History and Potential of 3D Printing
Discuss about the 3-D Printing And The Future Of Stuff.
XYZ Engineering Company is a manufacturing company that is located in Melbourne, Victoria. It was established a decade ago with the goal of expanding its business. Currently, the company has both corporate and retail clients and has expanded its services within Victoria by establishing more branches. The main business operations at XYZ are the production of printers and computers for business across Victoria. The company is looking forward to expanding its business to other states in Australia and implement e-commerce platform. One of the objectives of the company is to look in to the possibility of adopting the use of 3D printing technology to produce products effectively and at a lower cost. The company believes that the technology will enable the company to expand without the need of creating numerous infrastructures in several locations across the country.
The rate at which technology is approaching nowadays is extremely at an alarming pace, for instance, one of the most foreseen fields in technology is the eruption of 3D printing. Despite the fact that through society there is a lot of criticism from assorted societies, the art of 3D printing has stood out by receiving attention from engineers and designers. More attention has also come from the manufacturers in the industries, capitalists, and innovators as stated by Hornick, 2014.
Here is a brief hustory about 3D printing that I thought even those at the forefront of criticizing it needs to hear. As at now 3D printing is now largly used for user manufacturing. It is limited in terms of technology but at the same time economically priceless. For your information, 3D printing and ink-jet printer were developed at the same time unlike what many hear from the media. There is much difference between a 3D printer and with mordern technologies in terms of the hardware specifications. Its hardware is, in reality, more simple despite the fact that western industries have not yet realized this fact.
Looking at the specifications of most machines at the moment, they are specified with 6 by 6 inch plastic models only. This is to mean that they have to take more than two hours to complete a single task (Flank et al. 2015). This issue of time is the main reason that makes 3D printing not the best alternative to be adopted by the industrial manufacturers. There is also a great drawback on the part of the material despite printers with metalic binding and ceramics that are costly and made in their BETA replicas. This turns out that prototyping is being taken to be the only option for those that are trying to use 3D in the industrikal field. However, there are also a lot of achievements that can be attained through 3D printing but the challenge is that it is only attainable through creativity but not when it is applied to the industry.
Advantages and Limitations of 3D Printing
The manufacturing market is the only one that suffers the penalties of 3D printing. People will only start purchasing 3D printers for their own personal use in their homes only when they start to become more progressive and less expensive. There are other items that can be produced as a result of 3D printing like foot wears, accessories, toys, apparel, and jewelry. The best thing about 3D is that it not only processes the items but a consumer has a chance to customize the products to the outcome that he or she wants. This is the property that will make future oriented entrepreneurs to get the 3D printers and get it into the competitive marks with them so that they may overcome the growing competition from foreign and established companies. The estimation made by McKinsey Global Institute reveals that by 2025, 5-10% of all merchandises will be printed by 3D technology and not directly imported from manufacturers (Richard, 2014).
There will be a transition from centralized system to decentralized system as 3D printers will be becoming conventional in homes of consumers. For instance, there are websites with 3D blueprints now that can be downloaded over the internet. This is what many refer today as cloud manufacturing, nodes of production that is decentralized, a small-scale network, and is set to become the new means by which production of products and selling to consumers will be done. For example, when you refer to the book “ the new of 3D printing” by Melba Kurman and Hod Lipson, the old method of telephones is compared to the manufacturing industry. They state that people used payphones in place of mobile phones before cellphones and each family had to possess at least one landline.
It is clear to everyone that about 60% of humanity by now possesses a cellphone and despite the low in numbers, an extremely potent network is created by them (Manyika, et al. 2014). The 3D printing is expected to decentralize the manufacturing industry from the centralized traditional manufacturing just the same way the telecommunication industry was done by the cellphone evolution. According to me, this will be one of the most advantageous and significant features that will be realized as a result of 3D printing. I truly proclaim that the potential to make changes in the field of manufacturing and bring down the high cost in the whole industry is in the hands of cloud manufacturing. As the power to manufacture and create products downs to the hands of consumers and minor companies, there will be no need to depend on big companies that are known to oppress the consumers. Designers will be elevated and through sharing their creation, minor companies and innovators will eventually turn into great factories all over to rock the universe.
Role of 3D Printing in Biomedical Science
Being a king of prototyping that is so rapid, 3D printing is also a manufacturing technique that is comprised of a process where objects are formed through the fusing of depositing of materials such as plastic, liquids, and ceramics, among others to come up with a 3D object. Here a computer-aided design file is transferred to a printer that has the competences of printing 3D objects. In the field of biomedical science, you cannot ignore the role that this technology has played (Michalski & Ross, 2015). If for instance talk of diagnostic quality, operating of patients, and all advancements made by surgeons, it is with the help of 3D technology that everything is now easy. There are a number of 3D printing methods that are as now being used to build 3D objects and structures. Some of them are still in use as at now but a few have been done away with for one reason or the other.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the up-to-date 3D technology that has the advantage of being affordable. It is also used in 3D pens which most of the people are as at now specializing in. Scott Crump is now to have been the one who developed and also implemented this technology from Stratasys in the year 1980. There are other 3D companies that have gone into practicing the same technology only that they are using different names (Groth et al, 2014). There was a virtually identical technology that was coined by a famous manufacturer by the name MakerBot called Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).
Stereolithography (SLA) is one type of 3D printing technology that is well known to execute projects that need items to be printed in 3D. It is known to be the earliest project known as far as the history of 3D printing is known but many people are still making use of it even now days. This technology is one kind that brings peoples wishes to reality. Talk of someone like a mechanical engineer who wishes to any confirmation of a fitting part, he will be absolutely satisfied what will come out as a result of 3D printing. Unlike normal desktop printers that are known to extrude a lot of ink to the surface, SLA printers use liquid plastic that is well known to harden after sometimes forming an object that is solid. Smooth surfaces are seen on parts that are outcomes as a result of SLA printing only the difference in quality comes in depending on the quality of the printers that may have been used.
Types of 3D Printing Technologies
Digital Light Processing (DLP) is also a technology that evolved from 3D printing but is quite the same as stereolithography. In 1987, Larry Hornbeck who was from Texas Instruments is known to have come up with this technology and he targeted the field of projector production. Here, he made it possible for digital micromirrors to be laid out on top of a chip that is semiconductor in nature. This technology is widely used in mobile phones and mostly in making of film projectors. The only difference between SLA and DLP is that an additional source of light is required in DLP that the one that is used in SLA. This has made it favorable to use more traditional lights for this technology like arc lamps.
Another technology is called Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) which is known for using a laser to supply it with power that is used for forming a strong object that is 3D printed. This technology was realized by a pupil from Texas University known as Carl Decked in the year 1980 under the assistance of one of his professors called Joe Beaman. Just to mention, both SLA and SLS were developed by the 3D system and are somehow extremely similar. The only difference that can be noted between SLA and SLS is that SLS is known to use liquid resin but SLA uses materials that are powdered (Bikas et al, 2016).
There are other technologies that for now not being used since for the last decades they have become out of fashion and some have been declared to be economically not viable. This is Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Digital Beam Melting (EBM), and Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM). There are no 3D printers of today that are currently using these technologies (Guo & Leu, 2013).
Looking at the current transitions state of 3D printing produces that need a high level of customization and low level of demand can be created. For instance, there are produces that require little customization yet with low production volume like medical implants and components of an engine can as well be purchased by customers (Toshimitsu, 2009). Think of a situation like wgen a person is in need of a knee, he would be scanned by an engineer so that the specifications would be used to design for him or her the right size that would serve him of her well. Here, you cannot imply generic sizes hopping to satisfy the comfortability of a patient who needs his or her knee to be replaced. Have you ever thought of how desparate someone looks when he needs an engine part that it is no more being manufactured?. This is one of the situations that 3D printing comes in to save the day (Sukmal, 2015). When you compare the cost of a factory in an instant like this, it is more costly compared to 3D printing. A mold of the engine part will have to be created by a factory so that the part could be created but for 3D printing, the part can be created without incurring the cost of creating a mold wich for this case is more cost-effective. Therefore, this is a clear testimony how the demands of a customer can be satisfied precisely and with low-volume matters.
Current State of 3D Printing
There are a few negative things about 3D printing like slow build speed, the size of the object sometimes is limited, details or resolution of objects are sometimes limited, costly materials, the strength of the low objects. However, 3D printing speed and quality are highly improving hence advancing the technology.
Electronic Beam Melting (EBM) is widely used by metal parts manufacturing companies (Vayre et al, 2012). For a company dealing with computers and wished to expand its business in the next five year and the same time wishes to realize a maximum profit, there are some 3D printing technologies that if they are put in the plans, there can be assurances of meeting their targets, for this case proposes a technology like Digital Light Processing (DLP) the printed speed of this technology is one of the fasted among all the technologies hence production in the company will be high (Olakanmi et al, 2014). In this process, it is said that while printing, after one layer is completed, the layer is immediately transferred and the next layer is then automatically put in line and printing continues (Zhang, 2010).
The other technology that I would recommend for a company dealing in computers is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). When a company is using SLS, it will save itself a lot of cost like of purchasing other support structures since an object that is being printed with the method of SLS is already surrounded by unsintered powder. This method is also favorable when it comes to printing customized goods. This is also seen to be one of the wishes of most of the companies “meeting customer’s needs”. This will make the company gain confidence from the customer and it will, of course, result positively to the status of the company.
The one kind of technology that I cannot windup without proposing for a computer dealing company is Stereolithography (SLA). The application of this method is said to be amazing. When it comes to the idea of the customer’s choice, this is the right application that will never fail you in whatever imaginations that a customer may come up with. This method is known to bring the imaginations of a mechanical engineer that may be operating it into reality. An example of a computer company that has succeeded as a result of venturing into 3D printing technology is the Hewlett-Packard Inc (HP). This company is using a technology known as Multi Jet Fusion which is helping in pulling its production to the next level (Ning et al, 2014). Through the technology, the company comes up with a state-of-the-art laboratory which is found in Oregon. It also developed a Material Development Kit with the partnership of a company known as SIGMADESIGN.
Customization and Low-Volume Production with 3D Printing
The process of making 3D printed objects from a file that is digital can be described as 3D printing where by subsequent layers of materials are laid down hence creating a holistic object. Its impact on homes and industrial or business use is not receiving much trust from the public. More and greater satisfaction is needed so that the society may accept it fully (Chua. & Leong. 2015). If only the price to print house hold items at a fair price would be considered, there wouldn’t be any limitation towards the technology.
It is clear that if the general public had given 3D printing a chance at once, there would be an innovation of new products for the customers at the well-being of their homes. Since the customer’s choice is final, companies have chosen to go by their demands in order to produce any item at the lowest cost possible. The only way to cut down the cost will be through sealing down of how a prototype is designed and a case of serving a customer. The companies only consider how the home user will be comfortable, the technology will always be changing to meet their needs (Birtchnell, Hoyle & PalgravE, 2014).
This technology has two sided view of people, there are those who are seeing it as beneficial and there are those who see its challenges. 3D printing will be a great challenge in coming years in an area like education and law. Bio printing will be evolved due to the easy accessibility of the 3D printing (Christopher, 2011). So that to avoid future dilemmas, the technology has to be looked into at an earlier stage meaning even the children should be introduced to this technology while still at an early stage.
The future career path of children can be positively influenced by an early introduction to the technology. An example is a program that needs coding for older people has to be introduced in stages hence adding more job opportunities. To add on this, 3D printing can serve as a tool for collective learning. Most people consider 3D printing as a possible tool for creativity in terms of exploration (Nettleton & Lennex, 2013)
Conclusion
The objective of this report was to give an overview to the management of XTZ Engineering Company concerning 3 D printing technology and its impact when implemented. From the report we can deduce that the technology actually brings many business opportunities and enhances the manufacturing process. Therefore, with no doubt, this technology should be invested in by the company. After thorough analysis on its impact on various sectors, socially people are still reluctant to adopt this technology because of the misconceptions and trust issues associated with it. People are still divided on the relevance of this technology to their cultures and beliefs. Some agree some don’t. Regardless of industrialization, 3D printing is becoming revolutionary, and if artists, educators, and designers continue the3D printing movement will only continue to gain strength.
It is recommended that for XYZ to employ 3D technology in each and every step they need to take as much as originality is concerned. The space science is one field that relies on special and original things and nothing less. The company should continuously carry out research and development regarding 3 D printing. Additionally, XYZ should invest in innovation so as to meet the ever evolving technology needs and ensure that the technology it will acquire is scalable to meet the increasing functions of the business. Finally, the company should ensure that the 3 D printing technology is customized to meet the business requirements.
References
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