Manufacture Parts Using 3d Printers

Manufacture 3d parts on your desktop.

We are all familiar with science fiction films where a crew member on a spaceship goes to a cabinet and after punching a few buttons to select what he wants then opens the door and removes a steaming hot meal ready to eat.

The idea that we can produce a hot and nutritious meal in moments from thin air remains a distant dream but with developments in 3d printing technology it is possible to produce a solid object in a manner rather similar to this scenario.

The idea is simple enough. You give the computer the information it needs to know the measurements of every nook and cranny of the part you want to make. This can be done by scanning an object in 3d or by using computer aided software to design the part in digital form on the computer screen. Once the computer has the information it needs it can start to print the piece layer by layer, building up the 3d shape you require exactly as defined in the measurements given.

Various materials can be used to do this and the method will vary depending on the raw material used but the simplest way to visualize it is to think in terms of a molten stream of plastic being laid down in horizontal layers and then as it cools and hardens the next layer is built up on top of the first. Repeat the process until the final layer is the top of the part you require.

When the item is finished it can be handled and examined to make sure it is exactly what you expected and if all is correct you could then produce many more in the same way or use it as a prototype part and put the finished item into production in the normal way.

This process is a great time and money saver for producing prototype parts which use to require skilled craftsmen manufacturing the part from wood or clay which could take days to produce.

This is a manufacturing technology that is developing fast and it opens the door to the possibility that in the future we might not need to buy real products at all. All we would do would be to order the specifications online and download them to our computer. All we need do then is to instruct it to manufacture the item as we watch it grow from nothing.

Ultimately it could be possible to control individual atoms in a similar way and perhaps then we will be able to instruct the computer to make a hot and nutritious meal in moments. Rather like a microwave where you never put any food in but only ever take it out.

There is an interesting article over at the BBC website about the possibilities of 3d printing of products and how we could all have problems with copyright by producing parts and products where the rights to that product are owned by a company or individual.

When we have the ability to download a diagram of a product and simply print out our own copy it could lead to the sorts of problems downloadable music has caused the music industry. It may well be that in the future we don't need to leave our homes to buy a product and we can download a digital design from the manufacturers website and produce our own copy of that product at home.

If all we have to do is purchase a licence and use a 3d printer to produce an item it could change huge sections of society as we no longer need factories and distribution channels to transport products around the world. This could also lead to mass unemployment and major disruption to the way society currently operates. The future could be interesting and the changes could be as significant as the industrial revolution was 150 years ago.