3D Printing

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3D printing: Sit back, relax and watch a revolution unfold

You know something is big when the President of the United States is talking about it. In his State of the Union address, President Obama said that 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.1 Indeed, 3D printers are moving out of the lab and into the workplace, prompting everyone from Obama to CNN to call it revolutionary. But whats the big deal? I mean, its cool, but revolutionary? Is it really the beginning of the second industrial revolution? According to Hod Lipson, author and blogger from New Scientist, it is: Machines today can print objects out of almost any materialfrom nylon to glass, from chocolate to titaniumand with any complex geometry. This is transforming not just engineering, but many other fields, including education, archaeology, bio-printing and even food printing. Look online and you will see thousands of objects ready to be printed on demand, from custom-shaped hearing aids to authentic-looking replicas of ancient cuneiform tablets.2 3D printing is set to impact the business landscape, especially financially. Estimates show that 3D printing generates $1.7 billion to the U.S. economy each year, and that number is expected to reach $3.7 billion by 2015.3 In other words, in just two short years, the industry is expected to double, not by millions, but by billions. It cant be denied, 3D printing is legitimately remarkable. If you think its merely about printing three dimensional products on paper or something you enjoy at the movie theater, think again. Its much more than that; its about creating objects and tangible products that can potentially transform businesses and homes. 3D printing allows actual objects to be designed and created (or printed) surprisingly fast using a computer connected to a printer-like device. It uses assigned materials (anything from plastic to titanium) as ink and paper. Some experts say 3D printing will usher in a new era because it enables the production

1 Gross, Doug. Obamas Speech Highlights Rise of 3-D Printing. CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/tech/innovation/obama-3d-printing>. 2 Lipson, Hod. 3D Printing: The Technology That Changes Everything. New Scientist: Technology, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128236.100-3d-printing-the-technology-thatchanges-everything.html>. 3 Petronzio, Matt. How 3D Printing Actually Works. Mashable. N.p., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http:// mashable.com/2013/03/28/3d-printing-explained/>.
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of objects of any shape. According to the Harvard Business Review, it will cause businesses in supply, manufacturing and retailing chains to rethink their strategy and operations. Some predict it will have global implications, and countries like China will see their role as manufacturing powerhouses decline.4 This Blue Paper examines the phenomenon of 3D printing, starting with the basics of how it works. It then reviews the implications to the corporate and educational framework and how it might impact your business and the world. Finally, it will explore whether the hype surrounding 3D printing is valid and gives an overview of some practical uses in well-known companies.

3D printing: How it works

At first glance, the 3D printer looks remarkably like your desktop printer or office photocopier. But looks are deceiving, because the 3D printer is no average machine; its a masterpiece that combines technology and engineering in one pretty but impressive package. Figure 1. shows a standard 3D printer that might be used to print commercial products. Figure 1. Sample 3D printer.5

3D printing starts with a concept. The first stage uses computer aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software. The idea is to create a virtual blueprint of the object you want to print. The printer translates the object into digital crosssections so the printer can build it layer by layer. The cross-sections essentially act as guides so that the object is the exact size and shape you want. After the design is completed, it is sent to the 3D printer with the standard file extension .STL (for stereolithography or Standard Tessellantion Language). STL files divide the data into readable forms for the printer to understand. Its complicated, but the gist of an STL file is that it translates data into a readable format for the printer.
4 DAveni, Richard D. 3-D Printing Will Change the World. Harvard Business Review. N.p., Mar. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://hbr.org/2013/03/3-d-printing-will-change-the-world/>. 5 The Radicalness Of 3d Printing | ACCELER8OR. N.d. Photograph. ACCELER8OR. 23 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 July 2013. <http://www.acceler8or.com/2012/09/the-radicalness-of-3d-printing/>.
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Its important to clarify that 3D printing is characterized as additive manufacturing. That means a solid, three-dimensional object is constructed by adding material in layers. This is different from subtractive manufacturing, where an object is constructed by cutting (or machining) raw materials into a desired shape. As a result, 3D printing uses less raw materials to produce products. Some say that calling the process printing is a misnomer in itself, because the process mimics the basic elements of manufacturing. After the completed design file is sent to the 3D printer, you choose the specific material for printing. Depending on the printer, the materials can be plastic, paper, rubber, metals, nylon, glass, titanium and more. Even chocolate items can be made with 3D printing, but you must select a printer designed for the type of material you want to use. Processes vary depending on the material, but the material is usually sprayed, squeezed or otherwise transferred from the printer onto a platform. A 3D printer makes passes (much like an inkjet printer would) over the platform, building layer upon layer of material to create the finished product. If you look closely, you can see the layers on most 3D printed objects. It can take several hours (or days) to print an object, depending on the size and complexity. This is why 3D printers are available in different shapes and sizes; they need to be big enough to accommodate the product thats being made. But the process is essentially the samedifferent layers are automatically fused to create a single threedimensional object in dots per inch (DPI) resolution.6 The product that results is in the final format; no additional steps need to be taken before its shipped or used. The following diagram gives a visual of the 3D printing process.7

If you have five minutes, theres a video on YouTube that shows 3D printing in action. The Financial Times video, 3D printing, bigger than the Internet, shows how a small scale printer is used to print small toys and household items, like napkin rings. It takes about two hours to print a napkin ring using a small cube
6 Petronzio, Matt. How 3D Printing Actually Works. Mashable. N.p., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http:// mashable.com/2013/03/28/3d-printing-explained/>. 7 Drell, Lauren. Everything You Wanted to Know About 3D Printing But Were Too Afraid to Ask. Mashable. N.p., 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://mashable.com/2012/02/28/3d-printing-shapeways/>.
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printer thats available in the retail market for about $1300. It also displays the machine printing a small complex toy at a cost of less than $3, and discusses how the manufacturing costs to produce the item would be much greater.8 You might be surprised by what can be printed using 3D technology. Figure 2 shows a customized pair of shoes printed by a designer in Amsterdam.9 Look closely, and youll see it even has a cell phone holder built into the shoe. Figure 2. Customized shoes printed by Alan Nguyen of Freedom of Creation.

Did you know 3D printing can be used to build a car? Jim Kor from Canada, developed a working, fuel-efficient car using 3D printed parts (Figure 3.). The car is designed to last 30 years, and according to experts, uses eight times less energy than a similar vehicles and gets around 200mpg.10 Because its so lightweight, it can go up to 70mph using an engine with far less horsepower than normally required. Figure 3. The Urbee Car, developed by Jim Kor of Winnipeg, Manitoba was created using 3D printed parts11

Theres a lot thats being made with 3D technology printing and the additive manufacturing process. But before you rush to the store, its worth noting that
8 3D Printing bigger than Internet YouTube. The Financial Times Videos, 06 July 2012. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRv4jp-hhBE>. 9 Rossetti, Rian. 7 Amazing Things a 3D Printer Can Make. GlobalPost. N.p., 24 May 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/business/technology/130523/3d-printers-possibilities>. 10  Bates, Daniel. Rolling off the 3D Printing Press... the Worlds First printed Car - and It Actually Works. Mail Online. N.p., 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2041106/ Urbee-The-worlds-printed-car-rolling-3D-printing-presses-.html>. 11 Ibid.
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there are limitations. One limitation is materials. Not every printer can print any material, and if you want multi-material printing youll need to purchase a higher end model. If you want to print something thats on the larger side at home, youre limited as well. Most 3D printers are the size of filing cabinets, so you cant print anything bigger than a mini-fridge. But that doesnt mean it cant have value. Youd still have the ability to produce customized items for gifts or practical purposes, and some would say thats priceless.

How much do 3D printers cost?

It depends. Smaller printers, designed to print toys and small gadgets, can cost as little as $500-1,000. Its interesting to note thats the same price as laser printers when they were first introduced in the market in the 1980s. But larger, more complex models cost anywhere from $15,000-59,000. Heavy duty models might cost as much as half a million up to $600,000.12 But, the cost of 3D printers has decreased dramatically since about 2010. Machines that once cost more than $1 million a decade ago can be purchased for as little as $400.13 Affordability is a driving factor of 3D printing, because it is now an accessible technology for small businesses and individual consumers. Conduct a quick search on Amazon and youll see business for 3D printing starting to boom. If youre looking for 3D printing services, multi-material 3D printers, or fast 3D printers, Amazon will point you in the right direction. Theres also a plethora of books that can explain the process or tell you how to create CAD designs for printing. Clearly, 3D printing is becoming a huge market for both consumers and manufacturers.

The allure of 3D printing

Truth be told, 3D printing is not a new concept. In fact, the first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp.14 Since that time, technology advancements have made 3D printing more accessible and economical. In the past decade, 3D printing was primarily used to make prototypes quickly and cheaply before a model was sent to a manufacturing company to build it in
12  Petronzio, Matt. How 3D Printing Actually Works. Mashable. N.p., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http:// mashable.com/2013/03/28/3d-printing-explained/>. 13  Newman, Graeme. The New Age of Technology: 3D Printing. Insurance Journal News. N.p., 6 May 2013. Web. 13 June 2013. <http://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/features/2013/05/06/290460.htm>. 14 Ibid.
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bulk. Now that 3D printers capabilities are increasing and a variety of different materials is more available, its becoming cost effective to use the printers to make final products. According to The Economist in fact, more than 20 percent of 3D printing is used to develop final products, and this number is expected to grow to 50 percent by 2020.15 It sounds almost unbelievable, but 3D printing enables the creation of things that until recently were only imagined. New Balance, for example, is creating customized shoes for professional athletes via 3D printing. The picture below (Figure 4.) shows high performance running shoes that were created using a 3D printing process known as selective laser sintering.16 Plastic powder is hardened layer-by-layer to create a shoe thats lightweight but customized to how an athlete runs. The process analyzes biochemical data for each athlete using sensor-laden shoes to capture motion and input it into technology. This demonstrates how the unimaginable is translated into reality with an infused level of customization. Figure 4. New Balance customized running shoes printed by a 3D printer.17

Last year, a team of researchers, engineers and dentists used 3D printing to create the worlds first prosthetic beak for a wounded bald eagle.18 Its also been used to create medical implants, jewelry, lampshades, racing-car parts and customized mobile phones. And thats just for starters. 3D printing can also create hearing aids, custom leg braces and even a titanium jaw. If youre starting to think its something from outer space, youd be correct. Recently, NASA used 3D printers to help Mars-bound astronauts print what they need as they travel. You can even use 3D printing to make mechanical devices. A graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), printed a grandfather clock that actually ticks as it hangs on a wall.19 The list is growing daily, and tomorrow, there will be items we havent even thought of being printed in three dimensional forms.
15  The Printed World. The Economist. N.p., 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 June 2013. <http://www.economist.com/ node/18114221>. 16  Liszewski, Andrew. New Balance Adopts 3D Printing To Create Hyper-Customised Track Shoes. Gizmodo Australia. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/03/new-balance-adopts3d-printing-to-create-hyper-customised-track-shoes/>. 17  Liszewski, Andrew. New Balance Adopts 3D Printing To Create Hyper-Customised Track Shoes. Gizmodo Australia. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/03/new-balance-adopts3d-printing-to-create-hyper-customised-track-shoes/>. 18  Houser, Nancy. Hurt Bald Eagle Gets New 3D-printed Beak. Digital Journal, 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 June 2013. <http://digitaljournal.com/article/332965>. 19  The Printed World. The Economist. N.p., 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 June 2013. <http://www.economist.com/ node/18114221>.
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And thats why 3D printing is being called revolutionary. Picture your life with a 3D printer at home. Imagine you had the ability at your fingertips to print what you want when you need it. Do you need to replace a light bulb? Forget running to the store, why not just download a design from a popular website and print a new one? If you need a specific part for your bike, find it online and print it instantaneously, instead of waiting days for a mailordered special part. Want to make replacement Legos for your kids? That can be done, too. Convenience is a click away, and thats what makes 3D printing amazing enough to be called revolutionary. As a result, there are a lot of implications for 3D printing, for both at home and abroad. Lets review how 3D printing may impact manufacturing and healthcare, and the impact it will have on small businesses and the global economy.

The 3D transformation
3D printing has the potential to transform several industries. It could change how we make everything from toys to healthcare products. Some claim that it will impact small businesses as well as the global economy. We know the implications could be far reaching, but, no one knows exactly how much it will change the way we do business. As summarized by The Economist in 2011: Just as nobody could have predicted the impact of the steam engine in 1750or the printing press in 1450, or the transistor in 1950it is impossible to foresee the long-term impact of 3D printing. But the technology is coming, and it is likely to disrupt every field it touches.20 -The Economist, February 2011

Manufacturing is one area expected to change as a result of 3D printing because it lowers costs and risks. The Economist claims it will prompt a technological change so profound [it] will reset the economics of manufacturing.21 Research agrees that the manufacturing industry will experience the greatest transformation as a result of 3D printing, and its important to understand how and why manufacturing might see dramatic change. As noted, the traditional manufacturing process is subtractive, meaning items are cut, drilled and assembled by machines. This process requires more raw material to make something, because you need to cut it down into the shapes and sizes required for assembly. And when you make a design change, the machine requires retooling.
20  Print Me a Stradivarius. The Economist, 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 June 2013. <http://www.economist.com/ node/18114327?story_id=18114327>. 21 Ibid.
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3D printing changes all that. It uses additive manufacturing to build objects in layers. Using the material of your choice (you can pick anything from chocolate to concrete), a 3D printer builds objects gradually. Because objects are built using software, when you make a change, instead of adjusting a machine or creating a mold, you change a drawing on your computer. You can easily adjust the size of the object, or make them each differently without costly changes. You can also experiment with a product and try new things. As a result, costs and risks are lowered because you dont need to produce items in bulk to recoup building and assembly costs. Lets explore how additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) might specifically alter the subtractive manufacturing process (i.e. using raw materials to cut and assemble products). First, additive manufacturing can alter the assembly line. Some pieces can be produced at a single station, and that could eliminate the need for product assembly. That means labor costs may be reduced. Simply put, companies may not need as many people to assemble products. Ford, for example, already used 3D printing to reduce engine production time by one month. Its high efficiency engines required prototype casting that was streamlined by using 3D printing. Now a complex part with ports, ducts, passages and valves is produced with 3D technology, and that shaved a month off of production time.22 3D printing will similarly help with inventory control in large manufacturing companies. The current process includes the production of thousands of products at a time because its either cost effective or because sales projections say thats how many a company will need. But what if a company was able to produce on demand? What if it only made the exact number of products it needed? Warehouses to store unsold items would no longer be needed, and thered be less material waste and overhead. That would greatly reduce costs associated with bulk production. This translates into less material, less labor, and less startup costs to produce products. Entrepreneurs, in particular, may benefit from 3D printing because it will eliminate the need for large capital and startup costs to make something. As Paul Gustafson, director of innovation technology at the technology company CSC explains, You dont need all of the capital involved in the creation of things anymore. You now have the opportunity at a small scale, even as a hobbyist, to do it yourself, and do it pretty eloquently.23
22  Lariviere, Marty. Why The Future Of 3D Printing Is Now. Business Insider Australia. N.p., 7 June 2013. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://au.businessinsider.com/why-the-future-of-3d-printing-is-now-2013-6>. 23  The Future of 3D Printing Services and Manufacturing. CSC: BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, TECHNOLOGY AND OUTSOURCING. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2013. <http://www.csc.com/innovation/insights/92142-the_future_ of_3d_printing_services_and_manufacturing>.
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Small business owners may benefit from using 3D printing as well. If you own a small business, it could mean the end of costly production or outsourcing costs. If 3D printing becomes cheaper than manufacturing, a business could offer its design concept directly to the consumer to print them at home. A small business could be born online using a homepage and social media. As noted by Patrick Himms from Yahoo! Business Advisor, at the very least, it givesespecially small businessesgreater flexibility in tweaking and developing prototypes of new products.24 In the future, you might even see 3D print shops at the mall. All youd need to do is drop off the concept and the store will print your customized design in the material you choose. What about the healthcare industry? Some say 3D printing will completely transform the healthcare industry because things that are costly and time consuming to make become much easier with 3D printing. Plus, theres a far greater ability for customization. Think of improvements that can be made to titanium bone implants, prosthetic limbs and orthodontic devices. The industry is exploring ways to print soft tissue, with the hopes of printing veins and arteries that can be used in surgery. Some experts say it wouldnt be too far-fetched to think of using 3D printing to print lifesaving organs. In fact, there are already examples where 3D printing was used to save lives. A year ago, a baby was born with a deadly condition that was difficult to treat in normal circumstances. 3D printing was used in an emergency procedure to treat the problem, and the baby survived. A year later, the child is thriving with no further complications. This single story has huge implications for the future of 3D printing in the healthcare sector. Imagine the boost to survival rates if doctors are able to print medical devices on a per patient basis, at a level of customization that addresses patient needs.25 Marketing efforts will need to find a way to incorporate more customization for the consumer, and figure out how to communicate it most effectively. According to an article by Eric Savits in Forbes, 3D printing will require leaders to adjust their sales, distribution and marketing channels to take advantage of their capability to provide customization direct to the consumer.26 Experts also say that 3D printing will create an entirely new way to reach customers and fans of

24  Himms, Patrick. Looking Forward: How Will 3D Printing Affect Business and Marketing? Yahoo! Small Business Advisor. Business 2 Community, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 June 2013. <http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/ advisor/looking-forward-3d-printing-affect-business-marketing-232305009.html>. 25  3D Printing Breakthrough Saves Babys Life. Marlin Equipment Finance Media Room. N.p., 23 May 2013. Web. 14 June 2013. <http://mediaroom.marlinfinance.com/healthcare-equipment/3d-printing-breakthroughsaves-babys-life-marking-huge-advance-for-healthcare-technology/>. 26  Savitz, Eric. Manufacturing The Future: 10 Trends To Come In 3D Printing. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 June 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/12/07/manufacturing-the-future-10trends-to-come-in-3d-printing/>.
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your products, brands, and business.27 What if, for example, instead of sending customers promotional flyers you sent them 3D designs that they could print from their own printer as samples? The potential of the 3D printer for homeowners and DIY enthusiasts is growing. Some say it could become an essential tool to help you fix stuff around the house.28 Say you need a new shower curtain ring or a custom light switch, what if you can just print it at home? For some homeowners, 3D printing may make the future seem a little brighter. Although 3D printers are not quite integrated into households, the latest generation of models, such as Cube by 3D Systems, the Cubex or Makerbots Replicator2X, retail between $1,000-3,000 dollars, and bring the possibility of household manufacturing a lot closer to home.29 A few online communities are already providing downloads of common items with designs to send to your 3D printer. Thingverse, for example, has an online library of objects you can freely download and print on any 3D printer. It was launched in 2008, and as of 2012 reported 25,000 designs that can be downloaded and printed. Thingverse items range from cookie cutters to phone cases, car parts and lens caps. There is even a section for art and fashion. A lot of other resources are popping up, too. Shapeways and Scultpteo are two other companies that can either help you design concepts or provide ready-made designs for purchase. As technology progresses, 3D components will make things greener, too. In the near future you might take a flight on an airplane that has 3D printed components. Boeing, for example, already used 3D printing to make more than 22,000 parts on civilian and military aircraft in the air today.30 You wont even notice, but it will be lighter and more fuel efficient. The same thing will happen in your car, the automotive industry will begin to use more 3D printed parts to make cars lighter and greener. Even appliances will start to have 3D printed components, but most consumers will not even notice. In the area of education, 3D printing will have a profound effect. Some claim it will revolutionize the classroom and provide new learning methods and opportunities. For instance, with 3D printing students will be able to create prototype designs in class. Maybe history students will print exact replicas of artifacts to study in depth or perhaps architectural students will bring home designs of their creations. Check out the online infographic by TeachThought that shows the different ways 3D technology will impact the classroom.31
27  Himms, Patrick. Looking Forward: How Will 3D Printing Affect Business and Marketing? Yahoo! Small Business Advisor. Business 2 Community, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 June 2013. <http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/ advisor/looking-forward-3d-printing-affect-business-marketing-232305009.html>. 28  Johnson, Dave. Why 3D Printing Will Transform Every Industry. CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57563759/why-3d-printing-will-transformevery-industry/>. 29 Ibid. 30  Hsu, Jeremy. 3D Printing: What a 3D Printer Is and How It Works. LiveScience.com. N.p., 21 May 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/34551-3d-printing.html>. 31  10 Ways 3D Printing Can Be Used In Education [Infographic]. Digital image. TeachThought. N.p., 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 June 2013. <http://www.teachthought.com/technology/10-ways-3d-printing-can-be-used-ineducation/>.
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Theres some debate surrounding the global impact of 3D printing. Experts say it is a long way from replacing mass manufacturing, but its not unfathomable. What will happen to countries like China where much of their economy depends on manufacturing products that are distributed abroad? Time will tell, but clearly, any change in the way we conduct and develop business is likely to impact the global economy.

Too much hype?

Is there too much hype surrounding the impact and future of 3D printing? Some say yes. Carl Bass, author for Wired, for example, says that 3D printing is still an immature technology that wont replace manufacturing or other industry giants anytime soon.32 According to Bass, there is still a lot to figure out with 3D printing: Weve built a magical aura around 3D printingsci-fi style replicator! but as soon as anyone actually uses a 3D printer for any period of time, they immediately wish for faster build times, higher quality prints, larger build envelopes, better and cheaper materials and so on.33 Bass goes on to compare the 3D printing revolution to the introduction of the microwave, and how it was positioned as the next great invention to change the way we cook. While its true, the microwave had a great impact in the kitchen, it never replaced the stove or other cooking methods. The same rationale applies to 3D printing; it will have an impact on the manufacturing industry, but it will complement rather than replace it. According to Bass: just as the microwave didnt replace all other forms of cooking as initially predicted, 3D printing will not replace other manufacturing technologies let alone industrial-scale ones for a variety of reasons. It will complement them.34 Bass isnt the only skeptic, either. Todd Grimm, President of T.A. Grimm and Associates and a prototyping consultant, agrees. He claims that additive manufacturing and 3D printing are a poor substitute for conventional manufacturing.35 Grimm says the media has created a distorted reality of what

32  Bass, Carl. Myths and Truths of the 3-D Printing Phenomenon. Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 26 May 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/05/an-insiders-view-of-the-hype-and-realitiesof-3-d-printing/>. 33 Ibid. 34 Ibid. 35  Snodgrass, James. Too Much 3D Hype, Says 3D Printing Consultant. Plastics News. N.p., 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS/309289975/too-much-3d-hype-says-3dprinting-consultant>
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can be expected from 3D printing and that while the technology is impressive, it has yet to save time or money. He points to the popular film ParaNorman that used 3D printing for facial expressions, but according to Grimm, the media failed to tell you that the producers did not save a single dollar or a single second.36 Mitch Free, Founder and Executive Chairman of MFG.com submitted a commentary to Forbes magazine that echoed these views. Free points out that the term printing is actually a misnomer, and that its really about additive manufacturing. Like any manufacturing method, the challenges of materials and speed are obstacles for 3D printing.37 There are still limitations in the types of materials that can be used to print 3D technologies and there is a question as to the durability and strength of what is produced. Likewise, time is a factor. 3D printing takes much longer than traditional manufacturing methods, and that makes it cost prohibitive for some companies. While Free and others agree it will have an impact, it will mostly be complementary to existing processes: Our supply chains will work differently and we will greatly expand our capability to customize products on an individual basis, he says.38 Whether or not 3D printers will become a fixture in the modern home is also up for debate. The online magazine Engineering.com claims that the Gartner study that predicts a drastic rise in the consumer availability of 3D printers is exaggerated. First, it underestimates the difficulty in creating 3D models. Users have to be proficient with 3D modeling software that is extremely complex if they really want to benefit from 3D technology. True, online repositories provide downloads of 3D models to print, but not everything you want will have a ready-made design.39 Second, the knowledge required to print objects is extensive. Complicated items require a trial-and-error process to ensure what is printed matches the vision. As Peter Basiliere, research director and author of the Gartner study notes: Once you have [3D modeling skills], now you still have to print it out, and depending upon the consumers skill set, it could be a very difficult process of trial-and-error getting the printer to produce the part that they envisioned Not that the printer is incapable, but there may be need for support structures and other elements in the design that, if the consumer isnt proficient with the software, it leads to a bad print.40
36 Ibid. 37  Free, Mitch. 3D Printing Doesnt Live Up To The Hype Yet. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/mitchfree/2013/03/12/3d-printing-hype-doesnt-equal-reality-ye/>. 38 Ibid. 39  Maxey, Kyle. 3D Printers Hyped Too Much? ENGINEERING.com. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/5567/3D-Printers-Hyped-Too-Much. aspx>. 40 Ibid.
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The 3D controversy: from guns to copyrights

Like anything, theres a downside to the 3D printing revolution. Specifically, the ability to create literally anything with a printer introduces a new level of risk and concern. Namely, theres a lot of legal questions to be answered surrounding what should be regulated and who owns copyrighted designs and intellectual property that are easily pirated on other sites. Gun control, for example, is at the forefront of the debate with 3D printing. In 2012, a group designed a firearm that was downloadable for 3D printing from the Internet. The gun required standard bullets and was fully operational. The United States Department of Defense intervened and ordered the removal of the printing instructions. However, even after the U.S. government had the plans removed, they were still widely available on other file sharing sites. As a result, some legislators proposed regulations on 3D printers to prevent them being used for printing guns. In response, 3D printing advocates suggested that such regulations would be futile, could cripple the 3D printing industry, and could infringe on free speech rights. The issue raises a moral and ethical component to 3D printing. Some argue gun control is the least of its concerns, since 3D printing can also be used to create military parts, drugs and chemical weapons.41 What if terrorists are able to use the technology to build even more complex chemical weapons? As Virginia Tech researcher Thomas A. Campbell told the International Business Times, Every technology can be used as a double-edged sword the same thing occurred with the Internet; the same thing occurred with cell phones.42 Addressing these concerns and issues in the future will be a difficult but necessary task. The future of 3D printing will need to address copyright and intellectual property issues. Think back to the music industry a decade ago and the intense debate regarding sharing and downloading music online. The same thing, although on a much larger scale, will happen with 3D printing. The debate on the ability to easily copy, share, modify and print 3D objects will intensify. At question will be the legality of using designs that are owned by other organizations, but it will be difficult to monitor intellectual property issues once a design is pirated on the Internet.

41  Palmer, Roxanne. 3D Printing Risks: Not Just Plastic Guns, But Military Parts, Drugs And Chemical Weapons. International Business Times. N.p., 24 May 2013. Web. 13 June 2013. <http://www.ibtimes.com/3d-printingrisks-not-just-plastic-guns-military-parts-drugs-chemical-weapons-1275591>. 42 Ibid.
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Sit back and enjoy the ride

Theres no crystal ball to tell us how, when and where 3D printing will have the greatest impact. But the future is here, and the landscape is indeed changing. 3D printing will have an impact, but only time will tell how great that impact will be. At a minimum, it will change the way we make some things and the way we think about things. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show, its time to watch the 3D revolution unfold.

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2012 4imprint, Inc. All rights reserved