Chapters 13 & 14 DUE 10/28

Chapter 13. This chapter addresses one the major obstacles hindering the progress of 3D printing: the software. Though our hardware becomes over more sophisticated in terms of printing potential, our creative process is hampered by outdated design software that restricts our possibilities. The chapter discusses two possible solutions for this issue: making our design software more intuitive and easy to use, and improving how our software thinks about shapes. The first option allows users to design and create products without needing the technical know-how. Minecraft is an excellent, if crude, example. Through a simple, block-based interface, Minecraft allows users to bring to life creations that only previously existed in their minds. If we were to create a similar simplistic interface applicable to today’s hardware, it would make additive manufacturing accessible to a much wider user base. The second option takes things in the opposite direction. It addresses the existing software’s inadequacy in processing very complex projects. This can be addressed by improving our software to implement multi-step instructions, follow arbitrary rules and monitor and react to the design process. If one were to design a forest using existing design software, it would be a very time-intensive process that result in very un-lifelike design. However, if we could change the way our computer thinks about shapes, the user would be able to input the design instructions for a single tree and randomize variables such as tree color, root formation and leaf shape according to pre-defined probabilities. The software would be able to generate hundreds to unique trees without manual intervention. The system would also be able to monitor if too many trees of a similar design are grouped together and react accordingly. The implications of this are monumental; it would mean that our design software would be able to function logically, taking a lot of the guesswork out of the process.

Chapter 14: The future of 3D printing can, for the most part, be defined in three separate phases. They are control of shape, control of composition and control of behavior. The technology is currently in the first phase, where designers have total control of the shape of our designs. We are approaching the second phase, where we have control over the materials that our products are composed of. As we experiment and combine raw materials in different ways, we are discovering new materials with never-before-seen properties. For example combining various plastic and metals in different patterns, we can create materials with greater tensile strength and flexibility than the sum of their parts. One major obstacle to this is that our current hardware does not give us much freedom in terms of experimentation. However, if total control can be achieved, we will have products with incredible properties, such as the ability to heal itself after being damaged. The third and final phase is the mastery of behavior. This goes beyond control over the physical realm; we would be able to create 3D printed computers and circuits that can interact with their environment in novel, predefined ways. Once this has been achieved, the possibilities would be truly endless. Our 3D printers would be able to manufacture intelligent, already programmed robots that can walk out of the printer. This can be achieved using volumetric pixels, aka voxels, which are tiny circuits that will compose our new creations.