3D Printer – The Technology to Bring The Second Industrial Revolution
Published by The most popular science fiction series in television history, Star Trek has influenced generations of scientists, encouraging them feeding their imagination and passion. Many of the technologies presented during the time the show has become available in recent years, and now scientists are preparing to make a reality the most spectacular of them: the replicator, instrumental Enterprise crew create all the items that need, including food. The world now knows the accelerated development of technology devices that appear to be precursors of fantastic replicator: 3D printers.
What is 3D Printing?
3D printing is a process used for decades in the industry, which is also called “rapid prototyping”. Thistechnology emerged in the ’80s, was initially used by companies with large budgets, such as aerospace or Formula 1 teams.
They operate in a similar way ordinary printers, using instead of ink material (from plastic to silver or even titanium) that “prints” in layers, building an object.
3D printers allow designers to produce a prototype very quickly. Thus, it can be quickly tested and reshaped, much less the time required to move from prototype stage to the finished product.
For example, F1 carmakers could create rapid prototyping machine-shaped parts such as bumpers extremely accurate. Production of these complex pieces by classical methods can take several weeks, but the use of 3D printers reduce this period to just 48 hours. Thus, the time gained allowed manufacturers to test several versions of components and reach the final version more quickly.
Another advantage of using 3D printers is their ability to produce impossible forms created using mass production techniques. This allows companies to use biomimetism, copying forms in nature to get better products at lower costs. One example comes from MIT, where researchers led by Neri Oxman used a 3D printer to make the easiest and also the most resistant concrete pillar. Stems from the fact that a plant consists of vertical filaments of different densities, Oxman used a 3D printer to print a multi-filaments of concrete with different densities.
Today, technology is present in most research laboratories owned by companies that produce gadgets, whether it is shaving, about the most sophisticated smartphone or even complex aircraft components. 3D printers can produce large objects including: in 2011, The town became the first carwhose exterior components were created using a full 3D printers.
Technology has progressed enormously in the last 20 years, today it is possible to print 3D models of 40 types of materials. Following this development, 3D printers are used not only for prototyping, but also for finished products.
Liked it
