“Should children be taught to use 3D printers?” The idea might be far-fetched if it did not come from the very serious Economic, Social and Environmental Council (EESC).
In a report, the institution advocates betting big on the expansion and teaching of three-dimensional printing. It is a matter of “preparing” the “factory of the future”, she says.
Volumic 3D, whose 3D printers are based on FDM (Fused Depot Modeling) technology, is already very active in this field, equipping high schools, colleges, Polytechs and other engineering schools.
But many are asking the question, “What can you do with a 3D printer already? How will it disrupt everyday life?”
A brief overview of the 3D printing revolution…
Fashion
The world of fashion and design has obviously seized on 3D printing. Garments made with this technology have been presented at Fashion Weeksand companies have already started designing for the general public.
This is the case of Victoria’s Secret or de Continuum Fashion. The latter offers a seamless nylon-free bikini. Even shoescan be created using this same technology.
Here are some examples of Volumic3D’s contributions in this sector
Houses
It will soon be as easy to build houses as to assemble prefabs.
Last year, a Chinese company even managed to print ten 200m2 houses in 24 hours in Shanghai. For the record, the 3D printer used was 32m long, 10m wide and 6.6m high. It proceeds by piling layers of material on top of each other regularly to finish with the top of the building. Soon a reality in France?
Today, many architects already use 3d printers to print their creations and thus help their clients to better project themselves in their creation.
Medical and R&D
This can include reconstructing body parts like when in 2012, doctors implanted the first printed jaw in a patient’s mouth.
A biocompatible ear and nose cartilage have also been printed since then, and research on skin is progressing rapidly. Within the next twenty years,organs could also be technologically recreated.
It can also be prostheses, as was the case this summer in France with the first 3D printed hand prosthesis of Maxence.
Machine parts and miscellaneous items
Initially capable of making simple decorative trinkets, 3D printers are now capable of reconstructing far more complex objects. This can be anything from a common consumer part to an aircraft engine or a car chassis.
The contribution can be simpler with the creation of ultrapersonalized objects (phone covers, advertising objects, decorative objects…
One thing is certain, 3D printing is truly a revolution!
