3D printing: the future of manufacturing at home?

What is 3D printing?

Imagine designing a component on a computer and having a prototype emerge from your printer. 3D printers and desktop manufacturing technology are making this an affordable reality.

3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three-dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive manufacturing technologies; they offer both product developers and hobbyists the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single build process. Advanced 3D printing technologies yield models that can serve as product prototypes.

These printers can build incredibly complex things, from finely detailed art, to devices with moving parts. Traditional prototyping methods tend to use epoxy or quick-hardening plastic to make solid objects, while 3D printers work with a greater variety of materials. For example, even relatively simple devices can use plaster, Play-Doh, silicone, wax (to make forms for casting), low-melting point metals and various other materials (although this can become expensive).

The power of production

The real power of 3D printing is that consumers can have just about anything they want – especially if they have the skills themselves to create 3D models. But even if they don’t, they can pay a company to create the digital files, describe what they want and, within a matter of weeks, the printed object, or objects, will arrive in the post. Some companies even offer a next-day service: send in a design request and receive your prototype by courier the very next day.

Right now, 3D printing is at the stage where personal colour printers and laser printers were twenty years ago. But the technology is evolving rapidly, and costs are plummeting. You can find small, affordable 3D printers online, although these are hobby machines that require assembly and some technical knowledge.

Quality at home

Of course, at the moment, the build quality of today's 3D printers (at least the semi-affordable ones) is not quite equivalent to mainstream manufacturers. Objects that have been professionally designed are tested and certified for safety, but a homebrewed object probably has not. The build chamber of many 3D printers is smaller than the object someone would want to print, therefore parts must be printed and then assembled. In some cases, this could be difficult.

The holy grail for some of the small 3D printing start-up companies is to create a 3D printer that can print itself, allowing anyone to give the power of production to anyone else.

In the future, you’ll probably be able to print out consumer goods immediately. Imagine printing out a brand new coffee table (some assembly required), a mug, a set of cutlery, or even a pair of trousers. Eventually, 3D printers might be able to create electrical circuitry, meaning that consumers could download a design for a toaster or perhaps a new cellular phone. This could change the way we look at copyright, counterfeiting and even the concept of authenticity – we may see a revolution in consumer goods similar to the digital revolution of recorded music and film.

The world is being turned upside down: imagine recycling plastic at home so that you can print out new products? We're almost there.

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