Lisa Harouni: Primer on 3D printing. Must See Ted Talk

[Metro Jacksonville]

Lisa Harouni: Primer on 3D printing. Must See Ted Talk



2012 may have been the year of 3D printing, when this three-decade-old technology finally became accessible and even commonplace. Lisa Harouni gives a useful introduction to this fascinating way of making things -- including intricate objects once impossible to create.  The technology will inevitably change how the world works and is literally as revolutionary as the internet, yet most people know absolutely nothing about it.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-feb-lisa-harouni-primer-on-3d-printing-must-see-ted-talk

[strider]

I remember years ago watching a Star Trek and seeing them sit at a computer console, designing a needed part and then watching it get "made" by the replicator. Amazing technology but with possible very scary unintended consequences.

[If_I_Loved_you]

2013 tech predictions: Drones, 3D printers and telco rage

3D printing will kill manufacturing

This year is going to be one of insecurity and turmoil for manufacturers as 3D printing starts to dominate the market. 3D printers are already printing weapons, spare parts, an entire house and even an entire jawbone. Dr Frey says it won't be long before we can print food, medication and clothes. On the "As an example, with the Apple iPhone, on the old assembly line at Foxconn in China, it requires 24 people to touch the product from start to finish on a manufacturing line. On the new automated manufacturing lines in Brazil, there are only two people touching it from start to finish so you can imagine the amount of labour savings 3D printing would provide," he said.

Researchers are already working on food printers, and Dr Frey says it won't be long before you send your significant other out to the shops to buy a food cartridge because you need to print a fancy gourmet dinner.

"One example that I use is if you think about all the apples from an apple tree in an orchard, a lot get bruised and damaged and never make it on to shelves. But if you take the same stock and print it, you can print a perfect apple every time," he said. "If you want it to taste like almonds or add extra vitamin c, you could do that too. In the not too distance future we'll have processers that can print the can and print the soup that goes in it."

"Once we're able to print things like this, that can be done anywhere we can eliminate lots of shipping that occurs, rather than manufacturing something in China and shipping it to Australia, or the US or Europe, you can print it where you're at. This can have a profound effect on countries like China that are doing all the manufacturing.”


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/tech-predictions-drones-3d-printers-and-telco-rage/story-e6frfro0-1226553388109#ixzz2Khs80ljX

[If_I_Loved_you]

a billion jobs displaced worldwide over the next fifteen years.

and imagine what it will do to warehousing, retail, shipping, and surplus operations in real estate.

Computerization destroyed the old style malls, built on music shops, video stores, video game places, and book shops.

All of those types of businesses closed.

Some malls would have two or three different music shops in them not too long ago.

Imagine what this will all do to real estate on top of the jobs question.

Their will be no reason to "dredge the St Johns River for larger ships?

[thelakelander]

3D printing seems like a great stock to invest in if you have some spare cash laying around.  Most stocks of the companies specializing in it have tripled in value over the last year or so.  If it gets to the point where the average person can easily print forks, cups, spare car parts, etc. out of their house, that will radically alter the urban landscape.  So, for you out there willing to make predictions, what does this mean for Jacksonville and how can our city take advantage?

[Lunican]

I'm not sold. Some products are conducive to this manufacturing method, but some will not be. For creating simple parts in a high volume it's pretty slow.

Having a machine at home that can produce more than just dollar store type plastic items isn't going to be practical for anyone. You can already buy the machines to produce almost anything, however your house will look like a machine shop and you'll spend a million dollars.

Here is a "3D printer" for metal alloys to make parts that aren't garbage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLndYWw5_y8

It's an expensive and complex machine (even moreso than the existing CNC machines that have been around for decades). How many people have one of those in their house?

[thelakelander]

One issue that will pop up is even if it became efficient to print products out of your house, most are patented.  However, I do see a value in this from an industrial research & development standpoint.

[Lunican]

I think this is a process that will be used for some products, but it's not going to create a world where anyone prints anything they want.

This reminds me of the iPhone 5 promo video where they tout their manufacturing process by showing how they cut the aluminum. It looks impressive if you've never seen anything made in your entire life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=u5X5cV-4LRo#t=294s

[thelakelander]

Florida was never a true manufacturing center like the Midwest or New York.  By the time we started to really grow, manufacturing in this country was in decline. So, it's safe to at least say we don't have a rail strategy based around traditional manufacturing.

[If_I_Loved_you]

3D printing seems like a great stock to invest in if you have some spare cash laying around.  Most stocks of the companies specializing in it have tripled in value over the last year or so.  If it gets to the point where the average person can easily print forks, cups, spare car parts, etc. out of their house, that will radically alter the urban landscape.  So, for you out there willing to make predictions, what does this mean for Jacksonville and how can our city take advantage?

processing and producing the extrusion material.  Researching how best to store it.  How best to ship it.  Especially for the more exotic organic compounds.

Invest in medical research to support it.

Stop investing in the shopping strip mall model of planning and development.

Radically rethink our port and reingineer our rail strategy around resources rather than traditional manufacturing.  They arent the same thing you know.

"« Reply #10 on: Today at 04:12:32 PM »" Look Stephen has time traveled being it's only 3:29pm 2/12/2013

[Lunican]

1.  The technology will rapidly improve.

2.  It doesnt need to be in your house to disrupt the economies.  And you dont have to have thousands of parts lying around.  All that has to happen is for production centers to be set up for people to go to.  Which is the most likely method.  If there is only one kind of shopping space, which is basically a pick upi center for your good, then real estate still gets screwed.  As does shipping.  Right now shipping relies on back inventory to work.  Under the model provided for a printer center based retail/wholesale economy there is no back stock at all, only storage and shipping for extrusion material.

And it still destroys manufacturing jobs either way.

15 years ago it was 1998 and if you had internet, it was through AOL.  You paid for access by the minute, and it was over dialup phone lines.  There really wasnt any such thing as online video, and Blockbuster Videos was one of the most profitable corporations on the earth.

I definitely don't see this playing out the way you do.

I think these printers will be used to produce previously difficult to manufacture, high dollar items with specific uses and made from specific materials. The medical field will likely benefit.

But converting Walmarts into "printing centers" so you can print a toothbrush and a pair of shoes is not likely to happen. Nor will there be a consumer mass market for these printers. This technology has been around for about 30 years, the only thing that is new is the hype.

[Lunican]

Sure. I bet you a dollar that in 2018, less than 5% of the U.S. population will own a 3D printer.

[Lunican]

Who keeps the stats on that? Most products are made with many different manufacturing methods and no one has a clue which were used for what.

[Dog Walker]

That presenter in the video has the most irritating and affected "vocal fry" that I have every heard.  It was difficult getting through the whole video.

I began using 3D printing for prototyping products almost 30 years ago.  It is still mostly used for that purpose especially for products that are going to be injection molded in plastic or metal.  Making injection molds for that stuff is expensive and you want to make sure it is just right before building one.

Right now most of this stuff is at the prototyping or hobbyist level.  So were the first personal computers.  Here were are thirty years on from the early personal computers and you have more power in your smartphone than we had then.

Going from the electronic to the physical hasn't happened nearly as fast, but it is coming.  Designing is now the biggest barrier, not the machines.

Take a look at this and try your hand at design:   www.tinkercad.com   This might be the breakthrough that lowers that barrier.

[Lunican]

I think Staples announced an in-store 3D printing service. But it is basically for prototyping things.