3D Printing
What is 3D Printing? How does it work? What are the positive and negative impacts?


3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a “process that creates a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many thin layers of a material in succession.”[1] It was in the year 1983 when Chuck Hull invented the first 3D printing process which he called stereolithography, which he defined as a “method and apparatus for making solid objects by successively printing thin layers of the ultraviolet curable material one on top of the other.[2] At first, Hull was just printing liquids but later on found out that “his technique was not limited only to liquids”, so from here, he was able to build the foundation of what we know now as 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing.[3] But how does 3D printing work? According to 3D hubs, like any other blueprint for a physical object, 3D prints starts with a digital 3D design. This design file, then, is “sliced into thin layers which is then sent to the 3D printer. The next process is printing which will depend on the technology — “from desktop printers that melt a plastic material and lay it down onto a print platform to large industrial machines that use a laser to selectively melt metal powder at high temperatures”. The time it takes to complete the process depends on the size. The materials used to print also vary, ranging from plastics to rubber, sandstone, metals and alloys, etc.[4]
3D printing is believed to be “underpinning a new manufacturing revolution”.[5] It is said that people has become more and more interested in this new printing method. With this, it is important to discuss the positive and negative impacts of this technology to the society.
Positive impacts
There are a lot of positive impacts of 3D printing such as having “manufacturing options limited to your imagination”[6]. With 3D printing, the products you make are completely customizable. You can make it according to what you want or need — the size, color, material used, etc. Another impact is that it will increase the manufacturing speed. Products can be made faster than the usual time. 3D printing has an impact also in cost reduction because it is believed to cost less. It also lessens the need for warehousing because with 3D printers, “only products that are sold need to be manufactured”[7]. Unlike the present manufacturing technologies where “items are produced in high volume for storage and distribution”.[8] Rapid prototyping is also a positive impact of 3D printing, the “products can maneuver more quickly from the design stage to an actual prototype”.[9] Another possible positive impact, although still undergoing experimentation, is the medical advantage 3D printing can bring. With this, customizable body parts or organs can be produced, lessening the need for donors for organs.[10]
Negative impacts
While 3D printing offers a lot of positive impacts, it also brings negative impacts on the society. The main disadvantages of 3D printing includes the following: It might cause “3D printing-related crimes such as intellectual property infringement” because people will likely be manufacturing products whose design belongs to someone else, printed weapons because there will be others who are likely to “manufacture items that may be illegal or harmful”.[11] 3D printing also “poses a big threat to other related business sectors such as potential job loss in molding and medical equipment manufacturing industries”, it will “reduce the need for individuals and their craftsmanship”[12] because of the capability of the 3D printing to produce mechanically.[13] With the nature of 3D printing being easy to use/operate, it appeals people to use it leading to social and environmental problems such as “product liability, ethical issues, environmental pollution”.[14]
Effect on culture
3D printing is so powerful that it can produce almost anything. From food, clothing, houses to organs and other medical-related products. Furthermore, it provides faster, cheaper, more flexible and more sustainable ‘service’.[15] It has “virtually limitless potential as the technology driving them improves”. It has the “ability to transform consumerism”. By giving people the ability to produce their goods with their own customization, a “significant shift in manufacturing is possible”. The technology is here to stay and will only become more usual as it continues to be redefined.[16]
Footnotes:
[1] http://www.dictionary.com/ and https://www.3dhubs.com/what-is-3d-printing
[2] http://explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html
[3] http://explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html
[4] http://explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html
[5]https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/253041/Ford%20et%20al%202015%20Technological%20Forecasting%20and%20Social%20Change.pdf?sequence=1
[6] http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[7] http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[8] http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[9] http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[10] http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[11]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282970709_A_Study_on_the_socio-economic_impact_of_3D_Printing
[12]http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
[13]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282970709_A_Study_on_the_socio-economic_impact_of_3D_Printing
[14]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282970709_A_Study_on_the_socio-economic_impact_of_3D_Printing
[15] http://www.businessinsider.com/why-does-3d-printing-matter-2013-1
[16] https://www.3dsupplyguys.com/3d-printing-education-center/why-is-3d-printing-important/>
Sources:
http://scw3dprints.weebly.com/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-3d-printing.html
https://www.3dhubs.com/what-is-3d-printing
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-does-3d-printing-matter-2013-1
https://www.3dsupplyguys.com/3d-printing-education-center/why-is-3d-printing-important/ >
