Regarding the future of 3D Manufacturing, the time span I am considering is 3, 5 and 10 years. 3-Dimensional printing is currently seen in one aspect as a hobby for individuals and is more commonly accepted as "additive manufacturing" in relation to the manufacturing industry. In the next 3 years, I expect that home hobbyist will be able to purchase and gain more experience operating cheaper and more advanced 3D printers, which can be purchased for $3,000-$4,000. Taken from the article "The Plant of the Future: 3D Manufacturing" [1], this craft will allow the hobbyist to produce objects that can be customized but are not likely to not be more than trivial decorations, tools or toys. However, in the same sense, smaller companies will have the opportunity to purchase a few of the printers and employ some skilled technicians and mechanically inclined employees that can troubleshoot small appliances, vehicles and other machines for compromised parts of which could be replaced and returned to operation. As the printers become more of a common tool in factories and their capabilities realized at the stage of early design, components will begin to be multifunctional. These multifunctional components will replace numerous parts that in the past would have to be manufactured separately and then assembled.
3D manufacturing has been experiencing a lag in use for mass production due to the high initial cost of the printers and the slow manufacturing time that is inherent to printing parts with multiple colors and material types. Until recently, printing either multiple colors or materials was completed using one print head which had to be changed in the middle of printing, while now the colors and different materials can be printed using one head with multiple ports.
Within the next 10 years, I expect 3D manufacturing to have a significant impact on the construction industry. A professor from USC has researched a method to build residential structures using additive manufacturing techniques, for which he coined the term "Contour Crafting" [2]. This method of building employs a gantry crane outfitted with nozzles that disperse concrete mixtures that can be modified regarding compression strength just as in conventional construction methods. One of the design mixes that is being used is a 10,000psi concrete, which greatly exceeds the capacity of conventional concrete used in buildings of 3,000-5,000 psi. The additive process uses exact amounts of the material to achieve the same results as conventional construction, resulting in far less waste. The process significantly reduces the amount of human labor involved in construction, therefor lessening the required man hours and inherently the safety of workers. The construction of a residency is reduced from 6-9 months to 1 day. I believe that this type of technology will add to the types of construction methods that are available. The technology might begin to be seen in projects where human building methods are known to be especially dangerous.
I accept the information that I have found as credible because of the current 3D manufacturing products showcased at the 2013 CES. At the show, some of the products were small and compact 3D printers for the hobbyist. I have also seen the same general time-line for these manufacturing milestones mentioned in my peers blog posts. Two of the blog posts that I have read mentioned the number of years until 3D printing has a significant place in manufacturing as 5-10 years, which is consistent with what I read from the "Plant of the Future" [1] article. In addition, one of my peers also mentions the material savings and efficiency normally found in "green-building" techniques due to utilizing additive manufacturing as opposed to subtractive building as the building industry currently
employs.
3D manufacturing has been experiencing a lag in use for mass production due to the high initial cost of the printers and the slow manufacturing time that is inherent to printing parts with multiple colors and material types. Until recently, printing either multiple colors or materials was completed using one print head which had to be changed in the middle of printing, while now the colors and different materials can be printed using one head with multiple ports.
Within the next 10 years, I expect 3D manufacturing to have a significant impact on the construction industry. A professor from USC has researched a method to build residential structures using additive manufacturing techniques, for which he coined the term "Contour Crafting" [2]. This method of building employs a gantry crane outfitted with nozzles that disperse concrete mixtures that can be modified regarding compression strength just as in conventional construction methods. One of the design mixes that is being used is a 10,000psi concrete, which greatly exceeds the capacity of conventional concrete used in buildings of 3,000-5,000 psi. The additive process uses exact amounts of the material to achieve the same results as conventional construction, resulting in far less waste. The process significantly reduces the amount of human labor involved in construction, therefor lessening the required man hours and inherently the safety of workers. The construction of a residency is reduced from 6-9 months to 1 day. I believe that this type of technology will add to the types of construction methods that are available. The technology might begin to be seen in projects where human building methods are known to be especially dangerous.
I accept the information that I have found as credible because of the current 3D manufacturing products showcased at the 2013 CES. At the show, some of the products were small and compact 3D printers for the hobbyist. I have also seen the same general time-line for these manufacturing milestones mentioned in my peers blog posts. Two of the blog posts that I have read mentioned the number of years until 3D printing has a significant place in manufacturing as 5-10 years, which is consistent with what I read from the "Plant of the Future" [1] article. In addition, one of my peers also mentions the material savings and efficiency normally found in "green-building" techniques due to utilizing additive manufacturing as opposed to subtractive building as the building industry currently
employs.
[1] "Manufacturing.net." The Plant Of The Future: 3D Printing. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
[2] Khoshnevisk, Behrokh. HOUSES OF THE FUTURE: Construction by Contour Crafting-Building Houses for Everyone. N.p.: Urban Initiative Policy Brief, Aug. 2004. PDF.
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