3D printing advances in 2018
Up until around 2015, 3D printing was a novelty. A fun, cool toy that could be used to build nice little things out of plastic. However, it didn't have much commercial potential, as it was expensive, both in material and the printer itself. It was also very slow, taking up to seventeen hours to make a single 3cm cube. As of now, a company called Markforged has recently begun mass - manufacturing 3D printers for commercial and factory use. This idea has been theorized for a long time, but this is the first example of when it has been really taking off. Their latest product is a metal 3D printer, a highly inconceivable concept until a couple of years ago. It has a price tag of just under $100,000, but is expected to get cheaper as it moves past the alpha prototype stage. It works by laying a layer of metal dust, then blasting it with a laser so that it melts onto the previous layer of metal, or the base of the 3D printer. The uses for this invention are practically endless, because it allows high - precision parts to be built that are so good, even NASA has begun to successfully test them as parts in space launches.
As an example of one of these such applications, a company called Icon has begun building 3D printed houses, made of metal and plastic parts. Occupying a mere 650 square feet, these houses feature a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and a shaded porch. The first was sold on the public market for just under $10,000. The houses are expected to become less than $4,000 as manufacturing processes are perfected. The first house in the US was deployed in September of 2018, and before was used as a viable housing alternative for homeless. It is manifesting itself in many cities, as it is affordable, compact, and fit for mass - production, as one of these houses can be made in as little as 24 hours! This strategy is so efficient, because it possesses an almost - waste-less design process, and requires no professional design or input. No architects, carpenters, painters, or any other professional except for maybe an electrician and a water technician are needed for manufacturing and deployment. Co - founder and contributor Jason Ballard had this to say about the efficiency of his company: “With 3D printing, you not only have a continuous thermal envelope, high thermal mass, and near zero-waste, but you also have speed, a much broader design palette, next-level resiliency, and the possibility of a quantum leap in affordability.”
Now of course, no new technology comes without first controversy and debate. For 3D printing, the scandal came when a company called Defense Distributed started manufacturing guns such as the AR - 15 lower class rifle, and some unique, working designs for pistols. They have also began to develop several gun magazines, like one for the infamous AK - 47, such as one for All of these working guns can be printed with a standard, 3D printer. The supporters, such as Defense Distributed, and the Second Amendment Foundation are saying that 3D printed guns lay in as a part of the second amendment of the United states constitution. In addition, Defense Distributed claims that they have filed the patent and legal papers with the government, and that they have full right to sell blueprints of their manufactured guns. The people opposed to this idea, such as Vox, are saying that this will be an easy way for terrorists and other mayhem - makers to smuggle normally illegal weapons through airport security. This is because the plastic would make the gun undetectable when the criminal would be going through a metal detector. It could easily be disguised as something else. However, it is illegal to manufacture guns with less than 3.7 ounces of metal in them, for this particular reason. According to the Undetectable Guns Act of 1997, nobody is allowed to produce and sell guns with less than 3.7 oz of metal in them. Cody Wilson, one of the supporters of this project, has released his 3D printable gun called the Liberator. Because of this, and because president Donald Trump has issued an order to allow this company to legally manufacture these guns, 7 states and the District of Colombia are suing the federal government in order to bar the sale of these guns. The states suing are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, and New York. The debate continues and will continue to rage in court and elsewhere, but no one can tell of the outcome yet.
As an example of one of these such applications, a company called Icon has begun building 3D printed houses, made of metal and plastic parts. Occupying a mere 650 square feet, these houses feature a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and a shaded porch. The first was sold on the public market for just under $10,000. The houses are expected to become less than $4,000 as manufacturing processes are perfected. The first house in the US was deployed in September of 2018, and before was used as a viable housing alternative for homeless. It is manifesting itself in many cities, as it is affordable, compact, and fit for mass - production, as one of these houses can be made in as little as 24 hours! This strategy is so efficient, because it possesses an almost - waste-less design process, and requires no professional design or input. No architects, carpenters, painters, or any other professional except for maybe an electrician and a water technician are needed for manufacturing and deployment. Co - founder and contributor Jason Ballard had this to say about the efficiency of his company: “With 3D printing, you not only have a continuous thermal envelope, high thermal mass, and near zero-waste, but you also have speed, a much broader design palette, next-level resiliency, and the possibility of a quantum leap in affordability.”
Now of course, no new technology comes without first controversy and debate. For 3D printing, the scandal came when a company called Defense Distributed started manufacturing guns such as the AR - 15 lower class rifle, and some unique, working designs for pistols. They have also began to develop several gun magazines, like one for the infamous AK - 47, such as one for All of these working guns can be printed with a standard, 3D printer. The supporters, such as Defense Distributed, and the Second Amendment Foundation are saying that 3D printed guns lay in as a part of the second amendment of the United states constitution. In addition, Defense Distributed claims that they have filed the patent and legal papers with the government, and that they have full right to sell blueprints of their manufactured guns. The people opposed to this idea, such as Vox, are saying that this will be an easy way for terrorists and other mayhem - makers to smuggle normally illegal weapons through airport security. This is because the plastic would make the gun undetectable when the criminal would be going through a metal detector. It could easily be disguised as something else. However, it is illegal to manufacture guns with less than 3.7 ounces of metal in them, for this particular reason. According to the Undetectable Guns Act of 1997, nobody is allowed to produce and sell guns with less than 3.7 oz of metal in them. Cody Wilson, one of the supporters of this project, has released his 3D printable gun called the Liberator. Because of this, and because president Donald Trump has issued an order to allow this company to legally manufacture these guns, 7 states and the District of Colombia are suing the federal government in order to bar the sale of these guns. The states suing are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, and New York. The debate continues and will continue to rage in court and elsewhere, but no one can tell of the outcome yet.
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