3D printers are a revolutionary technology that solves the dilemma between engineering and art, enabling the creation of complex designs quickly and easily. They have applications in a wide range of industries, and are driving major changes in customised manufacturing and healthcare.

3D printers, the key to solving dilemmas

I’m currently studying a double major, combining electrical engineering and visual design. These two seemingly unrelated fields, once you get your feet wet, you realise that they need each other. Like everyone else in the world, people in these two fields often find themselves in a dilemma because of the gap between what they have and what they don’t have. First of all, the biggest gap between engineering and art can be described in two main ways
1. having the technology but not the ideas
2. ideas but no technology.
Of course, the first one is an endless dilemma for both engineers and artists, and the latter is probably the one that most artists will live with for the rest of their lives. I remember when I first took my first stereolithography class, I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve, but I was overwhelmed by the challenge of creating 3D using the limited 2D material of paper. I spent days trying to figure out how to make the model in my head work, and then it dawned on me: 3D printers.
A 3D printer is a machine that uses digital media to design the shape of the product you want to make and then prints out a solid, three-dimensional product. It’s an invention that incorporates engineering from multiple disciplines and is used in a fairly wide range of industries, although each use case and scale is different. This technology in particular blurs the boundaries between engineering and art, making it easy to create complex shapes and designs.
The latter of the two aforementioned gaps has been solved to some extent due to two advantages of 3D printers. These are
1, you can print anything you want in three dimensions.
If you have a solid idea, you can think of a basic structure in its simplest form and use it as a scaffold for something more complex. This scaffolding can then be used as a base for programmatic design. Thanks to intuitive design software available to anyone with a computer, even complex structures are easy to conceive.
2. It’s fast
3D printers can print your desired shape faster than you think. Traditional manufacturing methods take a lot of time, but 3D printers can quickly replace those processes. The time saved by 3D printing is invaluable, especially for complex products that require multiple processes.

How 3D printers work and technological advances

3D printers work primarily through ‘additive manufacturing’. This is the process of stacking objects layer by layer, which is fundamentally different from traditional manufacturing methods that involve shaving or cutting raw materials. Thanks to additive manufacturing, complex and sophisticated structures can be created. This is especially important in areas that require highly sophisticated designs, such as aircraft parts or models of human organs. For example, the internal structure of an aircraft wing is very complex and difficult to produce using traditional methods, but 3D printers can create even the most challenging designs in a short time.
As the technology has evolved, 3D printers have been able to use a wider range of materials, which has dramatically expanded their industrial applications. From the initial plastic-based printing, 3D printers can now print in a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, and biomaterials. In the medical field in particular, 3D printers are increasingly being used to create artificial organs and customised prosthetics. These technological advances will only open up more possibilities in the future.

The social and economic impact of 3D printers

One of the benefits of 3D printing is that it allows for customisation. While traditional manufacturing methods typically produce large quantities of identical products to reduce costs, 3D printers can economically produce small batches of customised products. As a result, ‘personalised manufacturing’ – meeting the individual needs of consumers – is becoming an increasingly important business model. In the medical field, for example, 3D printers can be used to create customised prostheses or implants that are tailored to a patient’s anatomy, contributing to a higher success rate for patients.
The proliferation of 3D printers is also expected to disrupt traditional manufacturing. While traditional manufacturing is done in large, centralised factories, 3D printers open up the possibility of decentralised manufacturing. Individuals and small businesses can create the parts or products they need on their own, making the supply chain much more flexible. This is a paradigm shift in manufacturing.

The future of 3D printers and innovative examples

While 3D printers are still a long way from universal adoption, their potential is huge. In particular, 3D printers are revolutionising many fields, including architecture, the space industry, and bioengineering. For example, NASA is working on using 3D printers to create parts for use in space. This has the potential to solve the logistical challenges of space exploration. Additionally, some architectural firms are attempting to construct buildings with 3D printers, which offers significant benefits in terms of cost savings and speed of construction.
In the future, 3D printers will play an even more important role across industries, and individual consumers will be able to design and create their own products. This will fundamentally change the way we live our lives and open up new opportunities, especially as it pushes the boundaries of creativity and technology.

Conclusion

3D printers are more than just a technology, they are a tool. They play an important role in blurring the lines between engineering and art, fostering creativity, and changing the paradigm of manufacturing. Despite their current limitations, 3D printers are undoubtedly the key to unlocking the path to a better life for humanity.