Fabricated: A Reflection
Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing serves to provide a great introduction into the world of possibilities that stem from the world of 3D printing technology. It touches on aspects ranging from its applications and the possibilities it presents in various fields, such as “bioprinting” (tissue engineering and other related aspects), to issues embodied in the legal sphere. Whilst the book does a touch on a myriad of topics, it does raise some questions concerning the actual current day uses and feasibility of the technology. The following will address some questions and topics of interest that the book has produced for me.
One of the most exciting topics brought about by Fabricated, and one that would serve as the inspiration for the name of this blog, is the movement away from economies of scale. Here, traditionally in order for production to actually be feasible from an economic standpoint, a large volume of product needed to be produced. As a matter of fact, the book provided a rather shocking fact in regards to this; “…to earn back the investment in producing a simple toothbrush… the minimum order is a whopping 28,000 toothbrushes” (25). This significantly limits the amount of innovation that is possible as it takes a sizable investment to even prototype a unit that may not even function/behave as intended in its physically manifested form. Thus, movement away from the status quo in regards to technological implementation and creativity is not much of a practical aspect as it currently stands due to manufacturing and design limitations imposed by traditional means. 3D printing, according to the book, will step away from this particular limitation as the technology will allow constant refinement of prototypes at a low cost as well as the production of sole units without the need to produce countless thousands of others to make sense economically. Here, the most interesting possibility, as it relates to this development, is perhaps for the modern day growing number of entrepreneurs. With 3D printing, many more individuals can refine their ideas and actually bring them into the physical realm so that they may be tangible products. This opens the door for many new revolutionary products and developments to arise out of the simple elimination of prior economic constraints (now the only limiting factor is imagination!).
One of the main questions I have after reading the book stem from how feasible the technology is today. While the book provides ample thought and insight into what possibilities may lie in the future, the current applications and limitations of the technology are not particularly well addressed. As a result, I have a hard time understanding if the technology is actually being used as an alternative to traditional manufacturing processes outside of perhaps the initial prototyping phase. Pursuing this further, if the technology is not utilized to a great capacity, how long may it take until we see 3D printing being implemented in day-to-day operations for various industries?
Furthermore, if I were to actually experience some facet of 3D printing, I would like to see the modeling side of the process and the software utilized. This particular wish stems from the desire to see just how complicated CAD software for 3D printers actually is because even though the technology provides for a variety of possibilities, if it is complicated to use, it will have a difficult time in regards to adoption for a wide variety of consumers. It is a firm belief here that the easier and simpler the software becomes, the more highly adopted the technology will become (the recent emergence and popularity of APPS on Android and IOS comes to mind; computers were not all that popular back in the DOS days, I don’t think anyone likes an ugly and primitive UI that is hard to understand).
