3D printing: Its Applications and Advances

So for this week I'm going to take a step away from games and talk about 3D printing. 3D printing is the process in which plastic is melted, run through a tube and places in a particular area to instantly set. When stacked on top of each other the plastic can create anything from a box to a small figurine of a human. Different 3D printers exist and very in size and shape. But the amount of plastic consumed usually limits them to making small objects about 1ft by 1ft by 1ft maximum. However industrial grade 3D printers can produce much large objects such as scale model cars. 3D printing is a relatively new technology that is constantly changing and people are constantly finding new uses for it.

Uses:

3D printed prosthetic limbs: Recently small facilities all over the world like Hand Out have been producing cheap prosthetic hands. The groups 3D print different parts of what would be the bones of a hand and use string to act as the muscle. The hands are then strapped on to an amputee who can manipulate the grip by bending his elbow.

Small replacement parts: Simple pieces of a complex machine can break causing the machine to fail. Usually people can use the machine after 1 piece brakes but with the use of 3D printers quick repairs can be done.

Art and Jewelry: The nature of 3D printing requires that it is linked with an application on a computer and as such the computer can create features that are impossible or difficult in real life.

Advances in 3D printing:

Flexible parts: Normally 3D printed parts are ridged and cannot move after the are set. However recent advances in both the plastic filling and the printers precision has allowed 3D printers to produce flexible parts. With this technology moving pieces can be created and structures could have more durability.

Metal 3D printing: Recently industrial grade 3D printers have figured out a way to use metal instead of plastic. This opens up the window to 3D print circuit boards and other metal based products. Essentially we could print a computer in the near future with the push of a button.

With all of these advances have happened in such a short amount of time that its easy to see that the world has accepted 3D printing and is willing to use it to its fullest extent. With the ability to print most anything the world is open to creation. Some people reason that in the future we would be able to create anything from particle accelerators to food by 3D printing molecules into specific areas so as to force them to bond.