Spreademic3D Printers: Rise Of The Printer
- The rise of 3D printing
- 3D printing explained
- Benefits of 3D technology
- Organ replacement with 3D printers
The Rise of 3D Printing
3D printing technology can put just about anything in your reach. When I first heard of 3D printing, I thought it was a joke. But, 3D printing is going to be huge. So, what is it?
What is 3D Printing?
A 3D printer can print a physical object. It lays down very thin layers of an element and then cures the element with a UV light. When the job is complete, you have a tangible object to see and touch. It works the same as printing a document. You open a document and print it. It’s being used by engineers and product designers to actually get their hands on their design before going to mass production. It gets better.
Dragons printed on a 3D printer. Photo courtesy: A Looping Icon
The technology for 3D printing has been around for a while, but just like other technology, it was very expensive. The costs of 3D printers or having a job printed in 3D has gone down exponentially. There are even desktop versions for a few hundred dollars. This has some significant benefits.
Benefits of 3D Printing
If you need a part that’s no longer manufactured, you design a product you want, or can’t wait for something to arrive, you can print it. You can order the project file from the company that makes it and print the product/part yourself. Amazing, right? Let’s go one further.
For Human Organs
What if you need a new liver, kidney or other organ and you’re on a long wait list? You have some things against you: time and the fact that your body may reject the donor organ. Experiments and research to print an organ from your own cells with 3D printing is in progress. Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine explains in this video:
Gosh. There are sooo many things that’d I’d be too embarrassed to buy in a store or online. 3D printing could solve those problems for me.
You said it, brother! Technology…so you don’t have to explain.
That’s cool!!
Super cool. It’s the future.
This is amazing! How expensive is something like that going to run for? Hopefully, they’ll be like plasma screens and decrease in cost quickly. I need one.
I think you can get a small one for about $300, but the price is expected to drop immensely.