TORONTO, ON, -- 3-D printing, plastics and manufacturing is getting quite a bit of attention these days, especially in the media. If you have a 3-D printer in your home, you're one of the early adopters of a new and still rather expensive invention. While 3-D printers have been around for decades, they only recently have become affordable enough for the non-wealthy. And get this: some 3-D printers actually replicate themselves by printing out the plastic parts needed to assemble a new printer.
A quick background for those unfamiliar with this sort-of-newish technology ...
A 3-D printer functions sort of like an ink jet printer--except instead of using ink to print a flat image on paper, it typically uses plastics or a few other materials to build an object, layer upon layer in three-dimensions. Computer aided design (CAD) software or a 3-D scan enables the printer to precisely manipulate the plastics.
3-D printing is an example of "additive manufacturing" in which an object is built up in layers. Additive manufacturing produces little waste--which can help control costs and contribute to sustainability.Depending on the type of plastic or material used, a 3-D printer can make furniture, medical and dental implants, automotive parts, footwear, jewelry, construction materials, musical instruments--the possibilities are almost endless. Plus, the printers can be mobile--they can be deployed onsite to build components of a house or to rapidly create a lifesaving device on the battlefield.
In contrast to manufacturing, 3-D printing on the home front remains predominately a hobbyist or artistic adventure, although that is changing as the industry matures and printers become easier to use and more affordable. Business analysts expect prices for desktop 3-D printers to continue to fall, which along with increased awareness, printing speed and material quality, could spur broader, mainstream consumer interest.
The predominate material used in desktop 3-D printing is plastics. The plastics acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and nylon were pretty much the first types of materials used in 3-D printing, and they're still pretty much the simplest to work with.
Analysts expect plastics to continue to account for the primary material (typically called filament) used in home 3-D printing.Home 3-D printing is still somewhat expensive, it's mostly used for fun, and it likely will be years before it becomes somewhat more commonplace. But there are some really cool things happening today in 3-D printing, many of them made possible by plastics, that more than hint at the potential of this technology in the hands of "do-it-yourself" types.
Here are some innovative examples using various types of plastics that appear headed to the home front:
Clothing: 3-D printing holds the potential of allowing fashion-forward individuals to design and create their own bespoke clothing. While designers have created expensive one-off dresses and even bikinis using 3-D printing, the prospect of "print your own clothes" took a significant step in 2013.
During the 2013 Fashion Week in New York City, designers worked with students at the Pratt Institute to create a dress made out of polyester--using a 3-D printer. The company MakerBot provided the 3-D printers and a new adaptable filament that is soft and flexible--the plastic material flexed and moved with the model's motion. Sounds pretty basic, but this is a significant advance from traditional filament materials that typically are solid and stiff after printing.
The remarkable thing is that this dress was not created using an expensive, industrial 3-D printer costing hundreds of thousands of dollars--the students used a desktop 3-D printer that retails for $2,200. New advances in plastic filaments, combined with improvements in printing quality and speed--and lower costs--soon just might allow fashionistas to create a perfectly form-fitting little black dress for that upcoming party.
The various plastic filaments used in 3-D printing will continue to be the most common raw material. As previously mentioned, these printers are becoming more affordable and better made, so desktop printing of all sorts of cool things using plastics likely will skyrocket. Which leads to ...The Perfect Gift: Can you create a new dog toy for Fido?
Can you create personalized fashion accessories? Can you create a part for an appliance that's no longer made? What gift do you get for the person who has everything?
Early adopters of 3-D technology have been able to answer: yes, yes, yes, and nearly anything I want! Much of the magic of 3-D printers lies in the design software that commands them. Along with the growth of desktop 3-D printing has come an explosion in CAD software, 3-D scanners and other technologies that enables individuals to create unique, personalized designs and products--in their own homes.
Some examples, all made possible by plastics:
A dad creates unique toy trains and tracks for his kids while another creates a jigsaw puzzle from a family photograph;
An artist uses 3-D printers to create sculptures that would be impractical to produce using traditional techniques;
Handy homeowners create unique shower heads, curtain rod holders, shower caddies, drain screens and more--all designed to perfectly fit a specific
bathroom space;
Gear heads create personalized cell phone cases, tablet grips, laptop stands and scads of other customized devices/adaptors/holders for electronics;
Do-it-yourselfers create washers, gears, brackets, connectors and other parts that are unique to specific needs;
Crafty types create pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry/accessories.
A father who created a "cyborg" hand for his 12-year-old son who has been missing fingers on his left hand since birth--using a donated design, a borrowed 3-D printer and only 12 dollars' worth of plastic. Just wow.
So does every Canadian household really need a desktop 3-D printer and spools of plastic filament? Who knows? But recall that only 30 years ago people were asking: Why would we need a desktop computer in our home?
