Summary: ***Here is a link to the bracket – password is goodguys. Good Luck! http://ggtk.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?ttag=13_cbspaste *** I heard about 3D printing about a year ago, and at the time, thought it sounded kind of cool, but it also sounded a little over-hyped. I remember whatever pundit was talking about it claimed that it was going to revolutionize manufacturing, and disrupt our lives as we know them. Comparing it to the personal computer, internet, etc. I’m not positive that this is the case, but wanted to learn more and in through my research, I’m getting a little more sympathetic to the view that this could indeed change our lives dramatically. First have to give a little primer on 3D printing; basically it’s making a physical object based on a digital model. You’ll also hear the term “additive” because the items are created by gradually adding layers of material to the object to create the desired shape. This is significantly different than traditional “subtractive” manufacturing where objects are cut/drilled/carved out of a larger item. The first question I had when I started to hear about 3D printing, was ‘what is the stuff that you use to make the object?’ This kind of depends on the flavor of 3D printing we are talking about, but a few examples 3D printers have printed stuff in; Plastics, Wood, Glass, Rubber, Steel, Concrete, Human cells, Cheese, and Chocolate. The material you are using kind of drives the flavor of 3D printing we are talking about. Probably the most mainstream one and the one I’m going to be talking most about is extrusion. This is where the solid material is heated up so that it’s liquid, and then squeezed through a nozzle. Once it is ‘extruded,’ it very quickly hardens back into a solid object. The other flavor that is interesting is the ‘granular’ method which is used when 3D printing with metal. Here you basically have a sandbox full of metal powder that a high powered laser shoots and melts layer after layer to create the metal object. One area I did not research heavily, but sounds awesome, is the organs that are printed off with human cells. I have no idea how that works, but they have successfully printed working human bladders, bones, etc. While the medical uses are super cool, the potential for disruption really lies in how these printers can change manufacturing. At the moment, probably the biggest use for 3D printing is called ‘rapid prototyping.’ So here a company/university etc, can try out all sorts of designs very quickly and efficiently. Before 3D printing, an artist or sculptor or something would have to create a model of the thing, would use that to create a mold, and then finally they could use these molds to build the item. If they screwed up, or found a design flaw, all of that overhead is gone. 3D printing allows the designer to upload his file, and a few hours later, be holding his design in his hand. I was surprised to learn that companies have been 3D printing since the 70s. So why is 3D printing such a hot topic now and why is it being thought of as a potential disruptor? $$$$. The printers that companies have been using are super big and expensive. So only companies that were very R&D intensive and had sufficiently large budgets for the initial outlay were able to take advantage of the technology. Today, a basic 3D extrusion printer will only run you like $1500. This opens the door for small business and even personal hobby users to have a 3D printer. This is where we start to see the case building that 3D printing could be extremely disruptive. Does the following summary of where 3D printing sound familiar to anyone: Large, expensive implementations of the technology are used only by large companies for very targeted and specific use. Over the years the tech gets cheaper and cheaper, allowing smaller companies to get in the game. Finally, the technology becomes so inexpensive that early adopters start using the technology in their homes just for fun. Las[...]
