Is 3D Printing The Future?

The Makerbot Replicator 5th Generation Desktop 3D Printer retails at $2899.00.

The Makerbot Replicator 5th Generation Desktop 3D Printer retails at $2899.00.

Society has gotten to the point that if you can draw, it you can build it.

3D printing is something that can help create fast and modify objects that are harder and take longer to build. 3D printing is a huge step into the world of technology; it has come as far as prosthetics, edible food, wearable clothing and creating miracles.

The first published account of a printing solid model was made by Hideo Kodama of Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute in 1982. The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Charles W. Hull of 3D Systems Corp. Hull published a number of patents on the concept of 3D printing, many of which are used in today’s additive manufacturing processes, which is the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data. As we moved into the 21st century, however, costs drastically dropped, allowing 3D printers to find their way to a more affordable market.

This concerns the general public due to the fast growing world of technology and the internet. You can even print the food you see, as well as drawing the food you desire

Hershey built the printers in collaboration with one of the largest and oldest 3-D-printing companies, 3D Systems; the latest is a 2-foot-by-2-foot glass and metal cube where scientists are over chocolate creations built layer by layer. Chocolate fans will have to go to Hershey headquarters in Pennsylvania for a sweet 3-D fix. In May, the confectioner plans to install a permanent 3-D chocolate printer exhibit at its Chocolate World attraction, where consumers can order their own likenesses of chocolate and other custom shapes. The process can take from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on the difficulty of the design.

3D printing can go as far as replacing a human skeleton. A team of medical researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands have successfully replaced the jaw of an 83-year old woman with a 3-D printed model of the lower jaw. This is the first model used to replace an entire jaw. Because of a serious infection, the doctors had decided that the woman’s jaw had to be replaced. Because of her age and other factors, reconstructive surgery was going to be too risky. So they have decided to work with researchers that are working with implant company Xilloc. They choose to instead replace the entire lower jaw with a 3-D printed model.

The next industrial revolution is all about personal inventions, and it’s happening now. 3D printing used to unlock the potential in every person to create, innovate and fabricate. It’s already transforming manufacturing; soon it will change the world.