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How can 3d printing help humans
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of 3D Printing?
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is becoming popular with manufacturers. The demand is growing due to some of the revolutionary benefits that it can provide. Like almost all technologies it has its own drawbacks that need considering.
This page aims to help with the selection process. We will cover each of the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing.
This production process offers a range of advantages compared to traditional manufacturing methods. These advantages include those related to design, time and cost, amongst others.
1. Flexible Design
3D printing allows for the design and print of more complex designs than traditional manufacturing processes. More traditional processes have design restrictions which no longer apply with the use of 3D printing.
2. Rapid Prototyping
3D printing can manufacture parts within hours, which speeds up the prototyping process. This allows for each stage to complete faster. When compared to machining prototypes, 3D printing is inexpensive and quicker at creating parts as the part can be finished in hours, allowing for each design modification to be completed at a much more efficient rate.
3. Print on Demand
Print on demand is another advantage as it doesn’t need a lot of space to stock inventory, unlike traditional manufacturing processes. This saves space and costs as there is no need to print in bulk unless required.
The 3D design files are all stored in a virtual library as they are printed using a 3D model as either a CAD or STL file, this means they can be located and printed when needed. Edits to designs can be made at very low costs by editing individual files without wastage of out of date inventory and investing in tools.
4. Strong and Lightweight Parts
The main 3D printing material used is plastic, although some metals can also be used for 3D printing.
However, plastics offer advantages as they are lighter than their metal equivalents. This is particularly important in industries such as automotive and aerospace where light-weighting is an issue and can deliver greater fuel efficiency.
Also, parts can be created from tailored materials to provide specific properties such as heat resistance, higher strength or water repellency.
5. Fast Design and Production
Depending on a part’s design and complexity, 3D printing can print objects within hours, which is much faster than moulded or machined parts. It is not only the manufacture of the part that can offer time savings through 3D printing but also the design process can be very quick by creating STL or CAD files ready to be printed.
6. Minimising Waste
The production of parts only requires the materials needed for the part itself, with little or no wastage as compared to alternative methods which are cut from large chunks of non-recyclable materials. Not only does the process save on resources but it also reduces the cost of the materials being used.
7. Cost Effective
As a single step manufacturing process, 3D printing saves time and therefore costs associated with using different machines for manufacture. 3D printers can also be set up and left to get on with the job, meaning that there is no need for operators to be present the entire time. As mentioned above, this manufacturing process can also reduce costs on materials as it only uses the amount of material required for the part itself, with little or no wastage. While 3D printing equipment can be expensive to buy, you can even avoid this cost by outsourcing your project to a 3D printing service company.
8. Ease of Access
3D printers are becoming more and more accessible with more local service providers offering outsourcing services for manufacturing work. This saves time and doesn’t require expensive transport costs compared to more traditional manufacturing processes produced abroad in countries such as China.
9. Environmentally Friendly
As this technology reduces the amount of material wastage used this process is inherently environmentally friendly.
However, the environmental benefits are extended when you consider factors such as improved fuel efficiency from using lightweight 3D printed parts.
10. Advanced Healthcare
3D printing is being used in the medical sector to help save lives by printing organs for the human body such as livers, kidneys and hearts. Further advances and uses are being developed in the healthcare sector providing some of the biggest advances from using the technology.
Like with almost any other process there are also drawbacks of 3D printing technology which should be considered before opting to use this process.
1. Limited Materials
While 3D Printing can create items in a selection of plastics and metals the available selection of raw materials is not exhaustive. This is due to the fact that not all metals or plastics can be temperature controlled enough to allow 3D printing. In addition, many of these printable materials cannot be recycled and very few are food safe.
2. Restricted Build Size
3D printers currently have small print chambers which restrict the size of parts that can be printed. Anything bigger will need to be printed in separate parts and joined together after production. This can increase costs and time for larger parts due to the printer needing to print more parts before manual labour is used to join the parts together.
3. Post Processing
Although large parts require post-processing, as mentioned above, most 3D printed parts need some form of cleaning up to remove support material from the build and to smooth the surface to achieve the required finish. Post processing methods used include waterjetting, sanding, a chemical soak and rinse, air or heat drying, assembly and others. The amount of post processing required depends on factors including the size of the part being produced, the intended application and the type of 3D printing technology used for production. So, while 3D printing allows for the fast production of parts, the speed of manufacture can be slowed by post processing.
4. Large Volumes
3D printing is a static cost unlike more conventional techniques like injection moulding, where large volumes may be more cost effective to produce. While the initial investment for 3D printing may be lower than other manufacturing methods, once scaled up to produce large volumes for mass production, the cost per unit does not reduce as it would with injection moulding.
5. Part Structure
With 3D printing (also known as Additive Manufacturing) parts are produced layer-by-layer. Although these layers adhere together it also means that they can delaminate under certain stresses or orientations. This problem is more significant when producing items using fused deposition modelling (FDM), while polyjet and multijet parts also tend to be more brittle. In certain cases it may be better to use injection moulding as it creates homogenous parts that will not separate and break.
6. Reduction in Manufacturing Jobs
Another of the disadvantages of 3D technology is the potential reduction in human labour, since most of the production is automated and done by printers.
However, many third world countries rely on low skill jobs to keep their economies running, and this technology could put these manufacturing jobs at risk by cutting out the need for production abroad.
7. Design Inaccuracies
Another potential problem with 3D printing is directly related to the type of machine or process used, with some printers having lower tolerances, meaning that final parts may differ from the original design. This can be fixed in post processing, but it must be considered that this will further increase the time and cost of production.
8. Copyright Issues
As 3D printing is becoming more popular and accessible there is a greater possibility for people to create fake and counterfeit products and it will almost be impossible to tell the difference. This has evident issues around copyright as well as for quality control.
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6 Ways 3D Printing will Change the World
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, may not be making headlines like it was in 2013, but rest assured, the technology’s only been spreading and advancing over the past four years. The implications of 3D printing design are vast, and the technology has the potential to revolutionize our society.
Here are a few of the ways that 3D printing will change the industry, the economy, and the culture in the years to come.
1. Production will Take a Turn Towards the Local
Since the 1980s, corporate outsourcing has been a significant force driving change in the manufacturing industry. Large corporations often reduce costs by setting up factories in multiple companies to manufacture each sub-component of their end product.
With 3D printing, a company could manufacture a whole car in one place. 3D printing only requires a few employees, so labor laws will be less of a game-changer than they are with traditional manufacturing and its large labor forces. As the technology improves, it’ll become cheaper and more accessible for companies to manufacture their product close to home.
This would mean significant economic restructuring for China and other countries whose economies depend on being able to provide a cheap labor pool for manufacturing. They’ll have to find new forms of economic value-production to maintain their GDP.
If you’re looking to manufacture your invention locally with 3D printing, you’ll need to start with a CAD model and prototype. We can help with that. Contact us, and we’ll connect you with the best designers and 3D printers on the web to get your product out there.
2. The Medical World Will be Turned Upside-Down
From surgery to prosthetics to medications, 3D printing has the power to revolutionize the world of medicine.
3D printing is already being used for prosthetics. Research firm Not Impossible Labs is already using the technology to print prosthetics for amputees in war-torn regions at a total cost of under $100. 3D printing could make prosthetics cheaper for everyone, changing the lives of amputees worldwide. 3D printing is also being used for surgery, with replicas of hearts and organs being used to help surgeons prep.
Bioprinting, 3D printing that uses “ink” made of human cells and tissue, is making massive strides. Many tech and medical experts believe that 3D-printed internal organs will be in use for surgery by the year 2025. 3D printing has already been used to repair damaged bone and cartilage, with surgeons using the technology in 2014 to repair a man’s face after a road accident.
3D printed pills are already a reality, with Spiritam, a 3D printed anti-seizure medication, patented in 2015. 3D printed pills could be a cheap and practical way to make lifesaving drugs available worldwide.
3. 3D Printing will Spark a Creative Renaissance
As 3D printing becomes more and more common, it’ll become more accessible and easier for inventors and creatives to turn their ideas into realities. 3D printing already makes it far easier for inventors to produce prototypes. In the future, the manufacturing process could be carried out by 3D printing as well. In a few decades, we might see the store shelves packed with a variety of 3D printed products that today would be unimaginable.
Are you an inventor trying to bring your product to the market? Contact Cad Crowd, and we’ll set you up with a 3D printing expert to help you produce your prototype.
4. 3D Printing Could Help Solve the Housing Crisis
Housing prices are skyrocketing across the West. Far fewer young people can afford to buy homes than their parents, and many people have difficulty even affording rent. 3D printing could help address that. A Chinese company called Winsun offers 3D houses built entirely out of recycled materials, which cost less than $5000 to produce.
Their process uses “ink” made from fiberglass, steel, cement, binder, and recycled rubble. They’ve already built housing in China, have recently expanded to Saudi Arabia, and plan on expanding to twenty other countries over the next few years. 3D printing allows home builders to save on transportation costs, building materials, and labor costs. The cities of the future may be built through 3D printing!
5. New Kinds of Crime Will Emerge
When 3D printers become a household item, digital piracy may spread from the media world to the general marketplace. Why buy an iPhone when you can buy some metal, plastic, and silicone “ink” for far less and print one yourself? This level of precision is well beyond the capability of the average 3D printer today, but that may no longer be the case in ten or twenty years. The digital pirates of the future may be sharing CAD files rather than media torrents.
3D printing will complicate gun registration. 3D-printed firearms are already a reality and will only improve in performance and practicality as time goes on.
How will state governments regulate the sale and traffic of firearms when anybody with a modem and printer can make their own?
This could be a problem across the black market. If 3D printing medications become a reality, expect 3D printed illegal drugs to follow on their heels.
This may sound bleak, but luckily, there’s a major upside to 3D printing that could help offset the dangers…
6. 3D Printing Could Save the Environment
3D printing will make it easier to produce goods locally, which dramatically reduces fuel costs. Faster production of goods may help curb the use of fossil fuels, perhaps even preventing the worst excesses of climate change.
With 3D printing, we’ll be able to step up our recycling game. Plastics, metals, and paper will become the “ink” used by printers, a process that uses less energy than conventional recycling.
Additionally, by its very nature, 3D printing produces less waste than conventional manufacturing. 3D printing is known as additive manufacturing, where an object is created by adding layer after layer of material to a previously empty space.
Traditional manufacturing is a subtractive process, where the manufacturer starts with a block of material and carves away at it to produce the product. The latter produces far more waste, which will be eliminated by switching to 3D printing.
Finally, 3D printing can help study the process of environmental degradation. Researchers at the University of Sydney have produced a 3D model of the Great Barrier Reefs to help model how these natural structures are being impacted by climate change. This could be used to support the reefs recover from bleaching and storms.
Want to be part of the 3D printing revolution? Get in touch for your free consultation and we’ll connect you with the best modelers and 3D printing freelancers on the web!
Eco-friendly use of 3D printers in the home and industry
Vegetarianism, electric cars, green energy. Increasingly, people are beginning to think about the destructive impact of humanity and production on nature.
Global warming (this is especially noticeable in the last decade), pollution of the world's oceans, garbage dumps, the extinction of some animal species or even entire ecosystems.
If you do not start to fight this today, then in a hundred years, hardly anything will remain of the former natural greatness.
3D printing, due to its versatility, helps many scientists and enthusiasts in various fields in solving large and global problems, for the conservation and ecosystems of our still green planet.
Sustainable production
First of all, 3D printers help to make production more environmentally friendly. Using 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing methods helps reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Air Emission Reduction
Smoke, garbage, gases, toxic fumes are frequent "companions" of traditional production methods. However, they can be significantly reduced or completely eliminated if a 3D printer is working in the workplace or at home.
Mass production vs. 3D printing
At first glance, it seems that mass production is less harmful to nature than piece-by-piece production on a 3D printer.
But it turned out that this is not entirely true. Joshua Pierce and colleagues traced the life cycle of three household items - an orange juicer, parts from a children's designer and a drainpipe segment.
Joshua Pierce, Michigan Technological University Scientist USA
It turned out that the production of, at first glance, such ordinary household items consumes a huge amount of resources - the extraction of raw materials and their processing, production, storage and delivery to the final consumer. In mass production, stamping or casting is usually used, after which plastic scraps are sure to remain.
3D printing can significantly reduce the production chain, and consequently, energy costs (by about 40-60%). After all, 3D printing (provided that the client has his own printer) does not require delivery - it is enough to send a digital 3D model. Printing can be more accurate and leave less plastic waste behind. A 3D printer can even produce hollow or lattice parts that are technically impossible to mass-produce by injection molding or moulding.
Reduced fuel consumption
In the world, more and more manufacturers of cars and motorcycles are beginning to develop the direction of electric motors. There are new and more affordable electric vehicles, the infrastructure for the maintenance of electrical engineering is developing. Many countries set themselves the goal of reducing the use of fossil fuels as much as possible in the near future.
Strati 3D printed electric car
But unfortunately, abandoning fossil fuels in the next few decades is a utopia. But 3D printing is already helping to at least reduce the amount of fuel consumed. This is achieved due to the maximum lightening of the weight of both the machine itself and the mechanical components of the internal combustion engine (internal combustion engine).
Engine hood hinge, 3D printed on the left and sheet metal on the right
Sustainable production
3D printing helps not only to reduce industrial emissions into the atmosphere, but also helps to find and implement new ideas.
After all, each owner of a 3D printer can himself model and manufacture a device or object that, in his opinion, will help to resist climate change.
Eco glasses
Disposable plastic cups are a headache for environmentalists around the world. According to statistics, the average person uses a plastic cup for 15 minutes, and it will take from 400 to 450 years to decompose in the garbage.
Plastic, due to its properties, is difficult to replace, especially in the food industry, but some enthusiasts are trying to do it. Jun Aizaki thinks he can solve this problem with pumpkins.
HyO-Cups or natural cups
Even prehistoric people adapted to use bottle gourds as reservoirs for water. Thanks to the 3D printed shapes, you can give almost any shape to a growing pumpkin.
gourd in the form of a jug
Animal rescue
3D printers are actively helping our smaller brothers.
In addition to medical uses such as prosthetics, 3D printing helps preserve and restore entire ecosystems.
Animal prostheses
The biggest challenge in animal prosthetics is the creation of an often miniaturized but lightweight and precise prosthesis. Manually or by other methods, this is sometimes impossible. In this case, the only way out is 3D printing.
Curano Cat
Curano the cat lived a full life for 9 years, delighting his owners, until he got cancer. Curano's owners did everything possible to save their pet and although the cancer receded, Curano's back left leg was badly damaged. Amputation of the leg could create new problems and it was decided to try to replace the patella with an implant.
The miniature implant was 3D printed from a cobalt-chromium alloy using DMLS (Direct Laser Sintering) technology. It was impossible to manufacture by any other means, because the implant must not only be miniature and durable, but also completely repeat the complex relief for high-quality integration into the bone.
Holly horse
Holly is a ten year old mare who suffered from laminitis.
Laminitis is a disease of artiodactyls resulting from poor circulation of the hoof plates. Due to laminitis, Holly experienced severe pain in her legs, not only when walking, but also when standing.
Veterinarian Luke Wells-Smith heard of successful attempts to make custom titanium horseshoes for racing horses.
3D printed titanium horseshoes
The guys from the Australian National Science Center were imbued with Holly's misfortune and decided to help. In collaboration with a equine orthopedist, special horseshoes were created for Holly. They made it possible to lighten the hoof and more evenly distribute the load on the legs.
Holly's hoof scan
The new shoes helped Holly start not only walking without pain, but also running.
Akut sea turtle
The collision with the propeller of the boat was unfortunate for the Akut-3 sea turtle.
Most of the upper and lower jaws were missing. This meant almost guaranteed slow death for the tortoise, but she was lucky.
The Tortoise Research and Rehabilitation Research and Rehabilitation Center, where the turtle ended up, turned to the Turkish company Btech, which specializes in medical 3D printing. Btech was able to scan and fabricate the missing part of the Akut jaw from titanium.
3D model of the prosthesis for Akut on the left and the finished prosthesis on the right
The surgeons succeeded in implanting the turtle's titanium jaw, and after a successful rehabilitation, it can be released into the wild.
Turtle with prosthesis
Cleopatra tortoise
Nicola Novelli picked up and left a small land tortoise. But due to malnutrition, the shell of the turtle, Nicola called her Cleopatra, was deformed (had the shape of a pyramid) and thinned. If the shell had cracked, then Cleopatra could have died from an infection.
Cleopatra's deformed, pyramidal shell
Nicola approached Colorado Tech University with a request to make a prosthesis for Cleopatra. Specialists from the university and a 3D printing company in Denver scanned and made a shell overlay from polylactide, a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer. Due to the complex relief of the shell, the model had to be printed in parts.
Cleopatra with escutcheon
Since Cleopatra is still a teenager and will continue to grow with age, the “prosthesis” will have to be changed periodically.
Hermit crab houses
In the wild, it's bad to be small and weak. But hermit crabs were able to adapt and use empty shells of gastropod mollusks as a reliable shelter.
Hermit crabs
Due to the pollution of the beaches, many hermit crabs, in search of a new "house", fell into deadly traps from plastic bags, bottles, canisters and died.
And natural shelters are becoming less and less. Hermit crabs have to use plastic garbage, which is not at all suitable for this.
Hermit crabs use rubbish as a home
Some enthusiasts are trying to help the unfortunate crustaceans and are trying to make them a worthy replacement house.
For example, MakerBot employees created the project "Shelter", where they offer anyone who wants to design a 3D model of a shelter for a hermit crab. The best works will be 3D printed and tested by crayfish.
From concept to implementation of 3D printed crayfish houses
But the Japanese artist Aki Yamomata, inspired by the idea of a peaceful exchange of land between countries, implemented a project of printed transparent houses for hermit crabs in the form of small towns.
Cancer in a new home made with photopolymer printer
To make sure the new inhabitants liked the houses, they were based on tomographic images of shells, finalized in a 3D editor.
Finished models are made of transparent resin on a photopolymer printer.
Conservation and support of ecosystems
In addition to prosthetics, 3D printing helps, although not to avoid some environmental disasters, but at least to slow them down. And this can give scientists more time to figure out the reasons and reach out to people.
Great Barrier Reef
It is the largest and oldest coral reef in the world. It is so huge that it can be seen from space (the area of the Great Barrier Reef is about 344,400 square kilometers). In addition, corals are home to many species of fish and other marine life.
Great Barrier Reef from space
But despite its gigantic size, it is endangered. Due to rising water temperatures, pollution of the world's oceans and climate change, the endosymbiotic algae that give corals their bright color are slowly dying out.
Scientists from the University of Sydney are using 3D scanning and 3D printing to save the Great Barrier Reef.
Using 3D scanning, a detailed map of the reef was built. With it, you can track and predict the most vulnerable places.
Using a 3D printer, scientists are making a variety of structures that can support the Great Barrier Reef. For example, sections are printed that serve as a home for algae-eating fish that kill corals. Previously, special blocks or prepared, sunken ships were used for this purpose, but 3D printing makes it possible to imitate the natural structure of the reef much more accurately.
Sandcrete mix artificial reef
Restoring dead ecosystems
Scientists plan to use this technology not only to maintain existing ecosystems, but also to restore those that have disappeared. After all, to date, about a third of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed.
Thanks to 3D printing, there is a chance to at least slightly improve the situation. Using the new Modular Artificial Reef Structures (MARS for short) technology, scientists are trying to introduce 3D printed structures that can become a home for reefs.
Artificial “reef” on the left - recently installed, on the right - after some time
The advantage of such block structures is the ease of installation. Indeed, for their immersion and installation, cranes or other equipment are not required. Several divers can deliver them to the bottom in separate blocks. Each block has hollow sections that are filled with rebar and special concrete for durability.
Modular system installed
One of the largest 3D printed "coral reefs" has already been placed in the Maldives.
Waste reduction
In addition to restoring ecosystems, it is necessary to reduce household waste emissions. And here 3D printing becomes a valuable assistant.
Cora Ball
Cora Ball is a development of the Rozalia Project. The Cora Ball is a small plastic ball that picks up the microfibers that spill from our clothes during the wash.
This way, dirt and fibers that may have entered waterways and oceans will remain in the bin. After all, these microparticles can be eaten by fish and other animals.
Prototype Cora Ball
Although mass production was planned to be done by molding, the first batches and prototypes of Cora Ball were made on a 3D printer.
The second life of broken things
Any mechanism wears out and fails over time. Often, to restore the working capacity of the mechanism, it is enough to make a small plastic part. So thanks to 3D printing, many things do not end up in a landfill, further polluting our planet, but get a second life.
RU machine
Radio-controlled cars have long become not only children's toys. Many adults do not mind remembering their childhood and racing on an impromptu track.
RU machine
The weak point of all RC machines is the plastic suspension. For expensive replica models, you can almost always find spare parts, but for rare or Chinese models, they are not.
Instead of throwing away an almost working toy, you can make a broken element on a 3D printer. When modeling, you can even increase the strength of the part by adding stiffeners in weak places.
Rear hub of 1/18 scale car
Some enthusiasts 3D print the entire chassis. This makes it easy to replace broken elements and quickly refine and correct design flaws.
3D printed RC car chassis
The second life of the meat grinder
Even such seemingly eternal things as a metal meat grinder can break. The most annoying thing is that a part that does not have a strong load has broken.
Clamping nut for a meat grinder, made on a 3D printer
A variety of materials allows you to print on a 3D printer a replacement for almost any plastic part. It can be a gear for a blender, a plastic handle for a washing machine and much more.
In some situations, when the model is rare and old, there are no even original used spare parts. 3D printing allows you to give your favorite home appliance many more years of life, instead of rotting in a landfill.
Vehicle seal
Sometimes a small, cheap piece breaks in an important node. But the manufacturer sells the necessary spare part only in the collection. Because of this, you have to not only overpay for the necessary part, but also throw away the unnecessary, albeit almost working, mechanism.
Washer nozzle for Toyota Avensis - 3D printed on the left, original on the right
A 3D printer becomes a “lifesaver” if you need to make a spare part that is already difficult or impossible to get. For example, this part is no longer produced, but the BU option could not be found, or delivery will cost more than the part itself.
Green Energy
The transition to green energy is an important step in reducing emissions of greenhouse (and not only) gases into the atmosphere.
Wind energy
Wind energy is a renewable and “clean” energy source. Despite some disadvantages (variability of wind power and therefore uneven power generation), it is promising for some countries. For example, in Denmark, in 2019, windmills generated 48% of the electricity consumed.
There are several options for wind turbines - with a vertical and horizontal axis of rotation.
Main types of wind turbines
Vertical-axial wind turbines have a lower efficiency compared to horizontal-axial ones, but their use requires that the wind speed be more than 6 m/s. In Russia, the average annual wind speed does not exceed 5 m/s, so wind turbines with a vertical axis are more often used.
Home wind generator
In Russia, "clean" energy sources are not very popular because of their high price. 3D printing helps enthusiasts design and build low-cost models of wind turbines.
3D printed home wind turbine
In an apartment building, there is hardly a place where a wind generator will be effective, but for example, in a country house, it can be a good helper in case of a power outage.
Wind turbine production optimization
An industrial wind generator is a complex mechanism of gigantic size.
Industrial wind turbine blade
Using only 3D modeling techniques, it can be difficult to correctly calculate all parameters. Thanks to 3D printers, it is possible to create a miniature copy of a wind turbine and test it in a wind tunnel. This helps to optimize and refine the design of wind generators, making them more efficient.
Prototype wind turbine being tested in wind tunnel
And some companies offer to print towers for wind turbines on a 3D printer. GE Renewable Energy, 3D printing specialists COBOD and LafargeHolcim (a manufacturer of cement and other building materials) have teamed up to develop the world's tallest wind turbine towers. This will reduce the cost of installing wind turbines and make them higher (200 meters instead of 100) than from other materials.
3D printed wind turbine tower
After all, the higher the wind generator, the more electricity it can generate in a year. For example, a 5 MW turbine at a height of 80 meters will generate approximately 15.1 GWh per year. The same turbine at a height of 160 meters - 20.2 GWh per year, which is 30% more.
Solar energy
Solar energy is obtained using special panels, consisting of photovoltaic cells, in which a series of physical and chemical processes take place under the influence of sunlight. There are several types of solar cells - monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous (flexible, film).
In Russia, solar batteries are not very common due to the unprofitability of their use in high latitudes.
Currently, developments are underway for the production of panels on a 3D printer, but the main use of 3D printing in solar energy is to print prototypes and accessories for panels.
Accessories for solar panels
South Dakota-based Peppermint Energy created FORTY2. FORTY2 is a portable solar panel with enough power to run a laptop, lighting, etc.
For the production of a prototype case, 3D printing was used on an industrial Stratasys printer. Thanks to 3D printing, it was possible to quickly produce several functional prototypes of the case and remove all the flaws.
For example, the first version of FORTY was too bulky and inconvenient to transport. The original design was greatly simplified. The use of a 3D printer has reduced production costs by about $250,000.
Hydropower
Most renewable energy sources (solar, wind) are fickle. Electricity obtained in this way must be “stabilized” - stored in batteries.
Water in this regard is more predictable. Industrial hydroelectric power plants have a number of disadvantages. For example, flood risk, desertification, human migration, etc. Small hydro-generators, in general, are devoid of the shortcomings of their industrial counterparts and do not have such a devastating effect on the environment.
Vortex turbine
The Belgian startup team Turbulent is trying to create a compact hydroelectric generator that is enough to provide electricity to 1-2 private houses. This will help people who are far from the power grid to provide their homes with electricity using the energy of streams or small rivers.
Hydro generator prototype from Turbulent
To make the turbine more accessible and cheaper, 3D printing has been chosen as a manufacturing method. According to statistics, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity networks, even more residents have constant power outages and are forced to use other, not environmentally friendly, energy sources (for example, gasoline / diesel generators).
River turbine
Ted Christopher spent several years developing a prototype river turbine capable of generating electricity without impacting the environment. The result of his developments was the Volturn system, named after the god of the river in Greek mythology.
The Volturn has a horizontal design that generates power and deflects river debris such as rocks, plants or logs.
The prototype was 3D printed and tested in local rivers. 5 turbines combined into a single system will be able to provide electricity to about 40 houses.
Plastic recycling
Plastic. Its properties, for the modern world, become both a salvation and a curse for the environment. On the one hand, plastic products are light and durable, you do not need to spend a lot of time on their manufacture. At the same time, not all types of plastic can be recycled. On average, a plastic product can decompose from 400 to 700 years, and unfortunately plastic rots not only in landfills, but also pollutes nature and the oceans.
Filament recycling
During 3D printing, plastic debris is inevitably left behind. These can be model supports or broken products, during the printing of which something went wrong.
3D printing failed
But used plastic can be shredded, mixed with fresh pellets, and reused (as long as the plastic is not biodegradable). In this case, 3D printing becomes almost waste-free.
On the Internet, you can find many options for home machines for the production of plastic thread. It can be a self-assembly machine, partially printed on a 3D printer.
Home self-assembly filament machine
Or a finished machine made at the factory. Pellets for plastic production can be easily ordered online.
Home filament machine
Plastic bottle filament
In addition to recycling used filament, enthusiasts have learned to print even from plastic bottles.
Homemade machine for making plastic thread from plastic bottles
Every day, around 100 million plastic bottles are used and thrown away around the world, and only 20% of them are recycled or reused. A plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to decompose! The use of plastic bottles as a material for a 3D printer will give them a new life in the form of useful things for the home.
Bottle printed spool
3D printed bottle gear
From one bottle, from 15 to 30 grams of plastic filament is obtained.
Totals
3D printers still have a long way to go to become truly sustainable, but even now, despite the imperfection of the technology, they can help reduce environmental pollution.
Already now, thanks to 3D printing, many good deeds are being done - it is possible to improve production technologies, even if only a little, to reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere and, of course, to try to restore the fragile natural balance.
It is important to remember that a 3D printer is just a tool and it depends only on the consciousness of a person whether it will be useful or continue to replenish landfills with unnecessary plastic waste.
3D printers in construction: prospects for application
At first glance, 3D printed structures look like the shell of a half-finished building. But upon closer examination, you will not find even a brick. Layers of material seem to build up one on top of the other - this is how a complex structure is created. It's a futuristic world of 3D printing where robotic arms automatically layer and compress layers of concrete or plastic or any other material into a foundation and build a structure.
This construction method is quite niche today - only a few prototypes of 3D houses and offices have been printed in the world. However, this technology represents an exciting and potentially powerful solution to building change.
What is 3D printing in construction, what is the potential, and will we be working on 3D printed projects in the near future?
- What is 3d printing in construction?
- 3D printers in construction: how is it done?
- 5 examples of innovation
- How can 3d printed projects help construction companies?
- 3D printing distribution
- Civil engineering 3D printing
- Wiki House technology - an open source project for 3D printing: what is behind the concept
- Reverse side of the coin
- How 3D printing can be integrated into construction
- About PlanRadar
3D printing in construction - what kind of technology?
3D printing for construction uses both a 3D printer, which has a robotic “crane-arm” that builds structures right on the construction site, and the creation of certain elements by printers at the factory, which are already assembled into a structure on site.
The concept of 3D printing is not new: it first appeared in the 80s. But it's only in the last decade that this technology has been improved enough (and the cost significantly reduced) to become a real mainstream.
3D printers are not much different from regular inkjet office printers. The software tells the printer about the dimensions of the final product. And then the printer starts to output the material to the platform according to the plan. 3D printers often use liquid metals, plastics, cement, and variations of various materials that, when cooled and dried, form a structure.
In a 3D construction printer, the CAD or BIM programs tell the machine what to print and the machine starts layering the material according to the design plan.
3D printers in construction: how do they work?
3D printing concept - The printer extrudes a defined liquid mixture in layers, layer by layer, creating a design based on a 3D model. The prepared mix of concrete, filler, plasticizer and other components is loaded into the hopper of the device and fed to the print head. The mixture is applied to the surface of the site or to the previous printed layers. This is how most 3D printers work. Among them, there are three types of devices for 3D printing:
Robotic printer
Read also: New technologies in construction 2021
5 innovative examples of 3D printing
To date, only a few 3D printing projects have been implemented in the construction industry. Here are five of the most impressive and promising projects:
Dubai City Hall Office Building, UAE
1. Dubai City Hall Office Building, UAE
3D printed building. The office block built in the UAE is 9,5 meter high building with an area of 640 m2.
An Apis Cor 3D printer moved around an open-air construction site with a crane and erected various parts of the structure.
2. Office of the Future, UAE
Office of the Future, UAE
Another impressive 3D printed building in the UAE, the Office of the Future is a unique, fairly large structure that currently houses a temporary headquarters organization Dubai Future Foundation.
For this building, the elements were not created on site and were printed in 17 days, while the building itself was assembled in 48 hours.
3. WinSun 3D Printer Homes, China
WinSun 3D Printer Homes, China
WinSun 3D Printing Company of China has also used factory-built 3D printers to build residential buildings. The company has created several house projects, including a small multi-storey building. All construction details can be printed quickly and cheaply and then quickly assembled on the construction site.
The company calculated that it would cost as little as $161,000 to build and print their five-story building.
4. 3D printed number plate in Lewis Grand Hotel, Philippines
3D printed number plate in Lewis Grand Hotel, Philippines
When planning a trip to the Philippines, consider staying at the Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City , Pampanga, where visitors will be greeted with the world's first 3D printed hotel suite. The hotel room was designed by Lewis Jakich, hotel owner and materials engineer, in collaboration with 3D printing specialist Anthony Rudenko. They created a massive 3D printer that prints sand and concrete based on volcanic ash. The room was printed in 100 hours.
5. Two-story mansion in Beckum, Germany
Two-story mansion in Beckum, Germany
The first 3D-printed residential building with an area of about 80 square meters - the brainchild of the German construction company PERI GmbH and the architectural design bureau MENSE-KORTE ingenieure + architecture. A BOD2 3D printer was used to print one square meter of double wall cladding in 5 minutes. The building is a structure with three-layer hollow walls filled with insulating mass. Installation of hollow pipes and connections during printing was carried out manually.
3D printing in construction seems really impressive, but what are the real benefits of such technology?
How can 3D printed designs help construction companies?
Proponents of 3D printing houses and commercial offices point to several advantages of this construction method:
- Zero waste construction
In the UK, almost a third of the waste comes from the construction industry. According to the Transparency Market Research Group, the construction industry worldwide will produce 2.2 billion tons of construction waste by 2025. And although most of the waste is related to the demolition of buildings, the construction sites themselves produce a lot of waste.
Conversely, 3D printing can reduce waste to almost zero. A 3D printer uses a well-defined amount of material that is required to print a design - no more, no less. This can be a big savings.
- Reduced energy consumption
3D printing in construction encourages the use of locally available materials and natural ingredients. This practice can reduce energy costs in transportation, construction and manufacturing, as most local materials require less energy to process or install. If traditional materials with toxic chemical impurities are replaced with natural ones, then the toxicity of the entire construction can be reduced. In addition, local materials are often better suited to local climates and can reduce a building's heating or cooling load, which also reduces construction costs.
- Save time and money
As with AI in construction, a 3D printer can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means construction projects have the potential to be completed much faster and a number of low-skilled labor costs can be avoided. What's more, 3D printing eliminates the need for temporary structures, such as formwork and scaffolding, that are commonly used in traditional construction. Studies of 3D printed concrete structures have shown a significant reduction in formwork requirements, reducing costs by 35-60%.
- Can realize unusual design shapes
One of the most attractive characteristics of 3D printers is their ability to create complex and unusual design designs, including a single, unique one. Since the job of a 3D printer is to layer the material, they can be programmed into absolutely any unusual shape that would be much more difficult to create with traditional techniques.
- Minimize human error and improve safety
Published statistics of workplace injuries by the American agency BLS in 2020 indicates that construction is one of the most traumatic areas and a high incidence of diseases. Every day, about 5333 workers die on the construction site. And with the advent of 3D printing, the number of work injuries and fatalities will obviously decrease, as it makes construction more programmable and automated. Robotic construction requires standardized, accurate and complete digital building information, making this technology more accurate and efficient, with minimal rework due to human error or any information inconsistencies. The usual problems with materials and components that need to be stored somewhere, protected from damage are leveled out, problems with installation and work in progress due to damage also disappear - 3D elements are created as they are built, they do not need to be moved and stored.
- Exploring new markets
The use of a 3D printer also allows construction companies to enter new market sectors that were previously inaccessible to them. And for start-up companies, having a 3D printer will be a competitive advantage. What's more, 3D printing is a brilliant way to elevate or improve the reputation of a construction company's brand among those who believe that concrete production impacts the planet's environment.
Distribution of structural 3D printing
3D printing for structural reinforcement, small scale components and structural steel could revolutionize design, construction and space exploration. In addition, the European Space Agency (ESA) believes that using 3D printed metals to create high-quality complex shapes can significantly reduce their cost, and they will become very common.
ESA has developed a project with the European Commission to improve the printing of metal components that can be used in space. In total, 28 European partners have united for the joint project AMAZE (Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero - layer-by-layer 3D printing for zero waste from production and efficient production of high-tech metal products).
Almost everything can be designed on a computer, so AMAZE plans to install a 3D printer on board the spacecraft, and as soon as an astronaut needs any part, a tool, he can simply print it.
Structural 3D printing
Civil engineering 3D printing
Civil engineering 3D printing has been gaining popularity over the past decade, as has the aerospace and biomedical industries. This revolutionary manufacturing technique is based on its unique ability to create any geometric shape without any formal restrictions, minimizing waste but increasing productivity and results. The construction industry's push towards automation has recently reached important milestones, including the creation of the first structures using robotic "arms" and 3D printing technology.
The use of 3D printing in the creation of structural elements from polymer materials, concrete and metals is becoming more common.
These civil engineering technicians can create free-form and innovative architectural designs using CAD-integrated software.
However, despite considerable research in the aerospace and bioengineering industries to evaluate and analyze this mechanism, there is still a lack of understanding of its use, the impact of 3D printed materials in civil structures, both in terms of material properties and structural response.
Imperial College London
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WIKI HOUSE - 3D printing in construction: what is the concept behind
Wiki House is an innovative project created by a small group of architects in London in 2011 . It offers an open source digital house design system that allows users to create, upload and share different designs and print their own houses.
The kit does not require any special knowledge and training and can be created in 1 day. Elements are digitally cut from ordinary sheet material, like plywood, using a CNC machine. And it's much faster, less costly, and doesn't require the involvement of experts, as in conventional traditional construction.
A standard two bedroom house can be built for less than £50,000 and additional components such as cladding, insulation, windows and more can be added to the main frame of the structure. The first house that was built on the basis of the open source Wiki House technology was a two-story building. The 3D printed house was presented at the London Design Festival in 2014.
The Wiki House movement was spearheaded by Alastair Parvin, whose TED presentation "Architecture for People, Built by People" talked about the promise of 3D printing in construction. The creator of this project believes that Wiki House can help solve the housing problem, especially in emergency situations such as earthquakes (there is already evidence that 3D-printed houses can withstand shocks up to magnitude 8).
In the future, this could become a real alternative to low-cost houses, while allowing the customer to control the design of the project.
3D building built using Wiki House
Will 3D printing be the sustainable future of building?
3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the supply chain and structure through a new method of design and manufacturing. According to the study, 3D printing can help the construction industry become more economical, more efficient and greener.
Saxon University of Applied Sciences scientists Ivo Kotman and Neils Faber claim that 3D printing technology will be a "game changer". They explored the possibilities of 3D printing concrete, and their conclusions are:
- 3D printing shortens the supply chain and the overall design process. 3D printing right on the job site eliminates time-consuming steps in the design process. The architects, engineers, contractors, clients, and executives who normally have to be actively involved in a project are no longer needed in 3D printing.
Since all tasks can be combined in one figure of the architect, who uses the modeling method and reproduces the exact holistic designs.
- Pipe fitting and electrical wiring become easier and more efficient. Heating systems, insulation, plumbing and electricity all require the laborious on-site installation of conventional construction. However, in 3D printing, some of these features can be incorporated into the 3D printing process. Cavity wall printing is less resource intensive, improves insulation, and allows the use of 3D-printed hot or cold water channels. Moreover, the need for on-site installation is eliminated, which directly affects the reduction of waste.
- The best logistics. 3D printing eliminates 3 logistics and shipping issues. Firstly, a lot of materials and elements often deteriorate upon delivery, and if everything is printed on site, then damage is minimized
Secondly, in order to withstand transportation, the parts must be with increased technical characteristics, which by default increases the cost of them, and therefore the entire project. 3D printing right on the construction site will help to avoid such additional costs.
- Creation of individual house designs available to the general market. Usually, building a house with the involvement of an architect is an expensive pleasure for most consumers. But with concrete 3D printing, you don't have to worry about the chosen shape, it won't cost more. In fact, this means that in the future more people will be able to buy houses of their own design according to their individual needs
Reverse side of the coin
While 3D printing is definitely attractive, it's still important to look at it impartially, removing some of the promotional stimulus. Skeptics note several disadvantages of this technology.
- Research and development costs
Most construction companies operate with relatively low profitability. To start using 3D printing everywhere, significant investments will be required.
- Will consumers see this as a marketing ploy?
3D printed houses, offices, shops and other infrastructure are often impressive. But do most people really want to live or work in one? For most people, brick houses are much more familiar and attractive. Other technologies such as prefabricated houses also seemed like an attractive technology of the future some time ago, but have not been widely adopted, despite the fact that in many cases they were cheaper than traditional ones.
- Difficulty integrating with other components
3D printers can create unique and interesting designs. However, if you need a building that will use different materials or different elements that will not be suitable for 3D printing, then it will be a challenge to include a 3D printer for the building process.
- Lack of skilled labor
With the current problem of a shortage of skilled labor in the construction sector as a whole, 3D printing will require an even larger set of specialized knowledge and skills, which will have to be selected from an already small niche of candidates. So finding specialists to work in 3D printing for construction may be another difficult task in the future.
- Construction quality control
Weather conditions can slow down the traditional building process, but things are even worse for 3D printing. The environmental factor for commercial construction may reduce the demand for 3D printing. What's more, quality control can be a much more serious task, requiring constant monitoring of the process by real people at the construction site.
- No standards and regulations
Despite the regular mention of 3D printing in the media, it still has not had a significant impact on the construction sector. There is an obvious liability issue when using these printers, even more so than human liability when doing some construction work. And quite a few other ambiguities regarding this technology. So until norms and standards are established, as well as rules in this area, 3D printing is unlikely to become mainstream in the construction industry.
Read also: New technologies in construction 2021
How can 3D printing be integrated with construction?
There is now strong evidence that 3D printing is worthy of attention and can be applied in the construction sector, and it is likely that this technology will be used more in the coming years. True, it is not known how widely these devices will be used on the construction site, or whether they will remain only a tool for the manufacture of block elements for prefabricated structures. But for certain projects, it is reasonable to assume that 3D printers and this technology in construction will be a must-have tool in the arsenal of builders.
