered I’d not thanked people for replying to my original post. So thanks better late than never!
There appears to be a growing interest in the process though as yet no major ‘popular’ breakthrough. This is a strangest application I’ve heard about:
‘The Zero-G Printer, the first 3D printer designed to operate in zero gravity, was built under a joint partnership between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Made In Space, Inc. In September 2014, SpaceX delivered the zero-gravity 3D printer to the International Space Station (ISS). On December 19, 2014, NASA emailed CAD drawings for a socket wrench to astronauts aboard the ISS, who then printed the tool using its 3D printer. Applications for space offer the ability to print parts or tools on-site, as opposed to using rockets to bring along pre-manufactured items for space missions to human colonies on the moon, Mars, or elsewhere. The European Space Agency plans to deliver its new Portable On-Board 3D Printer (POP3D for short) to the International Space Station by June 2015, making it the second 3D printer in space.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
Really? Stranger than
Really? Stranger than printing out replacement kidneys or jaws? I find the application of 3D-printing in the health sector to be really effin' strange. It sort of just makes sense in outer space.
If someone takes down your
If someone takes down your internet connection then that's it, over.
Khawaga #10 You are right. I
Khawaga #10
You are right. I must have mentally suppressed the medical stuff.
If 3D-printing actually
If 3D-printing actually becomes a thing that people would want in their house etc. you would have no reason to buy one, because one person could just make a bunch of 3D-printers in their 3D-printer and give it away for free. But seriously isn't this just the same problem with constant capital not being able to create value?
3D printers could very well
3D printers could very well be DRMed to the teeth, so it's not a given that a store bought 3D printer would be able to copy itself. In any case, with 3D printers it's not the printer itself that is the issue but rather the materials it prints with. That's what you'll be going back to Staples for.
And a personal 3D printer is not capital so it has nought to do whether or not it can create value in a capitalist production process.
Quote: If someone takes down
Well, no. If you have the CAD file on your computer or a stick or anything like that you'd be able to print just fine without an internet connection. Sort of like how if I download a movie to my laptop i don't have to be online to watch it. I also don't think we'd be streaming that many CAD files (in any case I am pretty sure the 3D printer would have to have the entire file in its memory before it started printing, though I could be wrong on that count).
Streaming a cad file suitable
Streaming a cad file suitable for 3d printing would be over in seconds unless youre one a early nineties modem or something. Not much to stream not much sense in streaming it. Unless it's a performance of some kind.
As the resident 3d printing sceptic I have to emphasise that mass production and standardisation is soooo much more efficient in every way. Only a tiny niche of unique objects make sense to 3d print.
Fun nerdy hobby though and great for prototyping.
Quote: As the resident 3d
Yep, it is great for customization but just too slow and inflexible in the materials it can print with in order to supplant mass production any time soon. Unless you live somewhere that takes a plane ride to get to, it will also just be much more expensive to 3D print something. And it's not like every household "needs" a 3D printer though they will be sold that way, just like drills and other tools that every household seem to own but only ever use a few times per year. For now, the only people who would save money on having one of these is if you're into Games Workshop games or something similarly nerdy like being into unique action figures.