3D printing first became available in the 1980s. People saw it as a way to create prototypes of inventions, projects, etc. in a way that could save a lot of money. The first person to create rapid protyping (now referred to as 3D printing) was Dr. Hideo Kodama based upon a paper he wrote in . Unfortunately, he didn't apply for his patent in time so the actual credit for development of this concept went to Charles Hull in 1984 when he developed stereolinthography (YES! now referred to as 3D printing software). It was extremely expensive and primarily used for manufacturing purposes. They use sand, metal, plastic, etc.
Since 2010 all that has changed. The 3D printer has hit the consumer market with "affordable" 3D printers dropping from $10,000 to $1,000 (and dropping).
How are they used now?
1: Research: prototypes may be created quickly for testing purposes.
2: Fashion Industry: custom fit shoes for sports or personal use and more.
3: Food: elaborate chocolates, cakes, unique pasta shapes, crackers and even pizza.
4: Cars: Koenigsegg announced that its supercar that uses components made from 3D manufacturing.
5: 3D Buildings: Shanghai, China showed their first houses made using 3D printing technology. This type of construction avoids costly building mistakes and is much cheaper to build. The materials is estimated to be 5 times harder than current construction materials. It is still in experimental stages and is not yet mass produced.
6: Medical Technology: While it is still in experimental stages, the possibilities are limitless. Tissue and organ transplant; hip replacement, bone transplant, prosthetics that are affordable for people who have lost a limb are all incredible examples of how 3D technology will transform the medical field.
7: Every Day Users and Prosthetics and the Volunteers that Make it Happen: There is a story in St. Louis, Missouri where volunteers created functional prosthetic hands for kids who had no hands. (January 24, 2015). Diego Corredor of Columbia may now play guitar because of this technology. The cost? $50.00 The effect? Priceless! A Canadian team created the first working prosthetic legs for a woman from Uganda and a 4 year old boy. The software called Meshmixer was free and the cost was $2,000 to $6,000- the cost of the PRINTER. It took a laborious 3-6 day project into a few minutes of scanning and a few hours of printing. Three bio medical engineering students from Washington University in St. Louis developed a prosthetic arm for Sydney Kendall, a 13-year old girl. The device included a motor and a working thumb. The cost? $200.00.
Since 2010 all that has changed. The 3D printer has hit the consumer market with "affordable" 3D printers dropping from $10,000 to $1,000 (and dropping).
How are they used now?
1: Research: prototypes may be created quickly for testing purposes.
2: Fashion Industry: custom fit shoes for sports or personal use and more.
3: Food: elaborate chocolates, cakes, unique pasta shapes, crackers and even pizza.
4: Cars: Koenigsegg announced that its supercar that uses components made from 3D manufacturing.
5: 3D Buildings: Shanghai, China showed their first houses made using 3D printing technology. This type of construction avoids costly building mistakes and is much cheaper to build. The materials is estimated to be 5 times harder than current construction materials. It is still in experimental stages and is not yet mass produced.
6: Medical Technology: While it is still in experimental stages, the possibilities are limitless. Tissue and organ transplant; hip replacement, bone transplant, prosthetics that are affordable for people who have lost a limb are all incredible examples of how 3D technology will transform the medical field.
7: Every Day Users and Prosthetics and the Volunteers that Make it Happen: There is a story in St. Louis, Missouri where volunteers created functional prosthetic hands for kids who had no hands. (January 24, 2015). Diego Corredor of Columbia may now play guitar because of this technology. The cost? $50.00 The effect? Priceless! A Canadian team created the first working prosthetic legs for a woman from Uganda and a 4 year old boy. The software called Meshmixer was free and the cost was $2,000 to $6,000- the cost of the PRINTER. It took a laborious 3-6 day project into a few minutes of scanning and a few hours of printing. Three bio medical engineering students from Washington University in St. Louis developed a prosthetic arm for Sydney Kendall, a 13-year old girl. The device included a motor and a working thumb. The cost? $200.00.