3D printing service is now available almost everywhere. Those who can't
buy a 3D printer themselves can benefit from online stores and supermarkets
that offer 3D printing at very affordable prices. This convenient access and
affordability is doing wonders with 3D printing every day. Now we have weird 3D
prints as pizza and dresses. But we also have wonderful printing of limbs that
is a revolution in health care.
Three major types of 3D printers those are common these days, the metal
printer, food printer and organic printer. Car parts, guns and bicycle part made
by 3D printers are making fast delivery to market and are very cheap also.
Following are some insane things that made possible because of 3D
printers.
1. Food
NASA
initiated and funded the project to print 3D food for astronauts in space. It
sounds very crazy to think about 3D printed food. No one can imagine taste and
feel of having a 3D printed food. In fact researches are going on for delving
3D food by food scientists. So far most of the work is going on with printing
sugar and chocolate. The early experiments show that soon 3D printers are going
to change the way we eat. You may not
like 3D printed food but expect from many fast food chains to deliver synthetic
food created by 3D printing. Watch the movie of pizza printer using many
cartridges to print a pizza http://www.youtube.com/embed/ISXqC-YPnpc.
2. Body
Parts (Limbs and Organs)
3D printers
are a great convenience for healthcare professionals by providing 3D printed synthetic
body parts like legs, arms, hands and jaw bones and organs. These body parts
are very affordable too as one synthetic arm cost $200 only. Successful body
parts provision is going on for victims of Syria.
3.
Bicycles
The 9
component bike printed in UK has opened the door of new technology for
bicycles. It is a titanium trail bike that is more powerful than casting frame
bike. It is being sold with the name Renishaw. The frame is 33% lighter than
previous bicycles.
4. The Pi
Top - 3D Printable Laptop
It is very
creative yet insane too to print a Raspberry Pi powered laptop aka pi-top. It
can be printed as fully functional laptop or pre fabricated case parts can be
used. The aim is to provide highly affordable lap tops plus teaching people to
print technological equipments through 3D printers.
5. Urbee
2
Urbee 2 is a
hybrid car made mostly through 3D printing. It can go 100 of miles in a gallon.
Weight is 12 pound and it can go 70 miles per hour.
6. Clothing
Being able
to print wearable dresses is a pretty good reason for 3 D printers became so
popular in women. 3D printing is bringing a new era in fashion industry and now
a new race of creativity has started. 3D dresses may not be very comfortable
but they are beautiful and unique and very creative too.
7. Shoes,
Jewelry And Purse
Not only
clothes, other fashion accessories are also available in 3D printing. For
example 3D printed rings, necklace and other jewelry by American Pearl's
Wedding Rings and Maria Jennifer Carew; Insoles funded by SOLS; and Monkey
handbags introduced by a Belgian Company called Kipling are available in
market. Nike is also offering a training shoe named Vapor Carbon Elite Cleat.
8. 3D
Unborn Babies
4D images of
unborn babies' ultrasound have been very popular in recent years. Now 3D printing
of new born babies is also available. A website is offering 3D prints of
ultrasound and providing 8" life size baby in $800. This may not attract
many people but it is a real blessing for blind persons to feel his or her
baby's ultrasound.
9.
Synthetic Animal Products
Rockefeller
is investing to the idea that 3D printers provide synthetic animal products
like meat. The thought behind this is to stop the slaughter of animals as many
people around the world don't like it. The technology of producing synthetic
meat is owned by the company Modern Meadows (owned by Rockefeller) who are
working on this idea. They create animal tissues by 3 D printing and then using
these tissues to make "steak chips". Manufacturing engineer says it
costs thousands of dollars to manufacture one single pound of edible steak
chip. But he thinks the cost will decrease with increasing demand and new
research. They are also working on manufacturing animal skin to make leather
products same as original.
10. Bones
and Skin
Japanese
scientists say that they have almost made custom made skin by using 3 D
printing. Tsuyoshi Takato works at university of Tokyo Hospital as professor.
He says his team is working on a bio 3D printer that will make thin layers of
bio material and it will help making skin as well as other part of inside and
outside body. These implants will become the part of actual body and quickly become
assimilated by real tissues.
11.
Selfies
Good news
for those who are fed up making selfies with their cameras. Many companies are
offering 3D selfies with a twist. You can get a selfie as a super hero or a
cartoon character. Cubify 3DMe got much attention and became famous for 3D
figurines in CES Show in January 2014.
12. House
In start of
2014 a Chinese company introduced 3D printed houses with building speed at 10
houses per day. Now after two years of 3D printing industry Oak Ridge National
Laboratory ORNL introduced 3D printed energy efficient home along with a new 3D
printed car both share the energy systematically.
13. Toys
From Children Apps
A rapidly
growing category of 3D printing is printing toys from children apps. For
example Monstermatic is a mobile game in which children create their own
monster and then print it.
14. Crime
Scenes / Printed Evidences
Japanese
police is commonly using 3D prints to visualize crime scenes. 3D printing is
very helpful in understanding scenarios by not only printing crime scenes but
also providing oversized finger prints model, evidences, forensics, accident
reconstruction etc. These 3D prints would also be helpful in depicting the fact
inside the court.
15.
Furniture
Startup
Drawn have a giant size machine for 3D printing that can print full size
furniture within two hours. No assembly required afterwards.
16.
Circuits, Fake wood, Metal and Stone
First, Maker
Bot announced the availability of new material for home and imitation wood,
stone and steel through 3D printing. He assured the wood effect material is
very convenient in making sanded or stained wood. In fact the actual material
is still PLA plastic but the finishing can give a look of wood, metal or stone.
Voxel8
claimed that their printer could produce conductive materials too means they
can prototype anything from scratch to the end unless they need any chip.
17. Guns
Starting
from May 2013 when first entirely 3D printed gun was introduced as zig zag guns
and now evolved guns can shoot a bigger shot at high speed. This is a
revolution in guns industry. Before, 3D printed guns, were not so good and
fast. Now within two years' 3D guns are a part of serious weapons.
18. 3D
Printers
3D printers
can even print 3D printers. It is 360 degree advancement in 3D printing
industry that 3D printer can print itself. The RepRap is the printer that does
this. This is an open sourced printer and a free license is released for this.
This machine costs $500 to $600.
19. Make Up
It sounds
very strange but it is true that 3D makeup is also available. Grace Choi a Harvard
Business Student invented the 3D Makeup that became a big threat for $55
billion make up industry. She says that makeup industry charges an unfair
premium on makeup which tech can provide free.
20.
Musical Instruments
Manufacturing
functional musical instruments is now very easy through 3D printing. 3D printed
guitars are commercially available which are unique and beautiful. Polymer
based violin and a flute are also printed with complete functions. The only
problem is "sound". It is very serious problem because this is what a
musical instrument is made for. Sound is not yet very good. But researches are
going on and soon this problem will be solved.
Conclusion
3D printing
is start of new industrial revolution or we can say that it is death of old
industry methods. Once scientists are succeeding to print multiple materials
with perfection, it will let us create or invent anything even at home. 3D
printing with fast communication and research facility through internet can
write a new history in all fields like manufacturing, labor, health care,
clothing, music, weapons, vehicle etc. It will also end the need for shopping,
building and assembling in factories, delivering food and other items etc as
everything that we need, can be printed at home. The only requirement will be
"printing materials". That may be supplied to our home through a pump
like tap water.
