The dawn of 3-D Printer in the U.S., Is it for real?

printed cups for speaker enclosure courtesy of a 3-D printer (image from http://www.flicr.com/photos/)

    

     I first heard of the 3-dimensional printer (3-D printer) in 2010 during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). I thought it was a more sophisticated version of a 2-D printer which just becomes 3-d through folding, like it will spew out a flat printed paper, cut it out and manually fold it to assemble any item you scan – sort of kid stuff! I was wrong.

The National Geographic and other national television shows soon feature this wonder.  The dawn of 3-D printer is real, and it’s awesome to say the least. It can print almost anything: From shoes to mechanical wrench, head bust of a popular personality, car parts, transistors, solar cells, skulls (Lehman College is doing this) and big bikes – yes, big bikes. Cool huh?

How is that possible? What happens is that the machine, the 3-D printer/ copy machine prints layers of material one on top of the other. The layers are very thin — usually one-fifth or one-tenth of a millimeter. The layers then combine to form a solid object. There are many versions of this kind of technology. But the basic idea is the same for most 3-D printers. The process is called additive fabrication.

Aside from the 3-D printer itself, the secret is in the paper. It’s a specially-engineered composite material. It is a unique concoction not use anywhere else.

It boasts not only precision but also promises productivity as it can do more than one sample of small objects at the same time.

Great machine, awesome material and the process is simple:

First, Scan the object. The scanner inputs every facet of the object into the computer creating an image that will be sent to the printer. Computer-aided design programs use software to direct the printer.

     Once specific scanner can measure about 50,000 points per second at a density of 160,000 dots per inch (dpi) to create a highly detailed digital model.

Second, The 3-D printer does its job – print. This will take some time, few minutes to long hours, depending on the object. The printer doesn’t mind any complexity of the object, the size however determines the length of the process. Accuracy is astounding, said to be within 40 microns, that is little less human hair width.

Third, Grab and marvel the finished product. Most powerful 3-D printers will make you grab the finished product from a box of white powder. It will be sent to a separate machine which will dust off the excess powder.

How’s the outcome? It will freak you out. The material is solid, you can customise the color of each part of the object. If it has some movable or functional parts, the 3-D printer could replicate it no matter how small, no matter how intricate.

     Jay Leno, the popular TV host, is using a 3-D printer to replicate the rate parts of his old car, 1907 White Steamer and has this to say, “They stand in front of the machine and watch a wrench beding made, and they still don’t believe it. It’s like The Jetsons. George Jetson would say, “I want a steak dinner.” He’d press a button and the meal would come out of the machine, with the roasted potatoes and everything, all on one plate. We may not have the instant steak dinner yet – but my NextEngine system is like the car-guy equivalent.

This 3-d printer has so much power and practicality that it’s making waves in the mainstream business. Its potential has become a powerful tool for product designers since they can create a solid model in a short time and easily make changes and tests. Designers in various fields use this technology to print out prototypes to decide on the best possible pattern to send into production. 

Finally, ‘how much is this?” and “is there a possibility that ordinary folks can own one in the near future?” Hold your breath; those big 3-D printer is valued at $150,000. People in other parts of the world are equally impressed but gulped at the humongous price. Don’t be upset though, we researched and found out that there are home printers like the New York-based MakerBot Thing-O-Match which costs less than $1,300. They come in kits which you will put up into a small printer. Just don’t expect it to be as efficient as its big brothers, but for a way cheaper cost, it can still blow you away as to what it can do.

So does it have drawbacks? Just like a coin, it has two sides. Metals are more difficult to print that plastics or any composite materials. Some specialized 3-D printer though can even make a replacement part in cobalt-chrome with the direct laser sintering process. According to Popular Mechanic article, "Just fee a plastic wire -- for a steel part you use metal wire -- into the appropriate laser cut."

3-D printer in action. (image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/)

And just what is next in this eye-popping 3-D printer buzz? Nobody has attempted to print an airplane yet but its being done with some of its parts like what Boeing is doing to replicate some rare parts for its older machines. And according to the Scientific American website, even printed organs for humans beings may soon be viable. Now that sounds sci-fi turning into reality.

Sources: National Geographic Channel,  htto://www.objet.com/, http://scientificamerican.com, Popular Mechanics Magazine