Reflections on the Power of Making Real Things

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30 seconds is clearly not enough time. This rule is rather off putting.

Some highlights: (of which there were many, watch the whole thing)

• Ebeling talks about focusing one person instead of trying to tackle a bigger problem. When you help one, you help many.
• “We are moving through many micro-industrial revolutions, on a monthly basis…”
• “A year ago the 3d printer was a collectible for makers and enthusiasts, this Christmas, Joey from Kansas City might of had it on his Christmas list. Being able to 3d print and do micro-production of your own things is a now something that the common person has access to.”
• “Its the industrial revolution in a $2000 box on your desk.”
• Commit and then figure out how you’re going to do it.
• “You can’t put the pieces back together in someone else’s life. But maybe if we print them new pieces, they’ll start to learn to put it together themselves.”

“Select a subject area that you would like to focus on. For instance, you might be particularly interested in biotech, architecture, toys, archaeology, fashion, manufacturing, food, retail services, software design, materials, ethics, sustainability ??? 3D design and printing touch on all of these fields and more. Select a theme. Tell me about your interest. Pose a question you’d like to explore, and begin to research the question. You’ll be working with this theme throughout the remainder of the semester, so go with your interest. The idea is for you to become an expert in an area, and then share your growing expertise with the class via your blog.”

I’m a little confused about the requirements for this assignment. Not confused in the sense that what the “ask” is from the professor is confusing, but confused because I’m unsure how to tackle this. One the one hand, I can pursue the obvious path for me. That is, 3d printing applications for space exploration. I have a strong interest in the subject and my enthusiast-lens helps me to synthesize concepts that I read. This can also span many research questions such as: (broad question) “What are some mission critical applications that 3d printing can facilitate?” or narrow such as “Are 3d printed spacecraft parts feasible, reliable, and effective?”

Or I could disregard the whole space exploration applications, since I’m already working on something for my SmartPitch project, and venture into an unknown territory. An area that has always appealed to my curiosity is the area of 3d printed prosthetics. When I was in the music business I met a married couple (both musicians) with limited income (again, both musicians) and they had a little girl, about 5-6 years old, who was missing a leg. I recall there was a campaign within our music network to help raise funds just to help with the expenses of her prosthetics. Children prosthetics are particularly critical and expensive because they require a new set, in some cases, every couple of months as the child grows. This path of research may be interesting but also emotionally draining. Perhaps I should stick to the space path. What do you think?

A 3-D printed prosthetic nose and ear are seen on display during the 3-D Print show at the Business Design Center in London, on Nov. 8, 2013.

Article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-24/3-d-technology-may-someday-print-up-new-livers-health.html

This reminds me of Viktoria’s project.

– The book covers many facets of the topic. What do you find the most exciting and/or surprising? What kinds of new possibilities do you see? What are concerns that you have?

While I’ve had some exposure to 3d printing in the past, this book has exposed to many new facets and possibilities. I’m going to extend my answer here to two areas that this book exposed me to.

Education

The book makes an interesting case for the utilization of 3d printing in the classroom at nearly every grade level. I’m a firm believer that the future prosperity of our tiny world on all fronts (economic, social, science, etc.) is dependent on the ingenuity of future generations. That’s not necessarily meant to be a blanket statement. This covers science, engineering and the liberal arts. By incorporating 3d printers in the classroom, students with scientific leanings may get additional exposure and encouraged to learn how things come together (i.e. chemistry, biology). By being able to experiment and observe they can apply the things learned in books and in lectures to real examples. This ability enables the fostering of a whole new realm of education which, besides the potential for greater effectiveness in retaining the material, may also inspire the confidence to nurture these questions and garner the confidence necessary to continue in such a field. Engineering types benefit greatly by being exposed to the printer itself. Imagine a kid seeing a 3d printer work for the first time and take an interest on how the printer head moves and is guided by the tracks. Its an elegant engineering marvel that a student with such leanings could be inspired by to pursue the field further.

Green Manufacturing

The book poses an interesting argument. Is consumer level 3d printing a greener alternative to large scale factories that utilize injection molding processes? At first glance we see that 3d printing, per pound of manufactured product, consumes more than 10 times as much electricity as an injection molding machine. The author then continues to state that “a distribution network built on large numbers of small shipments to different locations isn’t ecologically efficient. All of this adds up to the fact that if 3d printed manufacturing were merely scaled up to global proportions, there would be nothing green about it”

However, in the following chapter this idea takes a different turn. The authors make a case by greener manufacturing with 4 points. First, 3d printing can fabricate products that are more optimized for its environment or application (as opposed to other technologies). Second, storing the design files for these things is far more efficient than storing things like specialty molds. Third, 3d printing may someday allow for localized distribution, as opposed to inventory having to be transported across oceans, air, etc. Lastly, there is the potential for this technology to work with recycled or eco friendly input material.

– What questions do you have after reading the book?

• How will intellectual property protection take place? Especially when considering the disruptive technology of affordable, and accurate 3d scanning?
• Additive manufacturing has reached consumer level. Can laser sintering and multi material 3d printing follow?

– If there is one type of technology that you could try out/experience, which would it be? Why?

I really would like to play around with a 3d scanner and a laser sintering 3d printer. I build and collect model rockets and it would be fun to replicate some of my models digitally, be able to modify them, and then print them out.

This article was published this morning and it is absolutely mind-blowing. While my personal interests are in the aerospace sector, anyone that knows me knows that whenever we talk about 3d printing, I’m most excited about its application in bio-tech. Previously I only thought about custom and affordable prosthetics for children but this here… this is another level of amazing.

3D printing has been creeping its way into the healthcare industry, slowly but surely, over the last few years. We have seen 3D printed human tissue, 3D printed prosthetics of all types, and now 3D printing is being used as a model for doctors to better envision particular procedures.

Roland Lian Cung Bawi, the 14 month old son of two Burmese immigrants, now residing in Owensboro, Kentcky, had major defects to his tiny little heart. The defects, which included a hole in his heart as well as misaligned aorta and pulmonary arteries, if untreated would have doomed Roland to a short unhealthy life. This is when Surgeon Erle Austin stepped in. Austin initially had 2D images of Roland’s heart, which he showed to several other surgeons, on his path to correct Roland’s condition. The problem was that the 2D scans were not precise enough, leading to several surgeons offering different suggestions on how to proceed. This is not the kind of advice a surgeon likes to receive, leading up to a major operation.

This is when Austin decided to turn to the School of Engineering at Louisville. They used a Makerbot Replicator 2X, 3D Printer to create a model of Roland’s heart, and all its defects. The model was printed in 3 separate pieces so that the surgeons could take it apart and see the interior.

“Once I had a model, I knew exactly what I needed to do and how I could do it,” said Austin. “It was a tremendous benefit.”

Having the model 3D printed allowed Austin to cut out a significant part of exploratory surgeries, and also shorten the time it took to operate on the tiny, delicate heart. The surgery was successfully completed on Monday, February 10th, and marked the first use of a 3D printer in the state of Kentucky for a pediatric heart patient. Roland is doing well and his family is relieved.

http://3dprint.com/1219/3d-printing-helps-fix-childs-heart-save-life/