In the ever-changing world we live in, inventions are everywhere. New gadgets are being created, while older ones are being improved in ways deemed impossible just a few months ago. And just when one starts to think, “There’s nothing left to invent anymore!” BAM! A jaw-dropping creation astonishes everyone and they can’t help but sit there and drool at its shiny modern awesomeness. Then, just when people start to think, “This is it! The real deal! This is the best invention ever!” An even better one comes out, thus creating the never-ending cycle of the competition between inventions.
An awesome invention (which I’m sure will be very important later on in life) is the 3D printer. I know what you’re thinking: "A printer that looks 3D?" Or, "a printer that prints paper, but you have to wear 3D glasses to see what’s written?" No, and no. A 3D printer prints actual objects instead of paper. How does it do so, you ask? Well, the next paragraph or so talks about how it works.
How they work
A typical 3D printer is quite similar to normal inkjet printers we use every day. What the printer does is build up the 3D model to be printed one layer at a time, from the bottom to the top. It does so by printing repeatedly over the same area. It takes a few hours for the printer to create the model. It turns the three-dimensional Computer Aided Design (or CAD for short) drawing into numerous two-dimensional, cross-sectional layers.
The 3D printer does not use ink to make the 3D objects, since ink does not build up volume. As an alternative, the printer uses layers of molten plastic and powder and fuses them together with adhesive or ultraviolet light.
In simpler terms: a 3D printer works by taking a 3D computer file and then layers of material are laid down. Each layer or slice is then printed on top of the other, thus creating the magnificent 3D object.
Okay, so who would need to use a 3D printer?
Basically, if someone needs a prototype of something, it is much faster and cheaper to print the object using the 3D printer than to make one by hand. 3D printers are reliable and safe. They are also easy to use.
More information
The printer costs from $25,000 to $50,000. However, cheaper machines are now beginning to appear. These printers are becoming more popular in design and engineering schools.
A disadvantage of 3D printers is the choice of materials. When printing the object, the colors may be crude since only one or two materials have been used. The texture of the object may not replicate what was intended at the first place.
3D Printers and the future!
It is believed that in 20 years, 3D printers will start to print body parts. Yes, you read correctly. BODY PARTS. Researchers in the Computational Synthesis Laboratory at Cornell University are working on a 3D printer which will print body parts, all the different tissues included. So if someone loses a finger or an ear, they’d just print you a new one!
Resources:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/220264/3d_printer_will_print_body_parts_within_the_next_20_years.html
Written by:- Sara Almasri, 10
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